Canton Dog a Show Stopper

Grand Champion "Desert Turquoise" Elijah is having his second childhood. Or maybe he’s having his first.

Eli, as he is called, is a champion standard poodle owned by Leonard and Tobie Shapiro of Canton. He is likely the only resident of Canton to become a champion at the ripe old age of 16 months, and a grand champion at just over two-years-old.

Eli has recently completed an illustrious show career capped off with an appearance at the Westminster Dog Show in New York in February. And now, as a “out of show,” he can relax, play, run like the wind, meet other dogs and check out the ocean. He can be a two-year-old.

“When a dog is showing, care must be taken with their coats and their grooming, and in general, they don’t get to go out with the boys and girls all that often," Owner Lenny Shapiro said. “Now he can get out."

When the Shapiros were looking for their dog, they wanted a show dog. They wanted a standard poodle to follow their previous standard poodle, Eliot. A breeder in Arizona was highly recommended, but it seemed unlikely that a trip to Arizona was in the cards. Unlikely, that is, until the Shapiros were invited to a wedding in Sedona. It turned out Eli was in the next town, and the rest is history.

Eli traveled back East and began the process of becoming a champion. The Shapiros chose a local handler, Julie Pantages of Gloucester, to prepare Eli and show him. It was Pantages who handled Eli in the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show. 

But Eli is not just a champion show dog.

“He is a good dog,” Tobie Shaprio said. "He’s very gentle and very much attuned to the needs of people around him. He has visited with Alzheimer’s patients, Special Olympians, children with CP, and seniors and he seems to know what they need.”

What’s next for Eli now that he is retired from the show ring?

Lenny and Tobie would like to breed him, because he is beautiful, and to improve upon the qualities he possesses. “Breeding is a huge responsibility,” Tobie said. “While you want each generation to be better than the previous one, more importantly you are sharing love, making an animal that someone will love, and you have a responsibility to do all you can to make sure that the puppy is healthy and disease free.”

So while the search for a match begins, Eli is having fun–and being a typical two-year-old pup.