FURS-DAY FEATURE #16 - August 2022 Edition - Dog Years and Dog Days of Summer #InternationalDogDay #DogDaysOfSummer #DDOS

FURS-DAY FEATURE

NUMBER SIXTEEN

AUGUST 2022 EDITION

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER

WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB SHOW

This feature originated on Jo's Book Blog, and you will find it here in The Library the last Thursday of the month.

PREVIOUS FURS-DAY FEATURE

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL DOG DAY!

A BETTER WAY TO CALCULATE DOG YEARS

According to science we've been doing it all wrong.

I've been to the Westminster Dog Show six times. Four times working for professional handlers and twice as a spectator. I never got to be in the ring. I almost did once. I was waiting outside the breed ring for the handler I was working for with a Basenji ready to go. The handler was showing another breed in another ring, and it looked like she was going to be "ring tied" and I was going to be able to show him, but she arrived at the very last second. Darn. The only year I qualified for the Junior Showmanship finals no one we knew was going, and my mother refused to drive in New York City. That was one of the biggest disappointments of my life.

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These were all at Madison Square Garden. In 2021 and this year, because of Covid, the show has been held at Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, New York, about forty-five minutes outside of NYC. All breed judging was done outside. The groups and Best in Show were inside somehow, enclosed tents maybe?

I have shown at the Lyndhurst venue twice. The Westchester Kennel club held shows there back in the day. I had one of my best junior handling honors there without actually being in the ribbons. There were fifty-six entrants in the Open Class and the judge was notorious for not placing girls, so only a few entered. The judge dismissed all the girls early on, except for me, and I kept making every cut. Every time she stopped to look at me people start cheering. I made it into the final six for the last "take them around." She pulled me out in fifth place, or the first loser as we say. Ha ha. My friend's mother bought a little plastic trophy and gave it to me at our group's dinner that night.  Everyone was tapping their water glasses and shouting, "Speech, speech!"

I never had time to take a tour either time. I would love to go back to see it. I was thinking maybe this was going to be the new permanent home of Westminster and I could do a double purpose trip, but it looks like the show will be back in New York City next year. Hopefully they'll keep the summer time frame and not move it back to February.

GROUPS

Here are the last "take them arounds" for each group and the full Best in Show video...

SPORTING GROUP

There are still no full group judging videos out; where the announcer talks about each breed. This is the final nine pulled. The breed we had, the Irish Setter, didn't make the final cut. I really wanted the Irish Water Spaniel to win. They were my favorite breed to show from this group.

HOUND GROUP

 HERDING GROUP

WORKING GROUP

TERRIER GROUP

NON-SPORTING GROUP

TOY GROUP

I just realized I've never shown a dog from the toy group.

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BEST IN SHOW

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'August is my Dog Days of Summer Celebration month! There's still time for you to read a book with a dog in it or on it (no picture books please), and enter the INTERNATIONAL giveaway. You have until September 7th to get it reviewed on Goodreads, Instagram, or your blog.

What's your favorite breed?