Behind the Scenes at the Westminster Dog Show
Things are finally back to normal for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Or, at least as normal as can be expected for an event that features more than 2,500 dogs flooding into Midtown Manhattan to compete for the coveted title of best in show.
Traditionally a winter event held at Madison Square Garden — since before the venue even had that name — Westminster was thoroughly disrupted by the pandemic. For two years it moved out of New York City entirely, with the event being held at Lyndhurst, an estate in suburban Tarrytown. And for the last two years it took up residence at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. It was also moved to warmer months in hopes of limiting the spread of Covid.
But for the 149th edition of the event, which began on Saturday with a series of contests testing some dogs' agility and obedience, the show is back to February and back to Midtown. The initial stages of breed and group judging are being held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, and the main event — best in show — is slated for Tuesday night at the Garden.
Getting ready for the show involves a great deal of work, from humans and dogs alike.
The wide variety of dogs necessitates a wide variety of seating solutions. Nun, a Borzoi, grabbed a nice large platform for a break with her handler and owner, Kelley Davis, while Tova, a Shih Tzu, just needed a portion of Judy Harding's lap.
Before the dogs go under the microscope of judging they are poked and prodded and vacuumed and inspected.
The dogs competing at Westminster all have extremely formal names, which indicate their pedigree and breeder's name, but they also have nicknames that are often much more fun. Consider: Elvis Presley the cocker spaniel and Falkor the Brussels griffon.
Only the most devoted dog fans make their way to the early stages of Westminster, which means dog-related accessories and clothing are extremely common.
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