Westminster 2024 Off to a Rousing Start!

By Amy Fernandez

The bad news is Westminster 2023 was the one and only opportunity to have a leisurely show experience. Their 148^thevent kicked off bright and early Saturday at Flushing Meadow Park.  This is the club’s second year at this Queens venue and it’s safe to say the secret is out.  By 8 AM, the place was in full swing, and it had the traditional Westminster vibe with teeming crowds and electric tension. Once again, Mother Nature was on our side, and after a streak of crummy weather Queens was sunny and cool–perfect dog show weather.

As usual, the club has gone full tilt fancy with tons and tons of gorgeous plants and flowers (although a few more palm trees would be good). Throughout the show grounds, the landscaping featured a variety of plants–ALL purple and yellow. That was no accident. The gorgeous floral arrangements came courtesy of Flowers for the People, in Connecticut.  For the full impact, check out the Museum of the Dog tent. Wow!  This layout required plenty of advance planning and two days of flower arranging along with a last-minute, emergency run to NYC because even that botanical avalanche wasn’t sufficient to complete the plan.

Saturday was devoted to Obedience, Agility and plenty of fun events designed to lure and educate dog lovers.  Demonstration rings offered a nice blend of education and entertainment. Throughout the day, clubs offered demos in basic training, advanced obedience, herding and dog tricks.

Masters Agility, which usually receives follow up TV coverage on FSN, was laid out in two parts, one ring inside the stadium and the fast course outside. More than a few competitors were slip sliding on the turf surfacing.  The biggest crowd magnet was the North American Dock Diving. It is literally impossible to walk past that event without stopping to marvel at the stunning canine talent and beauty.

So, the weather is great, but the crowds are back to normal. Parking is tight and lines are long, but hey it’s only once a year and totally worth it.

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Posted by Liz on May 12 2024. 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.