Ulli, Bernese Mountain Dog, began December by hauling a Christmas tree through the trees and snow on Buffalo pass, and then that up with one of his biggest hauls at a competitive dog show in Florida.

“He pulls carts and sleds and that is something that’s grade specific, and kind of a fun thing to do,” said Beth Dennehy, who owns and handled the dog. “We pulled (the Christmas tree) out of Buffalo Pass on Dec. 6, and we left for Florida on the seventh to do our week of competition, so he was in good shape.”

Ulli’s biggest haul of the year at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando where the 4-year-old Bernese mountain dog that lives in Steamboat Springs earned Best in Show during the American Kennel Club’s National Owner-Handled Series Finals that were held on Dec. 14.

Ulli also earned the top finish in both the breed and group judging categories before winning the top prize in the Best in Show competition that was judged by Michael Faulkner.

“We’ve been in the Best in Show ring competing a fair number of times, so it wasn’t a new thing,” Dennehy said. “What was new, was the pageantry of this event — coming out through the red curtain into a huge arena on red carpet, tall stands of white flowers, with booming inspirational music and the crowd roaring for each dog as they circled the ring one at a time. I am usually not too nervous at normal shows, but when we got out there into the middle of the red carpet the enormity of the event hit me.”

The competition is a special attraction at the AKC National Finals. The organization selects an owner-handled dog from all eligible dogs in the Best of Breed ring. Only the top ten owner-handled dogs in each breed from the 2024 qualifying period are invited to compete in the finals, and 829 competitors entered represented 204 different breeds.

Ulli was one of those dogs and is owned by Dennehy and her husband Will Rogers and co-owned by breeders Kris Hayko and Bobbi Kenley-Blewett.

During his career Ulli has earned 23 “Best in Show – Owner Handled” titles and one all-breed “Best in Show” in Cheyenne where he defeated 900 dogs handled by both professionals and owners. Ulli was invited to compete in the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club show this year, and is also invited to the Westminster Kennel Club show in February 2025 at Madison Square Garden.

In 2023, Ulli was ranked by the American Kennel Club as the No. 2 Bernese mountain dog in the nation, and this year will finish No. 6 in the nation.

“We show anytime I have an opportunity to visit family. Mostly we show in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, and sometimes New Mexico and Arizona.” Dennehy said. “He does have one all breed, Best in Show, and that is a huge accomplishment because that means we beat every dog there — including all the ones that are professionally handled. For an owner-handled person to do that is rare, and he did that.”

However, his victory at the American Kennel Club National Owner-Handled Series stands out because it was one of the largest, with more than 830 dogs, and only the best dogs in the country handled by their owners.

“I was just thrilled to be there with all these nice dogs and didn’t even think about us winning,” Dennehy said. “When the judge announced, ‘Best in Show will go to the Bernese mountain dog,’ I was surprised, startled, shocked and super happy all at the same time. It’s still hard to believe my boy was chosen as the best of all the best owner-handled dogs in the nation invited to compete at this event — then he got home and just wanted to play and roll in the snow. It’s a dog’s life.”