Komondor at Westminster by whartonds at http://flickr.com/photos/48685334@N00/389392345
Once again the top dogs from all over will gather in New York City, New York for the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. This year marks the 134th for this most prestigious of American dog shows.
This year there will be one hundred seventy three breeds and varieties in competition to be named top dog. This includes three new breeds that have been added to the AKC this year. They are the Irish Red and White Setter, the Pyrenean Shepherd and the Norwegian buhund (pronounced boo hound).
Last year a 10 year old Sussex Spaniel named Stump came out of retirement to become the surprise winner at Westminster. Will the winner be a surprise again this year? We won’t know until the Best of Show judging on Tuesday evening.
The Westminster Dog Show will be shown on USA Network on Monday and Tuesday evening at 8PM Eastern time, 7PM Central time. Monday will be the judging of the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups. Tuesday will be the judging of the Sporting, Working and Terrier groups. Best in Show judging will follow the last group judging on Tuesday.
The odds on favorite to win this years Westminster is a Scottish Terrier named Ch Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot. Her call name is Sadie, she is 4 years old and has won 100 Best in Shows in her career. Of course, there are other dogs that could come out of the pack to win. After all this is a gathering of champions, so all the entrants have a chance.
I know I will be pulling for my favorite breeds as I am sure most of the people watching will. However, I must say that in my book they are all great and I really don’t give a fig about registrations or pedigrees. I like a dog for what they are, not for where they came from or who their ancestors were. They are all champions in my eyes.
That is not to say that I am not impressed by purebred dogs and the work it took to get these animals to where they are today. I just sincerely believe the majority of registration papers lay in drawers with other papers. It is the dog himself that proves his worth. Rescue dogs can turn out to be as good or better than a purebred. That is why we continue to work to save them. It isn’t the ribbons the animal wins, its the heart of the animal that matters.
You can read all about this years Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show here.
