Does anyone remember back to 2008 when Uno, the beagle with rock-star qualities won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show? Such a great moment! It was around the time that the indy film Juno arrived on the scene and became an unexpected hit. So graphic designer and artist Mike Sorgatz did some funky photoshopping and came up with the above poster. Pretty awesome, right?
Every year, we love to catch at least the final few hours of Westminster on television. But after downscaling to basic cable channels, we were unable to watch it from our home this year. Not acceptable! Determined to be a part of the action, I took the A train to Columbus Circle and then cut across to Piers 92/94 way over on 12th Avenue. For $25, I gained admission to two giant rooms which housed the dogs and their handlers (and probably some owners).
It was so interesting to see all the humans and dogs in one place. Everyone, especially the people, looked pretty fried from the two days of competing (plus all the time and energy it took to get there, I bet.) Still, it was fun to view the different breeds and watch the grooming rituals.
I saw this cutie (pictured below) get placed on a special dog-grooming table, where his fur was blown dry. The groomer then used special doggy hair spray, and another person stepped in and used another product to make the fur stand out from his face.
I saw bags stuffed with what looked like doggy medicines/vitamins; a pup the size of a small pony covered in white dreadlocks; dental care products and treadmills designed for dogs. The sweetest part was seeing handlers being affectionate with their dogs, and visitors taking delight in all the amazing breeds and their funny antics.
On the long walk back to the subway, a groomer gave me this tip for next year's show: Come and see the smaller judging events for the breeds I like best, and then come visit the dogs and handlers once the judging is over so they aren't too concerned about us messing up the dog's fur.
By the way: the winner of this year's show is Banana Joe, and, like winners from years past, he got to go to the legendary Sardi's for a meaty treat following his victory!
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