EKC:
""4963 Don" -- Mr. R. Parr's, The Kennels, Seaton Knolls, Salop; breeder, Mr. J.R. Humphreys; whelped 1874. Pedigree: Not on record. Chief Performance: Birmingham, 2nd prize (medium size)." -- EKC Studbook, 1875, Vol.III

EKC:
""6051 Sensation (late Don 4963)" -- Mr. G. de F. Grant's New York, U.S. America (late owners, Mr. R. Parr, Mr. J.R. Hughes); breeder, Mr. J.D. Humphries, Shrewsbury; whelped February 14th, 1874; colour, lemon and white. Pedigree: by "Jim (No.885)" out of "Nell", by "Old Rap" out of "Nina". Chief Performances: Shifnal, 1st prize, 1875; Swansea, 1st prize, 1875; Llanelly, 2nd prize, 1875; Newport, 2nd prize, 1876; Carmarthen, 1st prize, 1876." -- EKC Studbook, 1876, Vol.IV

AKC:
""1261 Sensation" -- (6051 Eng.K.C.S.B.) -- Westminster Kennel Club, New York. Breeder, J.D. Humphreys, England. Whelped February, 1874; lemon and white; by "Price's Jim", out of "Nell"; "Jim" by "Whitehouse's Hamlet", out of "Judy"; "Nell" by "Old Rap", out of "Nina". Prizes -- 1st, Shifnal, 1875; 2d, Oswestry, 1875; 2d, Birmingham, 1875; 1st, Swansea, 1875; 2d, Llanelly, 1875; 2d, Newport, 1876; 1st, Carmarthen, 1876; 1st, Baltimore, 1876; Champion and two Specials for stock dog, also V.H.C., in braces with "Till", St. Louis, 1878; Champion and Special, Boston, 1878; Champion and three Specials, Baltimore, 1878." -- AKC Studbook, 1878, Vol.I

1877 Westminster Catalogue:
""#31 Sensation" -- owner Westminster Kennel Club, New York. Lemon and white, 3 years. By "Price's Jim", out of "Nell". G.S. "Hamlet". G.D. "Nina". Winner of 7 prizes in England, and 1st at Baltimore, and divided with "Rock" for best dog in the show. Not for competition. Not for sale. Class 4 -- Champion Pointer Dogs (any weight)."

"When the Westminster Kennel Club was organized, in the early seventies, its object was more for the improvement of the pointer than that of holding shows, and in those days it maintained elaborate kennels at Babylon, L. I., where the breeding and the rearing of the short-haired gun dog was carried on rather extensively. There is no question whatever but this club did much for the breed in various ways, and while some of their importations were not quite up to expectations, the fact remains that its influence was an important one in raising the standard of all dogs in America, and particularly the breed to which it was especially devoted. In 1876 they brought over a pointer from England which was registered in this country under the name of "Sensation", and the selection of that name, at least, was a particularly happy one, coming at a time when importations -- that is, authentic ones -- were few, and when the pointer needed the stimulus of good English blood. In England this dog was registered under the name of "Don"; breeder, J.R. Humphreys; owner, R. Parr." -- A.F. Hochwalt, 1923, The Modern Pointer

"The Westminster Kennel Club started as a small, private gentlemen's club devoted to the sport of hunting with dogs and became one of the most prestigious dog shows in the world. ... At the very beginning, these gentlemen wanted to provide a forum for comparing the conformation of dogs against each other. They were aware of success of dog shows in England and the few that had been held on a limited scale in the US, so they had an idea of what kind of an event they wanted. Westminster's first show was in 1877. Held at Gilmore's Garden (which is no longer standing), the show was called the "First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs." This four-day event on May 8th thru 11th of that year attracted an entry of 1,177 dogs. Westminster's logo pointer, "Sensation", who was owned by the kennel club, was entered in exhibition only at this first show and at subsequent shows. Yet, he was a successful show dog who was the “... winner of seven prizes in England, and first at Baltimore and divided with "Rock" for best dog in show." -- Sari B. Tietjen, "Westminster - An Historical Perspective", AKC Website, 1999

""Sensation" was about two years old when he was imported, having been whelped in 1874." -- A.F. Hochwalt, 1923, The Modern Pointer

"His blood lines, as given in his American registration, represent the "Whitehouse's Hamlet" blood on the sire's side, for he was by "Price's Jim", which was by "Hamlet" out of "Judy". His dam was "Nell", by "Old Rap" out of "Nina". His English registration does not give his breeding." -- A.F. Hochwalt, 1923, The Modern Pointer

"In markings, "Sensation" was true to the Whitehouse lines, for he was a lemon and white; but the "great classic beauty" which some writers of that period seem to have endowed the dog with was mostly a myth, although he continued to win with more or less regularity, mainly because, at his time, the competition was not so great, for "Sensation" was far from being the perfect dog that his admirers claimed for him. He was very faulty in head, and while he was quite good in front, shoulders and chest, his rear parts were entirely too light to correspond, and in our day he would be considered a rather badly balanced dog, especially by practical men, who demand strong loin, quarters and stifles, as this is where the driving and staying power of a field dog comes from. As a sire he was equally a failure. Bitches flocked to him from all parts of the country, and he begot many puppies; but few of them were able to show merit in either a field or bench show way. The trouble with "Sensation" was that, notwithstanding his good pedigree, there seemed to be a lack of leavening in his blood; and furthermore, he had little dash, snap or spirit. No dog of this phlegmatic temperament is able to sire field trial winners, and if he is also faulty in conformation, then it goes without saying that he is not going to be a great success in that line either." -- A.F. Hochwalt, 1923, The Modern Pointer

"Sensation" and the Westminster Kennel Club "Westminster's Sensation" "In 1876, the members of the Westminster Club, then primarily a shooting organization, commissioned one of its early officials, George deForest Grant, to send to England for a Pointer which the members could use for breeding purposes. He received a photograph of a dog named Don which had won his bench championship in England, through show triumphs at Shifnal, Oswestry, Birmingham, Swansea and Llanelly in 1875, and at Newport and Carmarthen in 1876. Impressed with the pictures of the dog as much as with his show record, the members arranged to import him under the name of "Sensation," Volume IV of the English Kennel Club Stud Book listing him as "Sensation (formerly Don)." Brought to this country, "Sensation" was promptly registered in the name of the Westminster Kennel Club in Volume I of the stud book of the National American Kennel Club, which subsequently became the American Kennel Club. His entry in that book as Number 1261 shows that he gained his American championship with victories at Baltimore in 1876 and at St. Louis, Boston and Baltimore in 1879. His show career, however, was limited since the primary object in his importation was to strengthen the breeding stock of the club's members. A handsome lemon and white dog, with a fine head and especially good body, "Sensation" did much for Pointer breeders in this country. Several artists did pictures of him and one of the head studies appeared on the Westminster catalog in 1878, the second all-breed show given by the club. Except for a gap between 1896 and 1903, "Sensation's" head appeared on all subsequent catalogues of the Westminster Show through 1935. In 1935, a steel engraving of "Sensation" was discovered in the collection of prints, engravings and paintings of the well-known sportsman, Harry D. Kirkover, of Camden, South Carolina and New York. He loaned the picture to the Westminster Club to permit its reproduction. The engraving, by artist J. Wellstood, showed the whole dog, with a light lemon patch on its side, frozen in point. The artist had caught the magnificently bodied dog in marvelous detail. The muscles and even the veins of the legs stood out. This became the new emblem of the club and appeared on the cover of the show catalog from 1936 through 1979. From 1980-1982, a head study of Sensation was selected once again for the cover, but in 1983 an foil embossed version of the full body engraving appeared on the cover and has been there ever since." -- Image and information courtesy Westminster Kennel Club Website, 2006

Westminster Sensation

(Tyke x Di)