Wild Thang had a huge audience because he’d been going to the competition for five years. People were screaming and going wild. He was kind of the underdog

I have been a heritage breeder and exhibitor of pekingese dogs for more than 30 years – though I’ve rescued more than I’ve bred. Eight years ago, one of the dogs I rescued had canine distemper, a nasty disease that can cause developmental problems, and he spread it to one of our puppies.

Sadly, despite thousands of dollars’ worth of vet bills, we weren’t able to save our rescue dog, but we were able to save the puppy. We called him Smurf. Later we changed his name to Wild Thang because he looks like something from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are.