Meet the Breeds 2025

By Amy Fernandez

Photos by: Deana Niosi

At the risk of sounding boring, once again I have to say that Meet The Breeds is the best idea that AKC has lifted in a long time. Crufts Discover Dogs had this concept nailed down years before AKC stepped up to the game. Even so, better late than never.

In that respect, I should also reiterate the fact absolute skepticism has always shadowed the idea of people paying hard earned cash for the thrill of looking at dogs.  I mean, the dogs are not doing anything, no high octane competition, etc. As Edward Ash put it in his hilarious This Doggie Business “In the early days of the gate dog show, it was believed that such shows would be a failure, for it seemed unlikely that many would pay to enter a shed or tent or room to see dogs, which, without cost, could be seen out in the road any time.” Then again, who thought anyone would willingly pay for water or dirt. This year’s ticket prices ranged from $10 for children to $130 for VIP and the lines were very long Saturday morning.

So, build it and they will come, and crikey they sure did. For the past several years, NYC Meet The Breeds has been at the Javits-which will also be this year’s Westminster venue. It’s NYC’s largest event space, with 850,000 square feet. However, Meet The Breeds occupies only the lower level.  The closet thing I can compare it to is Westminster benching back at the Garden.   By early afternoon it was very hot and very packed. The layout and format didn’t vary from previous years. Breeds were arranged alphabetically and a centerpiece demo ring offered a rotating schedule of educational/entertaining canine skills.

It’s fun for the public and very lucrative for AKC but the crucial value of this event often gets overlooked. Meet The Breeds has become the primary platform for public relations and information sharing about our breeds. Consumer culture is inundated with extremely negative AR propaganda and that portrayal is pervasive and entrenched. We are losing the battle.

The simplest, most obvious remedy is right here and it has power. For instance, Dan was there with his Bergamasco Sheepdog and his display was mobbed. I gotta say that Dan is the ideal visual counterpart for this wonderful breed. They came in from New Jersey and he’s done the show before so he knew what to expect. Despite the nonstop crowds, he was more than willing to be there. As he explained, his breed needs the exposure and most of all, it needs someone out there shattering misconceptions and setting the record straight.

The Cesky Terrier is another breed that really needs more traction with the public.  Terriers are generally considered a British product, but there’s a lot more to the story. This one originated in Eastern Europe, the Czech Republic to be exact. The breed was developed in the early 1900s and FCI acknowledged it as a purebred way back in 1963. However, it has faced a long, slow recognition process over here. It entered the AKC Terrier Group in 2011, but the breed remains fringy. The American Cesky Terrier Fanciers Association had a great brochure, short, sweet and informative. You gotta love the description of puppy coat color-50 shades of gray.  Puppy owners never know the color their adult Cesky. It’s a surprise.

The breed’s foothold in this sport depends on the dedication of breeders. This weekend, Melissa Preston was there with Calvin ensuring that the Cesky gets its moment in the spotlight. Six year old Calvin is clearly an old pro at this stuff. He just returned from Orlando as a Grand Champion and Melissa explained that Meet The Breeds is his farewell to showbiz.  He was playing to his crowd and they were loving it.

The Australian Terrier is another underrated and misunderstood breed that definitely needs more publicity. It’s been AKC recognized for decades but judging by the public response at Meet the Breeds, its existence is big news. With 15 years experience in the breed, Pat Zupan from Jackson, New Jersey had been a Meet the Breeds regular for ten years. Admiring fans really do want to understand the technicalities of coat texture and grooming requirements.  And needless to say, there is no better source of information than a veteran breeder. Most of the participants came from the tri-state area, but an impressive number of breeders willingly made the trek from as far away as California. They get it, they know what’s at stake here.

It goes without saying that the top ranking popular breeds-those that have always comprised the bulk of AKC registrations, attracted incredible crowds. Everyone wanted to see the Dachshunds and Dobermans and the Chihuahua Club never fails to to blow it outta the water with a new, creative presentation. But those breeds are assured of ongoing support. Their gene pools are vast and viable. These are clearly the breeds that sell the tickets. But the thing is that once those spectators get into the event, they look around. Maybe the crowd is five deep around Whippets, so they will come back later. In the meantime they stroll over to check out the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje or the Lancashire Heeler and they start thinking outside of the box. Because maybe this is the breed that will meet their expectations and become the perfect canine match. I heard that comment from more than one person in the crowd.

And hats off to the clubs that have responded to this media opportunity by providing simple, unequivocal information to potential owners before they jump the gun and choose the wrong breed.  For example, the Swedish Lappphund handout consisted of ten concise questions with brief unambiguous answers.

1. What breeds are they made up of? Ok, not our terminology but this is a critical question for    anyone hoping to understand a breed they might plan to live with.
2. What were they bred to do? This bit of historical rundown says it all, and unfortunately remains the most overlooked aspect of breed selection for the public. Genetic heritage doesn’t go away. It dictates every aspect of life with this potential roommate.
3. How rare are they? Maybe not quite so pertinent to the immediate concerns of pet owners but this aspect of the picture incentivizes a desire to get involved and help. And FYI, currently the breed’s North American population stands at a scary 36 dogs.
4. How big do they get? I heard this question over and over at Meet The Breeds. I suspect that Doodle Deliriums may be a contributing factor. Owners are discovering that doodles promises frequently diverge from the sales pitch.

The question that really impressed me was the big one-puppy price. That’s something you rarely find in general breed information. However, it is a key fact that allows buyers to make safe, sensible decisions.

Another outstanding example was the postcard sized handouts provided for Manchester Terriers. This ranks among our oldest purebreds and it definitely needs more exposure. These simple, well designed illustrations not only spelled out the differences between Toys and Standards, it clearly explained the differences between British Manchesters and German Pinscher breeds, which is worth pointing out considering the volume of crossbred dogs flooding the pet market.

Another great educational handout depicted the evolution of Bull Terrier breeds and there’s no need to get explain the emergency regarding that disinformation disaster.  Despite their popularity, these breeds desperately need informed, responsible owners.

Accurate, accessible information is the key to combating AR rhetoric and attracting genuine supporters- and those potential fans are out there waiting for an invitation. All good, but Meet The Breeds 2025 was a precursor to the main event coming up in a few weeks. And Westminster advertising was on full display.

So, the Javits is a great venue but hopefully Westminster will not attempt to pack the entire event into the lower level. And we’re back to the always delightful NYC February weather. Be prepared. On the other hand, the Javits is designed for seamless setup, unloading and access are good. More recently, the 7 train has been extended to run right to its doorstep, which really improves accessibility.  For those subway resistant readers, keep this in mind. On the way there, we had a dog spicing up the ride. And Teddy Swims was in the  subway station doing a flash show on the way home. NYC has its charms for sure.

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Posted by Liz on Feb 1 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.