So excited: I'm going to Westminster

[roadie gal]

It was a BLAST! We got to see a bunch of the breed rings (bearded collies, collies, goldens, Finnish Lundhunds, Akitas, viszlas). They were a lot of fun. Then we went to the benched area. That's where the dogs are supposed to be "on display" when they're not being shown. Because of the renovation at the Garden the benched area was small, crowded and totally chaotic. But we were still able to see, and pet a lot of dogs.

In the morning, while they were still showing, the breeders were too stressed to chat, but in the afternoon, after the breed rings but before the evening show, they were very friendly. We spent a lot of time chatting with folks. I made a total fool of myself talking with a Beauceron breeder. I've been sort of researching the breed for a while. So I was SO excited to see one in person that I was like a little kid.

We looked at everything, from the toys to the immense mastiffs. There was a Dogue de Bordeaux that had a head the size of a basketball, no exageration.

We had general admission seating, so we were up in the nosebleed section. But, for a change, we'd remembered our binoculars, so it was still fine. It's amazing how much more you see in person.

The GSD who won was nice, but he didn't move all that well. We were completely floored that he won over the Belgian Turvuren. The Doberman that won the sporting group was spectacular. We'd seen her close up earlier. She should have gone Best in Show. I guess it's good that I'm not a judge...

I would go again. But I would wait until the renovations are done. A bunch of the breeders mentioned to us just how chaotic and discombobulated the benching was this year. Usually it's much more organized. We did have a hard time finding some dogs.

This is getting long, so I'll stop here. If anyone wants more details I'd be happy to run on...

[missjean]

Oh, that sounds like a lot of fun!
They had quite a report on NPR about the show & the dog that won. It's quite the production getting these dogs ready.

[malkin]

My aunt took me to a couple small local dog shows when I was little. It was a lot of fun. I love looking at the breeds and finding out about them, but if I ever get a dog, I'll almost certainly go rescue.

[roadie gal]

My aunt took me to a couple small local dog shows when I was little. It was a lot of fun. I love looking at the breeds and finding out about them, but if I ever get a dog, I'll almost certainly go rescue.

There are some really nice breeds out there and some that we just had to shake our heads over. Honestly, except for color there are a lot of terrier breeds that looked exactly the same to us.

One of the fascinating thing about seeing the dogs in person was seeing their relative sizes. You just can't tell that on TV. For example, the bearded collies are a lot smaller than we expected and the otterhounds are much larger.

We have 2 purebred collies (Lassie type collies, not border collies). When we decided to get a dog we had very specific needs and wants. Among other things, we needed a dog with little or no prey drive since we have cats. All of the rescues up here are mixed with huskies or wolves or other high prey drive breeds. We just couldn't take that chance with our cats. So we decided to go with a purebred dog with the thought in mind that we'd have a better chance of getting what we needed in terms of personality and drive. This worked out well for us. Under other circumstances we'd probably have gone for a pound puppy. (I'd never heard of a breed rescue until I got the first dog and got interested in dogs in general.)

[malkin]

...All of the rescues up here are mixed with huskies or wolves or other high prey drive breeds. We just couldn't take that chance with our cats. So we decided to go with a purebred dog with the thought in mind that we'd have a better chance of getting what we needed in terms of personality and drive. This worked out well for us. Under other circumstances we'd probably have gone for a pound puppy... (I'd never heard of a breed rescue until I got the first dog and got interested in dogs in general.)

Very true. And most of the rescues here are (pit) bull terrier mixes. Sad to think that their people probably couldn't manage them.

Really, I do have my dream dog, and have had for years. I'll whisper it if you promise to think only good thoughts for when the time is right... Shhhh! Don't tell....http://entlebuchers.net/

[roadie gal]

Very true. And most of the rescues here are (pit) bull terrier mixes. Sad to think that their people probably couldn't manage them.

Really, I do have my dream dog, and have had for years. I'll whisper it if you promise to think only good thoughts for when the time is right... Shhhh! Don't tell....http://entlebuchers.net/

There used to be an entlebucher that lived around the corner from us. He looked like a small Swiss Mountain Dog. Nice dogs.

[indysteel]

Is anybody watching the competition this year? I always enjoy the show! I grew up with terriers and while I like other dogs, I always seem to pull for a dog in the terrier group to win Best in Show (the Scottie and Westie, in particular). I do love that fox hound that won the hound group though.

[7rider]

The Doberman that won the sporting group was spectacular. We'd seen her close up earlier. She should have gone Best in Show. I guess it's good that I'm not a judge......

I was rooting for that Doberman - and I'm not really fond of Dobies. Bummed about the winner. . Not a Peke fan, either.

[jobob]

Glad you had a great time RG, & thanks for the report!

(I wasn't enthused about the peke either, I was rooting for the dalmatian)