For two days, every year, America’s eye is fixed on the professional dog world, waiting with bated breath as the top dogs in the U.S are selected from each category: terrier, sporting, non-sporting, working, toy, hound, and herding. The last and most exciting event is Best in Show, when the judges pick one dog out of the winners from all of the individual dog groups. This February 14 to 15th was the Westminster Kennel Club’s 135th Dog Show, which has taken place annually at Madison Square Garden since it first began in 1877, making it the second oldest and longest running sporting event after the Kentucky Derby. Originally formed to display hunting dogs, the show was named after the Westminster Hotel in Manhattan where the hunters used to gather to discuss the sport and their canine companions. Though the Westminster Kennel Club was founded seven years before the American Kennel Club, in order to enter the prestigious dog show, the canine must be recognized as a breed by the AKC. Top dogs are chosen based on numerous physical credentials such as coloring, height, and eye shape that prove the dog is as close as possible to the breed’s standards.
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| Mr.Morris Sr with Pitter Patter |
The results are in and here are the winners!
Pekingese -Toy group
Scottish Deerhound - Hound group
Chinese Shar-Pei - Non-Sporting group
Bearded Collie - Herding group
Spaniels (Cocker) Black -Sporting group
Portugese Water Dog-Working group
Fox Terrier-Terrier group
Best in Show - Hickory the Scottish Deerhound
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Kennel_Club
http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/
