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The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
- University of Arkansas Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
I’m not a dog-lover. But some things are hard to resist. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Dogs have been part of western culture for as long as . . .Well, for as long as there has been western culture.When Odysseus returned home disguised as a beggar after years of wandering, only his faithful hunting dog recognized him. In Greek mythology, the three-headed Cerberus stood guard at the entrance to Hades. Millions of Americans grew up watching Lassie and RinTinTin on television. Depending on their generation, children read The Call of the Wild or The Poky Little Puppy. The recording industry gave birth to How Much Is That Doggie in the Window and Hound Dog. Walt Disney bequeathed to us Lady and the Tramp and 101 Dalmatians.The ultimate anthropomorphic dog, of course, is Snoopy of Peanuts fame. Given America’s love affair with dogs, it was inevitable that politicians would get into the act. Franklin Roosevelt invoked his dog to mock Republican opponents during the 1944 presidential campaign. It had been charged that FDR sent a naval destroyer to the Aleutian Islands to fetch his terrier that had been left behind after a presidential visit.The story was unfounded, and Roosevelt had a field day with it. “These Republican leaders have not been content with attacks on me or my wife or my sons,” Roosevelt declared. “No; not content with that, now they include my little dog, Fala. I don’t resent attacks, but Fala does resent them. He has not been the same dog since.” At the other end of the political spectrum, Richard Nixon relied on a cocker spaniel for political salvation when Dwight Eisenhower considered dumping him from the Republican national ticket in 1952 because of allegations related to a secret “slush fund.” Appearing on national television , Nixon acknowledged the fund’s existence and then turned his attention to a gift from another supporter. “It was a little cocker spaniel dog,” Nixon told his audience. “Black and white,spotted.Our little girlTricia,the six-year-old,named it Checkers. 78 THOMAS HAUSER The kids love the dog.And I just want to say this right now; that regardless of what [my political opponents] say about it, we’re gonna keep it.” That brings us to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which was contested earlier this week at Madison Square Garden. TheWestminster Kennel Club was formed by a group of gentlemen who met regularly in NewYork and decided in 1876 to present a dog show.Adopting the name of the Westminster Hotel in which they met, they held their first show the following year at Gilmore’s Gardens on Madison Avenue at 26th Street. Except for a few early shows, the competition has taken place at Madison Square Garden ever since. Westminster is one of four events to have been held in all four incarnations of Madison Square Garden.The other three are the circus, the National Horse Show, and professional boxing.With the exception of the Kentucky Derby, it’s also the oldest continuous sporting event in America. Putting the matter in perspective, when Westminster began, Rutherford B. Hayes was president of the United States; there were thirty-eight states in the Union; and the electric light bulb had not yet been invented. Westminster is also the most prestigious dog show in the world and gives out five hundred media credentials each year. USA Network televises six hours of the competition,attracting 4.6 million viewers per night, which makes it the network’s highest-rated telecast annually. Over the decades, approximately 270,000 dogs have been entered in Westminster.Contestants are divided into 162 “breeds,” which in turn are classified in one of seven “groups.” Awards are given for “Best of Breed” (162 awards), “Best in Group” (seven honors), and the ultimate prize: “Best in Show.” Dogs are judged according to American Kennel Club standards.To win any honor, a dog must possess qualities that most closely match the highest standards for its particular breed. The 2003 Best in Show honor went to a Kerry blue terrier named Torums Scarf Michael.The official standards for Kerry blue terriers decree maximum and minimum heights.They also state, “The correct color is any shade of blue-gray or gray-blue, of a fairly uniform color throughout except that distinctly darker to black parts may appear on the muzzle, head, ears, tail, and feet. Solid black is never permissible in the show ring...