AP – A Sussex Spaniel named Stump trots into the ring at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden on February 10, 2009 and takes Best in Show. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Stump, a Sussex Spaniel, just won the 2009 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show proving that youth isn’t everything.

Comparable to Michael Jordan coming out of retirement to play again for the Chicago Bulls, ten-year-old (that’s about 70 in human years!), Stump, more formally known as “Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee,”  entered the final ring with champions half his age at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and won Best in Show. 

Now the oldest dog ever to win at Westminster (the previous title went to an eight-year-old Papillion in 1999), Stump came out of retirement only a week ago to enter the competition.

A Sussex Spaniel has never won the event, but since they can live to about 15 years old, who knows, maybe Stump will compete again when we least expect it. 

The Sussex Spaniel, one of the first ten breeds to be recognized by the AKC Stud Book in 1884, originated from Sussex, England, and were considered excellent field dogs. Despite a serious face, these dogs are sociable and friendly. They have been described as calm and steady, but with a mind of their own. Like last year’s winner, Uno the beagle, they have a propensity to howl. Just something you should know if you are thinking of getting this breed. 

And if you are thinking of getting this breed, check out Petfinder.com, the largest online database of adoptable pets with a network of more than 12,200 shelters and rescue groups, Petfinder.com has 139,896 dogs available for adoption; 25 percent of which are purebreds. Right now, Petfinder.com says they have three Sussex Spaniels for adoption, as well as 71 Dogue de Bordeaux, the latest breed introduced into the competition.