Eleanor McDonald, 66; Bred Winner of Prestigious Dog Show

Eleanor McDonald, the breeder of the powder-puff bichon frise judged best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show earlier this year, died of a stroke Oct. 11 in Port Chester, N.Y. She was 66.

Her little champion, Special Times Just Right, or J.R. to his friends, defeated 2,500 other dogs in February to earn the top honor--a silver bowl he jumped into. Already a winner of 100 best-in-show trophies, the little dog earned the prestigious Westminster title by matching exact standards for the breed, including the required “cheerful attitude.”

McDonald, born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., graduated from Mount Holyoke College and worked for an advertising agency until a decade or so ago, when she became ill with a liver ailment. After undergoing a liver transplant in 1991, she bought her first bichon frise. She began breeding them in 1993.

The enthusiastic breeder named her little champion, born in her dining room on Nov. 12, 1997, Special Times Just Right for the South Carolina program Happy Days and Special Times, which aids children with cancer, and because he seemed “just right.”