Oh, those big, brown eyes. That face. That fur -- and those paws. You beautiful dog.
Pardon the doggie reverie, but it's time for Westminster: the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, live from New York's Madison Square Garden.
Tomorrow and Tuesday, 2,622 dogs -- representing 165 breeds and varieties, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkshire terrier -- will compete to be named Best in Show. The group competitions and Best in Show will be televised on the USA Network, starting at 8 p.m.
No breed has a lock on Best in Show. Last year's winner was Carlee, a German shorthaired pointer; in 2004, Josh, a Newfoundland; in 2003, Mick, a Kerry blue terrier who also won the British title at Crufts.
For dog owners and handlers, Westminster is a chance to compete with the best; for breeders, a chance to spot prospects for future matings.
For the TV audience, though, it's a visual feast, a chance to marvel at the many breeds, colors and sizes of Man's Best Friend.
Man and dog go way back, to early humans who forged a mutually beneficial bond with wolves. Dogs descend from wolves, but dog breeds are largely man's creation, with a specific purpose for almost every breed. The Airedale terrier, for example, was developed in England in the 1800s to hunt otter and small game. It descends from the Old English terrier and the otterhound, according to an American Kennel Club history. The much-loved golden retriever, also from 19th-century England, was intended, as its name suggests, to retrieve game shot by hunters. Its ancestors include the Tweed water spaniel, the Irish setter and the bloodhound, the AKC says.
This year, Westminster officials say, Samoyeds and Cavalier King Charles spaniels have the largest number of entries (42 each). Other breeds with many entries include golden retrievers and Rhodesian Ridgebacks, with 39 each. There are 92 dogs from Maryland.
Judging involves three stages.
Breed: Each dog belongs to one of the 165 breeds and varieties recognized by the AKC. The animal is compared to its breed standard, "a written description of the ideal specimen of that breed."
Group: Breed winners advance to group competition. There are seven groups: Working Dogs, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting, which will be judged tomorrow night, and Sporting, Hound and Herding, which will be judged Tuesday.
