The Johnsons get a huge article on USA Today

By Jill Lieber Steeg, USA TODAY
Dogs are a family affair for Doug and Michaelanne Johnson.
The high school sweethearts, who married at 19, were scanning the classified ads in a local newspaper in 1972 in search of their first house when they saw an item about Old English sheepdog puppies for sale.

"So we bought a dog before we bought a house," Michaelanne says.

It wasn't long before they were traveling to local dog shows — Michaelanne as the handler, Doug as the kennel help.

MORE ON WESTMINSTER: Dogs to watch in the competition

More than three decades later, the Johnsons, the 2006 American Kennel Club Breeders of the Year, are stepping into the spotlight this week at the Westminster Dog Show in New York.

Smokin' (Ch. Bugaboo's Big Resolution), a 4-year-old Old English sheepdog they bred and co-own with Bridgette Callahan, will compete against 2,500 other AKC-registered champions for the most coveted title: Best in Show. Smokin' is the No. 7-ranked dog in the nation among all breeds and the No. 1 herding dog.

An Old English sheepdog twice has won Best in Show in the 131-year history of Westminster — in 1914 and 1975.

Doug and Michaelanne will be in New York along with their son Colton, 26, the dog's handler.

Last year Smokin' won Best of Breed and the Herding Group at Westminster.

"Colton picked Smokin' out of the litter when he was just an 8-week-old puppy," Doug says. "He said, 'Dad, this is my next show dog!' "

What makes Smokin' special?

"He commands ring presence," Doug says. "The minute he steps in front of the judges, he stacks up, throws his chest forward. Your eyes are immediately drawn to the dog because of his breed type and charisma. He's a stallion of a dog."

While many of the winningest dogs vying for Best in Show at Westminster each year are backed by big bank accounts and major advertising campaigns, the Johnsons have done it with a down-to-earth approach.

The Johnsons support themselves and their Westminster campaign through their two kennels in Colorado Springs where they board, train and groom show dogs and pets. Their Sunrise and Woodman are two of the larger kennels in Colorado. During the Christmas holidays, they took care of 300 to 350 dogs a day between both kennels.

All five of their children help. Courtneyanne, 34, is head bookkeeper and scheduler. Candaceanne, 32, is head groomer. Carrieanne, 30, and Corrissaanne, 28, manage the Woodman kennels and bathe and groom dogs. Colton and his wife, Heather, show the family's dogs, as well as those of other clients.

"Everything comes out of our pockets," Doug says. "We're very basic people. We don't have the big money backing us. I don't begrudge the dogs that do. This is how we elect to play the game. We do it happily and wholeheartedly because we love dogs and we love the sport of dogs. We do what we can do within our budget, and we let our dogs speak for themselves."

As newlyweds, Michaelanne and Doug agreed the Old English sheepdog would be their breed. Then at a dog show in 1976 they spotted a bouvier des Flandres, another herding dog, and instantly were smitten with that breed, too. Today they breed Old English sheepdogs under the kennel name Bugaboo and bouviers under the kennel name Rocheuses.

Edie Shields, a Canadian breeder who started the Bugaboo bloodlines, was their mentor in Old English sheepdogs. In the early 1980s, as her Parkinson's disease grew increasingly worse, she offered the Johnsons any dog out of her breeding program.

Last September, a week before Shields was to attend the Old English Sheepdog National Specialty Show in Williamsburg, Va., she died. Smokin' went on to win Best of Breed and was selected the most outstanding dog in the Top 20 event (the first dog in the breed's history to win both competitions).

"Edie taught us how to look at dogs with an open mind, to never use politics as an excuse for not winning, to search out a dog's merits and the aspects that need improvement," Doug says.

How does Smokin' stack up?

"Smokin' is a dog that comes around once in a lifetime," Doug says.