SCRANTON, Pa. — More than two thousand pampered pooches from around the country will soon compete in the Westminster Dog Show in New York City. The four-legged fun starts this weekend, and some dogs from our area will be a part of the action!
Newswatch 16’s Ryan Leckey caught up with a few local fancy furballs in Scranton along with their pet parents who are heading to the Big Apple this weekend.
Westminster is considered the longest continuous sporting event in America, with the exception of the Kentucky Derby.
Organizers say the pet-focused function is the “most prestigious national dog show. It’s been held every year despite power shortages, hazardous weather conditions, economic depressions, and world wars.”
Here’s how it works according to local participants:
“You can think of it like March Madness. Each dog competes within its breed to become Best of Breed. There are 204 registered breeds. That dog advances to the Group Competition, where it will compete against dogs that were bred to perform similar jobs. There are seven groups. They are Terrier, Toy, Working, Sporting, Hound, and Herding.
One dog from every group goes on to represent that Group in Best in Show.
The breed breakdown for this year:
The Westminster Kennel Club welcomes 204 breeds and varieties among 2,630 entries from 49 states and 19 other countries to its expanded three-day dog show.
There are 2,630 dogs representing 204 breeds and varieties from 49 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico with the most dogs from California (238), followed by New York (208), Pennsylvania (175), New Jersey (156), Florida (153), Texas (124), and Massachusetts (114). They include Junior Showmanship qualifiers (108) and 101 entries from 19 other countries, topped by Canada (63), Japan (11), and South Korea (5). The farthest entries are from Australia (2) and Thailand (2).
How to watch:
Click here to see how to watch the Westminster Dog Show.
For the history of the Westminster Dog Show, head here.