Westminster Still Thrilling Dog Lovers After All These Years

by Steve Dale

There are dog shows, and then there's Westminster. Established in 1877, Westminster is second only to the Kentucky Derby as America's most established sporting event. The founders thought that having a little event in New Year City might stir up interest in dogs. If only they could know what they built!

"By the time we get to Best in Show, the Garden is vibrating; it's louder than it is for any Knick's game," notes David Frei, the broadcast voice of Westminster for 20 years.

Fans come to the show from all over the world. Westminster has become a kind of Academy Awards for dogs. As the contestants approach Madison Square Garden, instead of walking down a red carpet, they stop at the red fire hydrant on 32nd Street.

All sorts of parties are held on the weekend preceding Westminster, some for non-profits benefiting animals, even an awards banquet for members of the Dog Writer's Association of America.

While celebrity dog lovers pop into the Garden, such as Martha Stewart and Lauren Bacall, there's no doubt the show dogs are the true stars. In fact, for the past decade or so winners of Westminster have become stars in their own right. Winners make a frenzied round of media appearances in the days and weeks following being named Best in Show, showing up everywhere from "The Today Show" to "The Ellen Degeneres Show." Reporters from around the globe rally to interview the winning dog's handler and owner.

Two recent crowd favorites were the 2008 and 2009 Best in Show winners. In 2008, a Beagle named Uno cheered his own victory, as Beagles are likely to do, and the national TV audience loved it. Frei and Uno appeared everywhere from helping to throw out (or retrieve) the first pitch at a Brewers major league baseball game to charity events. Last year's Best in Show winner was Stump, a Sussex Spaniel. At 10, he was the oldest dog to win the Big Show, and a clear underdog, Among his biggest fans was sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who exclaimed, "When I found out Stump's age, I was so happy. In dog years, he's younger than me (she was 80 at the time)."

Of course, any dog of any of the 173 breeds and varieties participating at Westminster can win. The clear favorite this year, according to Frei, is a Scottish Terrier named Sadie. She's currently America's top dog, with wins at the National Dog Show, the AKC/Eukenuba Dog Show and just about every other major show in 2009. "She has 100 Best in Show's in her career," says Frei. "And now she comes to Westminster, a show dominated by terriers."

Historically, 44 terriers have won Westminster, including two in the past decade: Mick, a Kerry Blue Terrier, in 2003, and Rufus, a Colored Bull Terrier, in 2006.

"Still, Michael Jordan didn't score 48 points every time out," says Frei. Other favorites for Best in Show include a Doberman Pinscher named CJ, the No. 2 Working Group dog in the country. Also, there's a Puli named Conrad who could win the Herding Group and take Best in Show. Puli's coats are carefully arranged cords. Frei adds, "(actor/author) John O'Hurley had the best line on live TV about the Puli. He said, 'Whoopi, we found your hair.'"

Frei says this year's "dark horse dog" is a Golden Retriever named Toasty. Amazingly, a Golden Retriever, or for that matter a Labrador Retriever, has never won Westminster. Labs have been the most popular dog breed in America since 1991, and Goldens among the top-five most popular breeds for even longer.

"I can't say why they've never won," says Frei. "If Toasty makes it to the Best in Show ring, the crowd will definitely be behind him." Of course, judges are there to judge the dogs at that moment based on the written standard, and the crowd reaction isn't supposed to matter. Still, Frei admits, "Of course, the judges can hear the cheering, and they're, after all, only human. What's great about Westminster is that we're all judges watching from the comfort of our sofas at home."

Learn more, and see behind the scenes action at www.westminsterkennelclub.org.

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