[See Westminster dog show photos from Saturday’s action.]
When and where does the Westminster dog show take place?
This year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show takes place in a quiet (barked or barked) setting: on the grounds of the Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, NY, 30 miles north of the normal Madison Square Garden showroom. Lyndhurst once belonged to the robber baron Jay Gould.
Sunday is the last day of the show, which takes place much later in the year than usual. Pandemic worries prompted the organizers to hold the show outdoorswhich makes June a tastier month than February.
How can I watch?
You cannot be there live this year: spectators who are not directly involved with a competing dog are prohibited.
But it’s dogs, dogs, dogs on TV at the weekend. The reporting on Saturday included the preliminary round, the agility event and the first four group finals. On Sunday there will be further preliminary rounds (1.30 p.m. Eastern, FS1) and three more group finals and Best in Show (7.30 p.m., Fox).
There will also be dog streaming in the Fox app and westminsterkennelclub.org. And the New York Times will have live commentary from our, uh, experts starting at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday night.
How does it work?
Thousands of dogs compete against others of their breed: Collie against Collie, Saluki against Saluki. The approximately 200 breed winners compete against similar breeds in the group finals. The seven group winners then compete for the grand prize: Best in Show, which this year will be judged by Patricia Craige Trotter from Carmel, California. The decision is up to her alone.
What’s new
Four new breeds are joining the party this year: the barbet, a curly-haired dog; the Belgian Laekenois, a shaggy shepherd; the Biewer Terrier, a long-haired, three-colored toy terrier; and the Dogo Argentino, a white, muscular, smooth-coated dog.
Who won on Saturday?
Four group winners were chosen:
Bourbon the Whippet won the hound group.
The Pekingese Wasabi won the toy group.
Mathew the French Bulldog won the non-athletic group.
Connor, the old English shepherd, won the herding group.
Who will win Best in Show?
Obstruction of a dog show is a little more difficult than choosing the winner of the fourth race in Belmont. It is commonly said that terriers are your best bet and the Wire Fox Terrier has the most wins out of 15. But terriers have only won two of the last 10 Westminsters so predicting is difficult. The last three winners were a Standard poodle, a Wire Fox Terrier and a bichon frize.
Can I enter my mutt?
Unfortunately the event is only for purebreds. So your Max, Jake or Buster cannot win even though he is the best dog in the world.
