The Big E – Excitement + Expectations

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92 – June, 2021

By Elaine Lessig

The timing may be a bit off, but the frenzy that surrounds Westminster is right on schedule. What are the COVID rules and regulations? Which hotels will allow dogs? Will there be a place close by to change clothes if they get sweaty or dirty or, more importantly, for the group (please, please, please)? Is there a set-up to wash and groom the dogs at the show grounds? How do we get onto the site itself? On and on it goes, questions which require an answer–an accurate one.

With all of these issues and more to contemplate and conquer, the real elephant in the room remains location, location, location. To continue the 145-year tradition, while navigating the extensive COVID restrictions, the Westminster Kennel Club has once again creatively and thoughtfully found a way to go on with the show. The show moves to June from February, from indoors at the iconic Madison Garden to outdoors in glorious tents at the magnificent Lyndhurst Estate beside the Hudson River in Westchester, New York.

Think about developing a packing list. Whether traveling with one dog or a full truck, there is a lot to contemplate. How many changes of clothes will you need, not to mention shoes for wet mornings, warm afternoons, and the evening for groups? Water, oh my, how much water is needed for canines and humans in hot weather? Will a small truck or high top van with a generator need to be rented to use on site? Keeping dogs cool in the heat is a priority for all exhibitors. Food…coolers galore, ice and more ice are all necessities. Don’t forget extra towels and cooling coats, too.

Somehow the multi-faceted details of planning for the trip to Lyndhurst do not begin to compare with the anticipation and anxiety which lives inside our hearts and heads. After a year of showing and campaigning a dog, it all comes down to that Saturday, Sunday–or both–when dog and exhibitor walk into the ring together with their hopes and dreams joined by a show lead. Is it as much a strategy as it is a serendipitous adventure? Will it be a head game or does the heart drive the adrenalin? Can it be both brazen and scary at the same time? Yes. It can be all that and so much more.

Click here to read the complete article
92 – June, 2021

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jun 7 2021. 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.