Yakee A Dangerous Liaison
Encyclopedia
Ch.
Yakee A Dangerous Liaison (born 6 September 1999), also known as Danny, is a Pekingese
, who was the winner of the title of Best In Show at the Crufts
in 2003. He had previously been Reserve Best in Show at the competition in 2002. Following his victory, he was accused of having undergone a cosmetic procedure, which turned out to be an exploratory surgery for tonsillitis
.
career at the age of three months, winning nine Best in Show titles prior to Crufts in 2003. In 2002, he won a Golden Bone Award for his work as a show dog.
In 2003, he was named Best in Show at Crufts, with the Kerry Blue Terrier
, Torums Tunde Bayou, named Reserve Best in Show. Torum Runde Bayou was the younger brother of previous Crufts champion Torums Scarf Michael, who had won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show earlier in the year. The other finalists were Penling By Design At Namkia (a standard Poodle
), Mistweave Making Waves (Greyhound
), And I'm Great To Be Back (Newfoundland
), Hamble Huckleberry (Bearded Collie
) and Inkwells Named Shadow (Flat Coated Retriever). Danny had won the Toy Group
twice in previous years, and in 2002 was Reserve Best in Show at Crufts, being beaten by Nord Ch. Topscore Contradiction. The 2003 Crufts competition was Danny's last, as he was retired from conformation showing following his win.
During the awards ceremony, Danny needed to be cooled down with an ice pack in order to prevent him from overheating. This point was later used in the Panorama
special Pedigree Dogs Exposed
to highlight issues with the breed. Following the win, an anonymous informant informed the Kennel Club that Danny had previously undergone cosmetic surgery (banned under conformation show rules), an investigation was conducted and the information turned out to be incorrect with the operation having been an exploratory surgery due to persistent tonsillitis
. His owners explained at the time of he accusation, "Danny had a bad infection in his throat which affected all his insides and wouldn't clear up with antibiotics. We took him to the vet school in Glasgow and he had an operation on his throat. But it didn't affect what he looks like". Pedigree Dogs Exposed accused The Kennel Club
of covering up the cosmetic surgery, something which Ofcom
later found against the television show as it did not allow the society a chance to respond to these allegations on air.
Although Danny did not participate in the breed competitions at Crufts after his Best in Show victory in 2003, the Yakee kennel continued to be successful in subsequent years, winning Best of Breed for the Pekingese in 2004 and 2005. One of Danny's sons, Yakee If Only, became the number one ranked dog in America in 2005 having won 64 Best in Show titles and the Toy Group on 128 occasions in a variety of shows.
Championship (dog)
Championships are awarded to dogs who have passed through a process of selection at dog shows. Traditionally, a championship was received at a conformation show, but championships are now offered for dogs who have attained a high degree of perfection in other dog sports as well.-The conformation...
Yakee A Dangerous Liaison (born 6 September 1999), also known as Danny, is a Pekingese
Pekingese
The Pekingese, or "Peke" is an ancient breed of toy dog, originating in China. The breed was favored by the Chinese Imperial court, and its name refers to the city of Beijing where the Forbidden City resides...
, who was the winner of the title of Best In Show at the Crufts
Crufts
Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...
in 2003. He had previously been Reserve Best in Show at the competition in 2002. Following his victory, he was accused of having undergone a cosmetic procedure, which turned out to be an exploratory surgery for tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
.
Show career
Danny began his conformation showConformation show
Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...
career at the age of three months, winning nine Best in Show titles prior to Crufts in 2003. In 2002, he won a Golden Bone Award for his work as a show dog.
In 2003, he was named Best in Show at Crufts, with the Kerry Blue Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
The Kerry Blue Terrier is a breed of dog. Mistakenly thought to be from County Kerry in South West Ireland, it's actually from Tipperary in South Central Ireland. In Ireland it is often called the Irish Blue Terrier...
, Torums Tunde Bayou, named Reserve Best in Show. Torum Runde Bayou was the younger brother of previous Crufts champion Torums Scarf Michael, who had won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show earlier in the year. The other finalists were Penling By Design At Namkia (a standard Poodle
Poodle
The Poodle is a breed of dog. The poodle breed is found officially in toy, miniature, and standard sizes, with many coat colors. Originally bred as a type of water dog, the poodle is highly intelligent and skillful in many dog sports, including agility, obedience, tracking, and even herding...
), Mistweave Making Waves (Greyhound
Greyhound
The Greyhound is a breed of sighthound that has been primarily bred for coursing game and racing, and the breed has also recently seen a resurgence in its popularity as a pedigree show dog and family pet. It is a gentle and intelligent breed...
), And I'm Great To Be Back (Newfoundland
Newfoundland (dog)
The Newfoundland is a breed of large dog. Newfoundlands can be black, brown, gray, or black and white. They were originally bred and used as a working dog for fishermen in the Dominion of Newfoundland, now part of Canada. They are known for their giant size, tremendous strength, calm dispositions,...
), Hamble Huckleberry (Bearded Collie
Bearded Collie
The Bearded Collie, or Beardie, is a herding breed of dog once used primarily by Scottish shepherds, but now mostly a popular family companion....
) and Inkwells Named Shadow (Flat Coated Retriever). Danny had won the Toy Group
Toy Group
Toy Group is the name of a breed Group of the smallest kinds of dogs, used by kennel clubs to classify a defined collection of dog breeds. Toy Group does not necessarily refer to one particular type of dog. Most major English-language kennel clubs include a Toy Group although different kennel clubs...
twice in previous years, and in 2002 was Reserve Best in Show at Crufts, being beaten by Nord Ch. Topscore Contradiction. The 2003 Crufts competition was Danny's last, as he was retired from conformation showing following his win.
During the awards ceremony, Danny needed to be cooled down with an ice pack in order to prevent him from overheating. This point was later used in the Panorama
Panorama (TV series)
Panorama is a BBC Television current affairs documentary programme, which was first broadcast in 1953, and is the longest-running public affairs television programme in the world. Panorama has been presented by many well known BBC presenters, including Richard Dimbleby, Robin Day, David Dimbleby...
special Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed
Pedigree Dogs Exposed was a BBC One investigative documentary, produced by Jemima Harrison, which looked into health and welfare issues facing pedigree dogs in the United Kingdom....
to highlight issues with the breed. Following the win, an anonymous informant informed the Kennel Club that Danny had previously undergone cosmetic surgery (banned under conformation show rules), an investigation was conducted and the information turned out to be incorrect with the operation having been an exploratory surgery due to persistent tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
. His owners explained at the time of he accusation, "Danny had a bad infection in his throat which affected all his insides and wouldn't clear up with antibiotics. We took him to the vet school in Glasgow and he had an operation on his throat. But it didn't affect what he looks like". Pedigree Dogs Exposed accused The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club
The Kennel Club is a kennel club based in London and Aylesbury, United Kingdom.The Kennel Club registration system divides dogs into seven breed groups. The Kennel Club Groups are: Hound, Working, Terrier, Gundog, Pastoral, Utility and Toy...
of covering up the cosmetic surgery, something which Ofcom
Ofcom
Ofcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
later found against the television show as it did not allow the society a chance to respond to these allegations on air.
Although Danny did not participate in the breed competitions at Crufts after his Best in Show victory in 2003, the Yakee kennel continued to be successful in subsequent years, winning Best of Breed for the Pekingese in 2004 and 2005. One of Danny's sons, Yakee If Only, became the number one ranked dog in America in 2005 having won 64 Best in Show titles and the Toy Group on 128 occasions in a variety of shows.