The Big E – Excellence As Expected

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250 – June, 2024

By Elaine Lessig

The 148th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Show was a premier world class dog show once again this year. The club members, with their dedicated show chair, Dr. Donald Sturz, created a stellar event. Make no mistake. That is no easy task. Over the past four years, the show committee surmounted challenges of changing venues, coping with the vagaries of the weather, and recreating the magic which is Westminster. This year without Dave Helming, the consummate show chair and gentleman, the show committee thoughtfully configured a show in the great tradition of Westminster and did it well.

Westminster is not just about show dogs. This year, the performance events, The 11th Annual Agility Championships Preliminary and 9th Annual Masters Obedience Championships brought a large crowd indoors to the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Saturday. Crowds cheered wildly for the dogs and their handlers. If you have never seen an agility trial, make a point of going onto the Westminster website and checking out the video of the event. You will be amazed how quickly you will become totally enthralled. It is fast and furious. The agility finals on Sunday were super exciting. The competition level was better than ever. The Master Obedience Championship is available to watch, too. It goes at a different pace. Sometimes it is slow, but quickly the dogs fly over obstacles, chase after gloves and retrieve dumbbells. It is amazing to see what the dogs accomplish.

In the outdoor courtyard on Saturday, the Dock Diving exhibition drew a huge following all day long. At times, it was five and six rows deep with spectators. Even in the cool and windy sunshine, people watched the dogs jump into the huge pool with great enthusiasm and speed. In one day, countless attendees experienced dogs participating in performance events. Somehow, I believe we have created a whole new audience for performance events. Maybe, some of those spectators may actually try agility, obedience or dock diving with their own dogs.

Click here to read the complete article
250 – June, 2024

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