A Pet's View / June 2005
Whassup at
Westminster
Deep in their heart, most dog owners
believe their dog could be a contender
at Westminster, the ultimate annual dog
competition at New York’s Madison Square
Gardens. They might be right, if their pet is
an American Kennel Club champion of record
whose form and structure closely matches the
ideal standards of its breed. Since dogs are
judged on qualities of confirmation, not cute,
the breed and breeding of each animal is a
critical part of the Westminster experience.
Unfortunately, tri-color spotted rollovers and
All American backyard setters aren’t eligible
for the competition.
The very first Westminster canine competition
was in 1877, before the invention
of the light bulb or the automobile, before
basketball or the world Series. Twelve states
had not joined the union at the time of the
first show. Famous and not-so-famous proud
dog owners have been sending their pups into
the ring ever since, like Lou Gehrig’s German
Shepherd in 1933, Nelly Bly’s Maltese in
1894 and the czar of Russia’s Siberian wolfhound
in 1889. Even financier J.P Morgan
liked to bring his Collies to the show. A
share of the proceeds from the very first show
was given to the American Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
to open a home for stray and disabled dogs.
During WW I and WWII, proceeds from
the show were donated to the Red Cross.
This year, more than 2500 dogs representing
165 varieties of dogs were entered, a
limit reached within an hour of opening. In
Westminster history, six dogs have won Best
in Show twice, and a Smooth Fox Terrier
named Warren Remedy won it three times, in
1907,1908 and 1909, the only triple winner so
far. In 1999, eight year old “Kirby”, a spunky
Papillon, became the oldest dog to win Best In
Show. Terriers have been the most frequent
winners, and, although Labrador Retrievers
are the most registered dog in America, no Lab
has ever won Best of Show at Westminster.
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.
Fifty three Golden Retrievers were entered
this year, the highest number of entries for a
single breed or variety for the second year in a
row (and for the 16th time since 1978).
All forty eight of the contiguous states
had entries in this year’s show, but California,
with 313 entries, and New York, with 226,
had the most. West Virginia had nine entries
and Ohio had a hundred.
Wins at Westminster bring fame and fun
for dogs, owners, handlers and viewers, but
no fortune. The winner gets a trophy, plenty
of pictures, and the pride of ownership. But,
above all, they get nationally televised validation
of what they knew all along, that their
dog really is the best dog in the world. PL
Copyright © 2005-2006 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
Femme Fair 2006
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