Mrs. Barbara A. Pessina

MRS. BARBARA A. PESSINA of Putnam Valley, New York, has been involved in the sport of dogs since the early 1970s when she began training a German Shepherd in obedience and became hooked on the “competition.” She discovered the Puli breed in the mid-70s and was instantly attracted to them because of her shared Hungarian heritage. Mrs. Pessina has focused on this breed since that time under the Moonshadow prefix. She has bred and owned multiple Best in Show and Best in National Specialty Show winners and top producers in the breed. In the early 1990s, she added Norwich Terriers to the mix. Currently, she lives with 6 Pulik and one incredible German Shepherd.  

Mrs. Pessina is involved in several dog clubs, including the Puli Club of America, Putnam Kennel Club, the Saw Mill River Kennel Club and is a past member of the Greenwich Kennel Club. She is approved to judge the Herding and Terrier Groups. She has judged the Puli Club of America National Specialty in 2002, 2008, 2014, and 2019 as well as the Puli Championship Show in Great Britain and the Norwich Terrier breed at the Montgomery Kennel Club. This is her first judging assignment at Westminster.