Dog Years – Westminster Memories

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330 – September, 2022

By Sarah Montague

We are a nation of strivers, so we are obsessed by “firsts.” First on the moon; first to the top of Everest; first female VP. But then there’s the rites of passage “firsts”: first shave; first love; first time leaving home. And in our world, first dog show.

I’m writing this as we are about to embark on the 146th Westminster Kennel Club event, being held once again at the Lyndhurst estate at Tarrytown. Last year I wrote about my own first WKC. This year, I was curious about the experiences of others, and from people with different roles and perspectives—observers, participants, and officials. The dogs themselves, of course, live in an eternal present, so it was no good asking them.

David Frei

For 27 years, David Frei was the public face of Westminster. Beginning in 1990, his affable manner and knowledgeable commentary brought the show to television audiences all over the country. But his own introduction was much earlier, and it came through his army service.

“It was about 1973. I was on active duty in the army, stationed at Walter Reed in Washington DC and got in with some Afghan hound people, including Colonel Wally Pede. I remember we were standing in the lobby of the old Statler Hilton Hotel (ending as the Hotel Pennsylvania) and seeing people and dogs rolling in their crates.”

Click here to read the complete article
330 – September, 2022

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Posted by AnthonyA on Aug 27 2022. 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.