Who Let the Dogs Out?

February 11, 2013

On February 11th and 12nd, the Westminster Kennel Club will hold its famous annual All Breed Dog Show in Madison Square Garden. The Westminster Kennel Club is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. First held in 1877, the WKC Dog Show is America’s second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby. 

Thirty-two hundred dogs will be competing to win in Best in Breed, Best in Group, and the coveted Best in Show award. A total of 187 breeds will be judged this year, including two newly-eligible ones: the Treeing Walker Coonhound and the Russell Terrier. The breeds are sorted into seven different groups: hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working, and terrier. A dog from the terrier group has won Best in Show 46 times in the history of the event. 

For more information about the Westminster Dog Show or dog breeds, MCPL has some excellent resources: 

• The Dog Show: 125 years of Westminster by William F. Stifel  
• Show Dog: the Charmed Life and Trying Times of a Near-Perfect Purebred by Josh Dean  
• The American Kennel Club's Meet the Breeds: Dog Breeds from A to Z  

For a hilarious spoof of the world of competitive dog-showing, you might enjoy the movie

• Best in Show by Christopher Guest.

Vicki H.
Blue Springs South Branch