What does a practically perfect Boston terrier look like?
You won’t have to travel far to see the answer to that. Sparrow – born and raised right here in Lowell – took top honors for the breed at the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It’s the oldest and most prestigious dog show in the country, and only the best of the best are allowed to compete. This year, after all the dogs had circled the ring and were inspected by a judge, it was Sparrow who walked away with the coveted Best in Breed title.
It’s been a bit of a Cinderella story, according to Sparrow’s owner Jill Moore. Raising and showing dogs isn’t cheap, and Moore says that compared to what some of the big kennels shell out, Sparrow made it to the top with what could be described as a “rag tag” team.
While Moore usually shows her own dogs, an injured knee resulted in her bringing on a handler for the first time. Candice Waters took Sparrow on the dog show circuit and showed her at Westminster. It wasn’t smooth sailing, though, as Sparrow got sick before some major shows in Florida.
Despite the bumps in the road, the team carried on. “We had a dog and a dream,” Moore notes.
A Champion is Born
Moore estimates she has bred about 20-30 finished champions – those would be dogs that earn at least 15 points along with two major wins at dog shows – but Sparrow has been something special. The 3-year-old dog has earned 810 points, making her a Grand Champion Platinum. She has been to Westminster three times, won back-to-back titles at the National Dog Show and was the 2023 Boston Terrier of the Year, among other honors.
Her mere existence can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Moore had been training Jack, a Boston Terrier whose owner lives in Cyprus. When the pandemic shut down the world, there were no dog shows and no way to ship Jack home. Moore suggested breeding Jack to one of her females who had come into season, and his owner, Constantinos Andreou, agreed.
For the safety of her dogs, Moore has all litters delivered via c-section. She remembers how they knew right from the start that Sparrow was exceptional. “(The vet) pulled her out and said, here’s your Westminster champion.”
While called Sparrow for short – an homage to her father Jack and a nod to Captain Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean – the little dog’s full name is Jingle’s A Site For Soar Ayes At Onirama.
“In the dog show world, you want to have a name that’s exclusive,” Moore explains. Jingle’s is the name of Moore’s kennel while Onirama is for Andreou’s kennel. Moore, her husband Glenn and Andreou share ownership of Sparrow.
From Border Collies to Boston Terriers
Moore has a long history with dogs. She was an animal control officer in the 1980s, and then when her son joined 4-H, she began working with border collies in performance and agility events about 20 years ago.
At some point, though, she decided to turn her attention to Boston terriers, a breed her family owned while she was growing up. “Glenn wasn’t so sure,” Moore says of her husband’s reaction. “We’d always had big dogs.”
However, he quickly learned that while Bostons may be small, they have a much bigger attitude. “They are like labs in little tiny suits,” according to Moore. “They are really versatile little dogs,” noting that she had one female, Teapot, who could tow kayaks.
While she has seen success with her other dogs, none compare to Sparrow who now has two Best of Breeds at Westminster and was the first female and youngest dog to do so. She has 150 major wins and defeated other champion dogs at 203 events.
Up Next: Retirement and Motherhood
What’s next for Sparrow?
“Babies,” Moore says. Sparrow will be retiring from the show ring and bred in the hopes of producing more Boston terriers that closely align with the breed standard. “You want to constantly strive to improve the breed,” Moore explains.
Three litters is the max for any of Moore’s dogs, but she says her last few females have only had two litters each. She will see how Sparrow does with her first litter and make a decision on subsequent breeding after that. At the end of the day, her dog’s health and well-being is paramount.
It’s bittersweet to close out Sparrow’s career after so much success, but Moore has two girl Bostons at home as well as a boy, Teak, on his way up. If they follow in Sparrow’s footsteps, it won’t be the last time a dog with Jingle’s in their name stands in the winner’s circle.
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