A Pet's View / January 2007
Love in the Ring
February 14th is the day for lovers, but February 12th is the day for dog lovers. It’s the first day of the 131st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Established in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. Their annual dog show is America’s second longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.
Westminster even pre-dates the establishment of the governing body of the sport, the American Kennel Club, which was created in 1884. At the time of the first Westminster, there were no light bulbs or automobiles and twelve states joined the union after the first show. In the first show, there were two Staghounds listed from the late General George Custer’s pack, and two Deerhounds that had been bred by the Queen of England. In 1889, the Czar of Russia is listed as the breeder of a Siberian Wolfhound entry, and the next year, the listed owner of a Russian Wolfhound entry was the Emperor of Germany.
In 1888, Anna Whitney became the first woman to judge a dog show in America, judging St. Bernards. She judged every year for the next seven years, but it was 1901 before another woman judged any dog show in the U.S. In 1933, Mrs. M. Hartley Dodge became the first woman to officiate as the sole Best In Show judge.
Westminster is an American institution, one that reflects both the national competitive spirit, and the national affection for pets. Though steeped in tradition, the dog show also reflects the changing times of its homeland.
The 2500 entries from 165 breeds and varieties judged during the day on Monday and Tuesday will be available in streaming video on the Westminster Website within two hours of completion of the judging. Streaming video from 2006 and 2005 are still available for viewing on the Westminster web site.
Westminster has been televised each year since 1948, and for 2005, they added a streaming video of the event in a partnership with DreamWorks, the first Westminster partner that wasn’t a dog food company. Last year, visitors viewed approximately 1.6 million streams, logged 2.13 million visits and recorded 14.7 million page views.
Akitas were the most-requested breed, with nearly 50,000 hits. The rest of the top ten were Golden Retrievers, Australian Cattle Dogs, Airedales, American Eskimo Dogs, Affenpinschers, Brittanys, Afghan Hounds, Rottweilers and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Terriers have been the most frequent winners at Westminster, and, although Labrador Retrievers are the most registered dog in America, no Lab has ever won Best of Show.
Westminster winners get a trophy, plenty of pictures, and the pride of ownership. There is fame and fun for the dogs, owners, handlers and viewers, but no fortune. Westminster has no cash prize. But, owners get internationally televised validation of what they knew all along, that their dog really is the best dog in the world.
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