Spinoni Italiano show dog Adele of Carson City to compete in Westminster Dog Show

Carson City’s Deputy Director of Emergency Management, Stacey Belt, has a couple of very special Spinoni Italiano dogs. One of them, as Stacey puts it — a bearded Italian girl with bushy eyebrows named Adele, will be competing in the famous Westminster dog show in February.  

We spoke with Stacey to learn more about these fascinating dogs as well as the world of competitive dog shows and the time both pooches got lost in the woods for an entire week in 2016.

How did you get into the Spinoni Italiano breed of dogs?

Spinoni Italiano are still a fairly rare breed, when we got into the breed 12 years ago, it was because my husband wanted a hunting dog. I envisioned a crazed, energy driven dog that would need constant attention and exercise. When he found the Spinoni, our family fell in love.

They are dedicated bird hunters, but referred to as a gentleman’s hunting dog. They range closer and are built more for endurance than speed. Spinoni are easy going, docile and affectionate towards both people and other dogs. It was a perfect fit for our family.

Can you tell us about your Spinoni, Adele?

Collina d’Oro Adele by Royal Design is her AKC (American Kennel Club) registered name. Adele is a special girl in so many ways. We knew there was something special about her from the moment she was born, with her classic orange markings and her inquisitive nature. It’s what drives her in the field and the show ring.

Adele is 4 years old, born December 2013. I showed her as a puppy and she became a champion quickly because she’s so beautifully constructed.

Tell us more about competing in dog shows. How does it work?

In dog shows, the judges examine the dogs, then give awards according to how closely each dog compares to the judge’s mental image of the “perfect” dog described in the breed’s official standard.

The standard describes the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. These standards include specifications for structure, temperament and movement.

Does Adele like competing? What is her personality like?

Many dogs grudgingly go into the show ring thinking of it as another job, but Addie goes in thinking every person watching is there for her.

She is enthusiastic, sometimes to a fault, being a clown and extra goofy — but her enthusiasm is contagious. She’s the same way in the bird field, never tiring and working closely with her human-dad.

Many Carson Now readers might remember the frightening story about Adele and Mara getting lost, as well as the huge effort from you and the community to find them. What happened?

In February 2016, I was out walking the dogs. We live on 5 acres adjoining BLM land and Addie and Mara, our 5 year-old Spinoni, took off after what I can only imagine was a deer. Rabbits are fun to chase for a few minutes, but are too elusive.

I saw the determination they ran off with and I instantly and desperately called them, but only Addie’s grandmother came back to me. We hiked home quickly, called for help and went out as the sun was setting to find them.

I thought they had just gotten turned around further than our norm, but would stay in the general area. It was seven days, almost to the minute when they were finally found in the Pine Nuts motorcycle staging area, 21 miles away.

We searched over 13 hours a day with help from volunteers. We had support and donations from across the world, and media attention, specifically from Carson Now. We also hired a professional lost dog tracking service, and even chartered a helicopter to search across miles and miles of BLM land.

That is quite the ordeal. Was Adele able and still wanting to compete?

One month later, Adele went to a dog show with me in Sacramento, and she was hugely awarded and selected to compete in the final seven dogs (out of 1466) for Best in Show. She was awarded that honor two days in a row, by two different judges.

After that show, wow, I was out of my league. I had trained her and shown her to this point, but I knew it was time for her to go to a good friend of mine, who is a professional handler, Laura Reeves, PHA.

Addie and Laura did some showing, and lots of winning in 2016, but it wasn’t until 2017 that we really concentrated our efforts.

In the beginning of 2017 I broke my leg and was unable to walk for almost 10 weeks, so Adele went to stay with Laura.

They built a relationship and work beautifully together. The first weekend she was showing with Laura they were recognized within the top four sporting dogs and they never looked back.

She has a history of keeping you on your toes, but you must be proud of what sounds like quite the winning streak. What is in store for Adele in 2018?

Adele is the first Spinoni female to ever have won Best in Show, which she did in July 2017 in Oregon. The other four are males, and she is one of the winningest Spinoni in U.S. history.

She finished this year as the #1 Spinoni in the nation and one of the top sporting dogs. I think of her as a once-in-a-lifetime dog and so we’re going to Westminster.

It will be a great experience, and since Adele takes the world in stride, she’ll probably view it as an adventure and her biggest audience yet.

While we don’t expect to win Westminster, to be invited is an honor, and really, why wouldn’t she win? Who doesn’t love an Italian girl with a beard and bushy eyebrows?

Adele will retire after Westminster. We’ll begin working on her therapy dog certification and fine tune her hunting skills. She is only four-years-old so we look forward to continuing to compete in various dog sports. I may show her occasionally, but my husband is happy to have her home as his hunting dog. Her grandmother, Tizzy, is his partner now, but at 11 she’s ready to retire from the field.

We’ll let her continue to take us on this journey…
 With an electronic GPS collar, of course.