Frodo here. Well it is that time of the year. People are madly traveling to New York City this weekend and Monday and Tuesday for one of the most well- known dog shows in the USA. It’s Westminster time. Ah yes. There will be much of the dreaded fluffing and puffing occurring at Madison Square Garden very soon. Several years ago, the Kennel Club finally realized that dogs are not just pretty – but we are athletes with brains too. So they started hosting obedience and agility competitions as part of the “Westminster” extravaganza as well. Proper thing. Not all of us like to be in beauty pageants. Personally, I didn’t mind them back in the day. I didn’t love the grooming part, but as for standing still and getting treats – well that was right up my alley. And oh yes, you DO need to run around the ring a bit. But it’s not like it is a marathon. Yes – there is much involved in getting a 25 cent ribbon. Every single one of which we have kept. Of course we have.
Anyway, this year there are over 2600 dogs entered in the show. Her highness read an article about breeds that have never won the 143 previous Westminster shows. I’m shocked that neither a PON nor Picard has ever won, but probably a bit more shocking is that neither has a Labrador or Golden Retriever. Given the popularity of those breeds, it’s quite astounding really.
So who are the contenders this year? I know you might find this shocking – but some Las Vegas oddsmakers place bets. I haven’t seen any numbers yet, but here are the top contenders, based on their performances in the show ring last year:
https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/dn-top-20-dogs
Now it is not a GIVEN that one of those dogs will win – it’s really anybody’s luck. But let’s check back next week and see if any of these names takes the big win.
If you want more info about the show, and the schedules so you can watch from the comfort of your home, here’s the link to all kinds of info about the show:
https://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/plan-your-visit/schedule-of-events-2020
A new breed competing for the first time this year is the Azawakh – a sighthound from Africa. The name is pronounced oz-a-wok – in case someone asks you.
The beatnik was gloating a bit because there are more Picards entered than PONs – 13 to 11. That is not what I would deem a significant difference although I did not perform the stats. The Goldens beat the Labs 48 to 44. The smallest entries, with just a single dog represented are the English Foxhounds, Sloughis, and the Komondorok. The good news about that – unless you come in limping or bite the judge, there’s a pretty good chance you will get Best of Breed. I like those odds.
If you want to look at the schedule and numbers of dogs, here is the link.
No doubt we will watch at least parts of the show. The breed judging sadly is not always shown, but we may be able to find it on-line. The group judging is always shown in the evenings on TV. Her highness better check that we get the channel. I do recall her calling the cable company with minutes to spare in order to get the channel one year. I must remind her to do so ahead of time.
It is raining today – so our walks will be abbreviated. Which is frankly fine with me. Unless she resurrects the raincoats…. We can only pray she can’t find them.
Have a good one. Peace and paws up.
Viktorsviews. The Next Chapter. 