One dogs will be picked from thousands of top entries to be Best in Show at the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
The road to Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Westminster dog show
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day, all-breed benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year. The first Westminster show was held in 1877.
The Westminster Kennel Club will stage its 135th Annual All Breed Dog Show on February 14-15, 2011. Its entry limit of 2,500 dogs will feature all 179 breeds and varieties recognized by the American Kennel Club for competition in conformation shows.
The first Westminster show was held on May 8, 1877, making it the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the United States behind only the Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875. The show originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily Setters and Pointers, initiated by a group of hunting men who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan. They decided to create a kennel club called the Westminster Kennel Club specifically for the purpose of holding a dog show. The prizes for these first shows included such items as pearl handled pistols, of use to the hunters and terriermen who worked these dogs in the field.
The first show took place in May 1877 at Gilmore's Gardens (the Hippodrome). That show drew over 1200 dogs and proved so popular that its originally scheduled three days became four, with the club donating proceeds from that fourth day to the ASPCA for creation of a home for stray and disabled dogs.
The Westminster Kennel Club predates the formation of the American Kennel Club by seven years, and became the first club admitted to the AKC after AKC's founding in 1884. Breed parent clubs (e.g., the Afghan Hound Club of America) create the standards for judging their breeds, with the AKC administering the rules about shows and judging.
Dogs are judged against their breed standards, to see how close each dog matches the standard, which is a written description of the ideal specimen of that breed. Standards may include references relating form to function in the performance of the job that the dog was bred for, and may also include items that seem somewhat arbitrary such as color, eye shape, tail carriage and more. While many breeds no longer need to perform their original jobs and are bred mostly for companionship, they should still have the innate ability and physical makeup to perform those jobs, and this is what the judge looks for.
Westminster dog show
Because of space considerations at Madison Square Garden, the entry is limited to 2,500 dogs and fills immediately on the first day that entries are accepted. Since 1992, the club has invited the top five dogs in each breed to be pre-entered (determined by the number of dogs defeated at shows during the previous year) to assure that all the top dogs have the chance to compete.
Today, Westminster takes place over two days and nights every February. During the day, the dogs compete at the breed level (i.e. against other dogs of the same breed). Each Best of Breed winner (BOB) advances into its respective group, of which there are seven (Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding). Group competition is held during the evenings, and the seven group winners advance into the final competition, which one judge will select one of them as the Best In Show winner.
Competition in Junior Showmanship (for handlers ages 8-18) has been held since 1934. The eight finalists all receive scholarships for post-secondary schooling. In addition, each year the club (through its Westminster Kennel Foundation) awards veterinary school scholarships for students from six schools.
The show has been broadcast on live television since 1948 and today is one of USA Network's highest-rated sports specials. The program typically airs on a Monday and Tuesday. The Monday night broadcast begins on the USA network and then switches over to CNBC due to the airing of WWE Monday Night Raw. In the past the WWE show would be preempted but that is no longer the case. At the Garden, it has enjoyed sellout status since 2005, as tickets sell quickly once they go on sale each Fall. Indicative of its amazing worldwide popularity, more than 700 press credentials are issued to media attending in person from more than 20 countries. In addition, each year the Westminster Web site (www.westminsterkennelclub.org) has millions of visitors from around the world (about 12 million page views by users from more than 170 countries).
Westminster dog show
The winning dog becomes "America's Dog" for the next year, and also becomes the world's newest single name celebrity. It begins its reign with a media tour on the day following the show with appearances on virtually all television network morning shows, a visit to the Observation Deck at the Empire State Building, and much more.
The event is embraced in New York City every February, with salutes from such world-famous partners as the Empire State Building, which lights its tower in purple and gold (Westminster colors) during the show; Saks 5th Avenue, which features a street window with a Westminster-themed display; and the New York Stock Exchange, which invites the winner to ring the opening bell following its big win.
Westminster's 135th Annual All Breed Dog Show will be held on February 14-15, 2011 at Madison Square Garden and will once again be broadcast live on USA Network, then switching over to CNBC for the remainder of the live program.
Westminster dog show
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