Westminster Kennel Club's Don Sturz on why dogs are a gay's best friend

Like many queer people, Don Sturz has enjoyed a long love affair with dogs. As a boy struggling with his sexuality, Sturz found comfort and self-worth training his pups for competition. Decades after first showing at the legendary Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, established in 1877, Sturz served as a Best in Show judge at the 2022 event, crowning the first Bloodhound (Trumpet!) as winner. Then last year Sturz became president of the Westminster Kennel Club and the first openly gay one at that. A former educator and mental health expert, Sturz often speaks of the beneficial relationship between dogs and people, especially how the former can bring joy and purpose to the latter. We spoke with Sturz before this year’s Kennel Club Dog Show, which took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y., in May. Sturz expounded on the LGBTQ+ community’s special relationship with dogs and what we can learn from Kristi Noem.

You had a whole career before joining Westminster as president. What brought you there?

I actually grew up in the sport, I showed my first dog when I was 8 years old and showed at Westminster for the first time when I was 10. I never missed a year after that. I went on to be a judge at Westminster; I’ve judged there 10 times. I judged Best in Show there in 2022 and became a member that year. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind. I became president last year and now here I am. Westminster’s been a big part of my life.

There is more to the Westminster Kennel Club than the dog show, right?

The Westminster Kennel Club is one of the oldest dog organizations in America and the show itself is the second oldest continuously running sporting event in America, second only to the Kentucky Derby, which is pretty cool from a historical point of view. It’s a club which, yes it’s known for its annual dog show, but we also do a lot of philanthropic work. We make donations to veterinary scholarships and to breed rescue organizations, we provide scholarships for our junior competitors, and this year is the 90th anniversary of the junior championship competition — and we provide college scholarships to the youngsters who win and place in that competition each year. We’re also involved in the Purple Leash initiative, which was spearheaded by Purina Pro Plan and Westminster to provide funding for shelters for abused individuals where they can go with their pets. Very often shelters don’t allow people to come with their pets, which can be a reason for them staying in abusive or dangerous situations.

Are LGBTQ+ people overly represented in the professional dog world, or is that just a stereotype that emerged from the film Best in Show?

Growing up in the sport and grappling with my own sexuality and being one of those children severely bullied is school, [dogs] became my escape, which is often the story for many people. People find something that takes them to another place to get away…or to feel good about themselves. Each day, I looked forward to escaping the difficult day at school to get home to my dogs to train and groom. My family would go away to dog shows on the weekend; my parents were really supportive because they saw the important role it played in me as an individual.

So there was that piece of it, but also, yes, the LGBTQ+ community is very represented in the sport of dogs. For a young gay guy growing up in a sport where some of the most highly regarded, most successful, most respected participants were individuals from the LGBTQ+ community, that representation was very significant for me…. Some of the most successful judges and professional handlers are representative of the LGBTQ community. I’m proud of the fact that I’m the first openly gay president of the Westminster Kennel Club.

A reporter "interviews" Sage, this year's Best in Show winner at the Westminster Dog Show, while (left to right) Chef Daniel Boulud, handler Kaz Hosaka, and WKC president Don Sturz look on. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Westminster Kennel Club

Tell us about your history with dogs.

Our first dog was a Golden Retriever named Sheriff and my family got that dog because my sister was deathly afraid of dogs, so my parents thought the best way to help her get past that fear was to bring a dog into the family…. The breeder invited us to what was called a puppy match; kind of like a practice dog show…. Sheriff was a really great dog, a great pet, but not show quality. So my parents also sought a show-quality Golden Retriever. That really saved me.

Dogs are like living art to me and I’m fascinating by them and have the opportunity to experience these different breeds. It’s one thing to look at them and admire them; it’s a whole another thing to live with them and for them to be part of your life. Currently, my husband and I have an interesting menagerie — a Bull Terrier named Lola, a French Bulldog named Emmett, and we just got a Pekinese puppy named Fiona. And they all get along!

As an avid dog lover, what were your thoughts when South Dakota governor Kristi Noem announced she killed her puppy?

I don’t know all the details so it’s hard for me to formulate a full response to that. There are so many other ways in which a situation like that could have been dealt with in a much more humane way and it seems like that solution was completely devoid of humanity.

Do you feel there a special bond between LGBTQ+ people and dogs?

I think so. The bond between a person and their dog, it can make up for a lot of the things that are maybe more challenging in society…. It’s more common now for queer people to be having children and families, but it can still be a challenge. Pets sometimes become a surrogate for that need to have a family and have something you care for. Just that living, breathing creature who just thinks you’re the most important, most wonderful thing in the world when you come home from a long day. It’s a pretty amazing thing.