Every year I spend several days in front of the television watching the Westminster Kennel Club show. This year I actually spent more days because I had forgot who won from last year so sat through the repeats of last year this weekend. What I can never figure out is how a dog wins best of breed because if I saw 35 of the same dog how could you pick which one is better? Plus, those 35 dogs in best of breed are the the 35 best in that breed from around the world so you know there is going to be very little to distinguish them.
My other issue is that I have favorites and they rarely win even best of a group let alone best in show. My final issue is that after watching this for days, then the night after it ends I have to watch Best In Show because it is all I think about while I am watching Westminster.
Oh, this year, Malachy, a Pekingese became the sixth Pekingese to win best of show. Do they have a rescue version of Westminster?
A RESCUE version of Westminster! Now THAT'S a show I'd watch! :-D A bunch of doggies of multi-breeds, maybe some with tongues hanging out cuz they have teeth missing, some with 3 legs, but all with the HUGE hearts you find among rescued doggies...? YES PLEASE!!! <3
ReplyDeleteThis dog is awesome!
ReplyDeleteI was watching the toy division, and he struck me, A great waddling ball of fluff... loves it.
My daughter was watching this. Everytime one of the poofy dogs was on, she would squeal..."how cute and fluffy!"
ReplyDeleteI hate Westminster. The pugs never win.
ReplyDeleteLove the dog shows! I went once with my daughter. It was interesting but a loooong day.
ReplyDeleteOh he's just a big ball of fluff! So cute.
ReplyDeleteI would love a rescue dog show. I also wish a english bulldog would win. Of course, their catergory would be "Rootinest, tootenist Dog"
ReplyDeleteI love my bulldog, I should enter her.
I wish my hair looked that good!
ReplyDeleteI was always happy to see something other then a poodle or Pekingese win. However, I will no longer be watching this due to the fact that they pulled ads for Pedigree because the company dared promote the adopting of shelter pets!! I get that this is a pure breed environment, but there is enough space in this world to appreciate pure breeds, while allowing for us mere humans to adopt and love animals that have been discarded.
ReplyDeleteHe's a little ham...adorable
ReplyDeleteI had it on for some reason last night and it got me wondering about dog lifespans.
ReplyDeleteI guess Border Terrier is the breed to pick but the Great Dane was what had me wondering. I don't think I could bear having a dog with an average lifespan of 6.5 years. I don't even buy plants that die that soon.
The Westminster dog show always bothers me. It is probably the #1 thing glorifying pure breeds, causing demand for them and fueling the breeding industry. I didn't know about Pedigree's ads being pulled, but now that I do, that seals my conviction not to watch this show ever
ReplyDeleteI <3 the Westminster Dog Show. Growing up, it would be like the Super Bowl in my house. It's the ONLY thing I miss about not having TV.
ReplyDeleteWhat Seachica said.
ReplyDeleteFuck dog and cat shows. I can't deal with events that treat animals as nothing more than commodities.
If you really love your dog, you'll let him romp around, slobber, and get a little dirty. That little creature probably spends five hours a day at the groomer's.
I did not know guinea pigs were eligible to compete at Westminster.
ReplyDelete@AndrewBW- Pug life.
ReplyDeleteI had a Peke back in the seventies named 'STARKSY'. What an escape artist. We would get a phone call from the grocery store that he had ran 6 blocks thru traffic, gone thru the automatic doors and was patrolling the meat Dept aisles.Many times.How he lived long enough to die of old age I'll never know
ReplyDeleteI'd rather watch the worlds ugliest dog contest. The dogs are cute and it's nice hearing the resur stories are nice.
ReplyDeleteMalachy was on "The View" this morning (cute dog) and they mentioned that next week (Thursday I think but better check) they have their version of Westminster called the Mutt Show, and that several dogs get adopted from it each year. So that would be the rescue version. Wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteI'd protest Romney before I protested the dog show. Some animal activist group protested him at the dog show because evidently he once put his dog in a crate and tied him to the top of his car while driving with his family on vacation. What a piece of shit.
ReplyDeleteAnd HOW can Westminster be opposed to animal adoption?! HUH?!
Seachica, I was thinking the exact same thing.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate the breeds but in this day and age there is no place for them anymore. It's saddens me that an animals health is put at risk just to get the right "look". They remind me of models and how it's normal to be underfed and undernourished in that industry.
I just crack up laughing when I look at this dang furball! (or hairball, whatever---that is one funny -looking dog!)
ReplyDeletesooooo adorable!!! i have a little fuzz butt Pommeranian named Ginger that has that same prancy look about her:)
ReplyDeleteIs that a tribble, or a foot stool?
ReplyDeleteThey didn't drop Pedigree because they support pet adoption, they dropped them because they felt the commercials were too depressing for their 'upbeat' celebration of dogs. I agree, I'm tired of those commercials and the Sarah McLaughlin commercials. I like the shows that detail the amazing work rescues do in rehabbing dogs and saving them, show more of that. I love to see a rescued dog running on the grass and jumping all over the kids in his new family.
I believe the View mutt show is this Friday.
ReplyDelete@Jolene -- I know. Isn't that unbelievable? You'd THINK he could have afforded a pet sitter. It really speaks volumes about his character. I honestly think he's a sadist.
ReplyDelete@FS- totally agree. Sarah effs up my whole day when those commercials come on.
ReplyDeleteThe sad dog/cat commericals ("who will love him?") totally stomp on my heart strings. Just FYI, though, if you want to help your local animal shelters, donate to them DIRECTLY, not through national organizations that may have other agendas they don't tell you about or which may not support local shelters at all. I have an adopted muttcat; got him when he was six from a local shelter network. Pedigree is of no importance to me but some people prefer a specific breed and I wouldn't presume to judge them either. Westminster is the doggy superbowl.
ReplyDeleteI <3 Best In Show. Doubt I could watch a dog show without Fred Willard doing some commentating.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea, @Baka Neko!
ReplyDeleteCan someone PLEASE explain to me why that ugly terrier won best in show in the movie?!
ReplyDeleteWill NEVER get that.
Also, this dog is like a furry, prancy meatloaf with eyes. So basically, fucking adorable. I approve the win.
OMG. This dog is awesome. The look on his face kind of says "How you like me NOW, bitches?"
ReplyDeleteI am all for pet adoption, but those ads with Sarah Mclachlan howling over pictures of injured puppies make me change the channel. Maybe I'm cold hearted. I just don't understand why Sarah Mclachlan gets to put out records.
@Maja - Sarah McLachlan gets to put out records because her first two albums were incredible. If only she hadn't become famous and started producing the same song every. single. time. :(
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that many of you agree with my comment about not liking that this promotes the breeding industry. I didn't know if I would get stomped all over on here for pooping on everyone's doggy parade.
@Jasmine - It was the two left feet.
ReplyDeleteLOL Dixie!
ReplyDeleteSeachica, I'm not surprised, there are lots of animal LOVERS on this blog, the real kind that you wish all people were.
ReplyDeleteI was raised in England and to be honest mutts were looked down on, not that they weren't loved as much or anything like that, but owning a pure bred dog was the way to go. Not really in a status symbol sort of way either, I can't really explain it. Any televised dog show was must see television for most people.
As I got older, I realized that some breeds for cats as well as dogs were bred specifically to achieve a certain look even if it risked a health defect or medical problems down the road. And those genetic problems that are inherent in breeds goes without saying. That doesn't seem right to me, it's beyond cruel even. I learned that for me, owning a dog isn't about what it looks like so much, it's about its personality. It's a lot more rewarding to adopt a dog that isn't house trained and has basically been unloved for much of its life and over time see the transformation to a well adjusted animal who everyone adores, regardless of what she looks like.
That being said, my 2 beasties are a lab/daschund mix who is totally adorable and practical being so small and the other is a corgi/daschund mix or Dorgi which is not a recognized breed from what I understand. Both rescued.
Yes figgy!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you, Seachica. I wouldn't even comment on this post but was disgusted to read yesterday that the show dumped one of its sponsors for promoting adoption. Fuck them and fuck them hard.
It bugged me that the handler kept brushing the dog's hair - even after he won! Leave the poor dog alone! I think they should have to leave grooming tools off the main floor.
ReplyDeleteJudge: "Now run your dog around the floor."
Handler: "Wait, he MUST be brushed again first."
WTH?
Seachica,
ReplyDeleteYou will be happy to know that not ALL breeders focus on looks; sadly, it's just the US breeders. Overseas, breeders focus on skills and abilities. Many service dogs are bred overseas for their working skills.
Jasmine, the terrier won because he was judged to be the best representative of his specific breed. That's why it's so hard for me to pick the "winners" at dog shows -- I just pick which dog I think is the cutest and has the best personality. But the judges aren't judging the dogs against each other. They are judging them against their own breed's standard.
ReplyDeleteI HATE those Humane Society commercials with Sarah McLachlan. They upset me so much. I have to turn the channel.
BTW, if you want a specific breed but also want to support your local shelters, most of them will let you put in a request to be notified when a specific breed of dog or cat comes in to the shelter. That's what I did -- and now I have two super adorable pomeranians from my county's animal shelter.
I'm a big dog fan so the Peke wasn't my personal choice, but all the dogs in the final round were great.
ReplyDeleteI got an English Mastiff from a person who wanted to show the dog but she had a blemish on her foot. The person agreed to let me have her rather than put her down if I had her spayed, which of course I would have done anyway. Their typical life span is 7-8 years, ours lived to be 11 1/2.
I always considered her a rescue, as all my dogs have been.
We give old blankets, beach towels, bottles of bleach, paper towels and other items to our local no kill shelter regularly.
Agree with those who are not fans of dog/cat shows. I don't love my cat any less or think she's any less adorable because she's a tortoiseshell and therefore "uneven." (Rolls eyes.)
ReplyDelete♫ "God bless a terrier."♫ haha, I always think about Best in Show, too. I bet they weren't that far off in depicting the owners either. It's like the Toddlers & Tiaras for dogs.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a rescue dog show, too! That's really disappointing to hear about them pulling the Pedigree ads. And as much as I hate the commercials everyone is talking about, they do raise awareness!
@Maja I loved Sarah McLachlin in college, but I did refer to her music as "slit your wrists" music.
Does this dog have legs?
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ReplyDeleteUgly dog ... everyone who goes out and buy this breed after this win is being played. lol
ReplyDeleteI own two adorable pekes Ricco and Ruby. They're awesome little dogs with big personalities. I'm happy a peke won best of show, but I keep my duo's coat puppy clipped, it most cost a fortune in time and money to keep that mane looking like that.
ReplyDeleteOops...*must* sorry about the typo
DeletePekingese are pretty fucking cute, they look like little Ewoks! I'm usually bigtime Cat Lady, but we're dogsitting the world's sweetest Pomeranian for a month and I've fallen in love. If I wasnt going to have a baby in like 10 weeks we would probably be stealing him. The other day my fiancee and I were both at work and I guess Chester had to go, so this little smartass shat in the litter box! I. Freaking. Love. Him.
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, I agree completely, I don't watch dog shows because I think they treat them like props or items, and I hate that there is such a focus on purebreds, I am a huge adoption advocate. There is absolutely no excuse for breeding animals with known health defects and short life spans when there are literally millions of beautiful, wonderful cats and dogs across Canada and the US in need of homes. I will, however, absolutely watch the Mutt show if it promotes adoption.