Photography by Victoria Gomez.


Ted Eubank has always been a dog person. His first dogs were bird dogs owned by his father, a bird hunter.

In 1990 Eubank and his wife, Mary Grace, bought their first Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, named Chelsea. They had no intentions for Chelsea other than being a pet until they were approached by Cavalier breeders who thought she would be perfect for dog shows.

At this time, the Eubanks had never trained or practiced with Chelsea. The first time they practiced walking around with her was at the competition. Chelsea ended up winning “best in the match.” The same year, Eubank attended a showing in Dallas with Chelsea, and she won that competition as well.

When Eubank bought his first Cavalier, the dogs weren’t recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club (AKC). It wasn’t until the popularity of Cavaliers shows grew, thanks to the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club USA, that the AKC decided to recognize the dog breed.  The Westminster Kennel Club, established in 1877, is second only to the Kentucky Derby as America’s longest continuously running sporting event in the U.S. When Westminster Kennel Club first offered classes for Cavaliers the Eubanks were there. This was the first time the Cavaliers were shown at Westminster.

In 1997, Eubank’s male Cavalier, Rocky, took Westminster by storm.

Rocky went on to become the top dog in the country that year and continued to win for the next few years. He won eight all-breed “Best in Show” awards. All-breed shows can include between 900 and 4,000 dogs competing at one time.

The Eubanks then decided to get their judging qualifications to be able to judge Cavaliers. The Kennel Club recommends a minimum of five years of involvement with each specific breed before judging. Eubank worked several years as a judge for the Cavaliers, and then he stepped out and earned his qualifications to judge the Toy and Sporting groups. He now judges over 57 breeds.

At the peak of his competing era, Eubank attended shows 40-45 weekends a year and competed in 100- 150 shows per year. As a private judge, Eubank judged in 10-12 shows per year, and has shown in over 1,000 dog shows in his career.

He was asked to be a judge at this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show this month, bringing him full circle in the dog show world. Eubank was overjoyed and shocked when he found out about the news.

“People had asked me forever, ‘Oh, you think you will ever judge at Westminster?’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t know anybody in the club,’” Eubank says. “Then it came in the mail. I think it was in either late October or November when the invitation came. I opened it up, walked into Mary Grace’s office, and I was absolutely shocked. I’m very honored that I got invited to do judge.”

This is Westminster’s 147th consecutive year. Approximately 3,000 dogs are entered in the two-day competition. Normally, it is held in February at Madison Square Garden. But this is the first time that it will be held in May and at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens.

Eubank will judge around 120 dogs and over eight breeds including Cavaliers, English Toy Spaniels, Pomeranians, Pekingese, and Miniature Pinschers.

To prepare for the competition, Eubank has been hitting the books, studying the standards for every breed he is judging. Standards can contain up to four pages of detail per breed.

“The breed standards are like the Bible when you are judging,” he says. “So I am just going back and refreshing myself before the competition.”

Eubank has no plans to stop judging and competing in shows. He even wants to earn more certifications to judge other breeds. His next goal is to tackle the Sporting group.

“I want to judge for a long time,” Eubank says. “To me it’s fun. It is stimulating. I love dogs a lot. I like learning about new breeds and coaching.”

The 2023 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is May 8-9. The show will be available to watch on FOX.