When a Scottish terrier named Sadie won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club show earlier this week in New York City, she wagged her tail, jumped up and down and pawed at her handler's leg.

The 15,000 fans at Madison Square Garden went wild because Sadie was a crowd favorite who now has 112 best in show wins.

If you missed Tuesday's televised winning performance of the Scottie officially known as Champion Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, you can catch a video replay at www.westminsterkennelclub.org. You'll also see the other group winners -- Doberman pinscher, whippet, toy poodle, French bulldog, puli and a Brittany.

We did not get to see the Baldwin Borough beagle, Oakley, on television Monday night because the judge did not pick him as the top 13-inch beagle. So he didn't get to compete in the group judging of hounds, which was televised.

But, thanks to the wonders of the Internet, you can see Oakley, aka Champion Lanbur Northern Oak, on the Westminster website. There are videos of the preliminary rounds of competition for all of the breeds.

The 13 beagles in the show are very similar, so you have to look carefully to pick Oakley out of the class of 13-inch beagles. He's black and brown and white, while some are just brown and white. Look for the number 12 on the armband of Oakley's handler, Jon Woodring, who is also one of his breeders.

Oakley pranced and strutted and did everything a champion should do in the show ring. In the videos you'll see that some of the champions do things that delight the audience but horrify the handlers. Westminster contestants are some of the top show dogs in the country, but some of them act like regular dogs -- spinning in circles, clowning around or not holding their pose like they're supposed to.

Oakley traveled to Manhattan with owner Tammy Johnston, her daughter, Tori, 14, and Mrs. Johnston's mother, Dian Hurka of Atlasburg, Washington County.

"It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, it was a wonderful experience and we had fun. The people in New York City were warm and welcoming" and extremely dog-friendly, Mrs. Johnston said. "Oakley had his picture taken by so many people" both at the show and on the streets and sidewalks of the Big Apple.

It's tough being a dog owner when there is more than 2 feet of snow on the ground. And the piles of snow along sidewalks and roadsides are 3 to 4 feet, at least where Pablo and I walk.

Sometimes Pablo and I walk in streets that are narrower than usual, because of mountains of snow, pushed by plows to both sides of the roads. On these perilous walks we've met dogs and owners that we've never met before.

We are all walking on dangerous roads and sidewalks because the snow in our yards is too deep for the dogs. Small dogs in particular, like Pablo our cocker spaniel, will not poop in deep snow.

We've shoveled a small area in the backyard, but he'll only pee there. And so we walk three times a day.

Last Saturday night Seamus Tait was walking Labradoodles Mickey, 1, and Dublin, 5, in Crafton, on a road that had no sidewalks. Although Mr. Tait pulled both dogs up onto a snow pile, a sport utility vehicle hit him and one of the dogs.

Dublin died at the scene from a head injury. The vehicle ran over both of Mr. Tait's feet and hit him in the leg and the shoulder. He has no broken bones, just sprains and bruises.

Mr. Tait and his wife, Marissa, would like to warn dog walkers to be especially careful during these trying winter times. They'd also like to thank all of the dog lovers who have called them and sent e-mails expressing their sympathy. And they'd like to thank Crafton police, including Chief Harold Rost, who are investigating this case very vigorously.

Does anyone have any tips to make life easier?

A co-worker said he and his wife basically shoveled out their entire yard, so that their dogs will "use" the fenced yard, as usual.

"Doggie DA" Deb Jugan, an assistant district attorney who prosecutes many animal abuse and neglect cases, offers a caution for pet owners who let their dogs out in their fence-in backyards piled high with snow. Some dogs will plow through the deep yard to patrol their fence lines as usual. They tamp down the snow, and every year a dog or two will use the snow piles to climb or jump out of their fence, she wrote in an e-mail.

Ms. Jugan, who runs the "track-a-pet" e-mail list that helps reunite lost pets and their owners and also goes out to help track down lost dogs, urges pet owners to keep an eye on their animals when they're in their backyards these days.