FILE - Fans watch Rumor, a German shepherd who later won won Best In Show, compete at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2017, in New York. To the casual viewer, competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show might look as simple as getting a dog, grooming it and leading it around a ring. But there's a lot more to getting to and exhibiting in the United States' most prestigious canine event.
NEW YORK — To the casual viewer, competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show might look pretty simple: Get a dog. Groom it. Pose it. Lead it around a ring. But there’s a lot more than that to getting to and exhibiting in the United States’ most prestigious canine event, now in its 147th year. So here are the ins and outs of the show, which starts Saturday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.Twenty-five hundred dogs from 210 different breeds and varieties signed up to vie for the best in show trophy that gets awarded Tuesday night.
Hailing from 49 states and 13 countries, contestants range from tiny Chihuahuas to giant Great Danes. They include familiar breeds like Labrador retrievers, rarities such as the