Westminster – You Gotta Be In It to Win It!

By Amy Fernandez

Photo by Lisa Croft-Elliott

Nothing brings the marginalization of our sport into sharper focus than Westminster week coverage. There was a time when every major news outlet–especially those based in NYC–sent teams of reporters to cover every Westminster. And sports page coverage began several days prior to the show. The Times archives are a treasure trove of purebred history.

Thankfully benching is back, but back then reporters would haunt the handlers’ benching to nail interviews with all the major contenders that year–Clara Alford, Annie Clark, Frank Sabella, these reporters went in there knowing who was winning and they got great pre-show interviews. Those days are long gone. Sunday morning, the biggest Westminster coverage in the NYT was relegated to the Styles section.  Before I sound too negative, I love The Times simply because they fact check.

Moreover, at this point I am grateful to see any show coverage, and to be honest this breeder-handler profile was not that bad. The problem was the underlying theme of the coverage.

Dog shows are NOT a popularity contest, we know that. But that wasn’t the takeaway for Times readers. The article profiled a Golden breeder who will be showing at Westminster on Tuesday. There are 38 Goldens entered this year. Here’s a quote, “Although Bougee spent 2024 making friends and winning shows, she has little (or no, if history is any guide) chance of beating the other 2500 entrants vying for Westminster’s coveted Best In Show award.” The rest of the paragraph highlighted breed stats on past winners. For the record, that record remains firmly in the teeth of Fox Terriers.  The author really didn’t seem to like the BIS record on Pekingese “Pekingese, who to the untrained eye look less like dogs than majestic ambulatory hairpieces.” A joke? Not funny to anyone devoting a lifetime to perfecting this demanding and complicated breed. Despite insightful comments from Michael Faulkner and the GRCA, the tone of the story discounted purebred legitimacy. “Even with the mysterious calculus of shows, dogs are judged not by how fabulous they are but how closely they adhere to the supposed platonic ideal of their breed…” Yeah, this sport isn’t a reality show, it’s about striving for perfection.

Sporting breeds are judged Tuesday and until Tuesday night, the eventual outcome is anyone’s guess. The slant of this story promotes the idea that Westminster is a done deal based on …I’m not sure what. However, reflecting on the arc of history, dark horse winners happen. That’s the heart stopping thrill of Westminster. This is the place for shocking surprises. How about 1980? Siberians–a breed that never wins Westminster, never mind a dog with its ear tip chomped off or the fact that he was shown by an unknown kid.  How about Clussexx Country Sunrise back in 1996?  Who saw that coming? And the veteran Stump was entered simply because he demanded his annual trip to NYC.

So, the Westminster dice have yet to roll. This article placed great emphasis on the popularity of Frenchies, Labs and Goldens. Maybe that implies that, contrary to much media bashing, purebreds are not going out of style.

But Stump has the real message that was missed in this story entirely. Westminster is about so much more than BIS. You gotta be in it to win it.

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=318707

Posted by Liz on Feb 11 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.