Westminster Whoop De Doo

Dog Lady went to the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an event where the common parlance revolves around "bitches" and "breeding partners." Apart from the eugenics, the logistics of the whole thing seemed overwhelming, with thousands of dogs cooped up in hotels during the night and crammed into cages during the day, sprung only for trots around the ring. Competing dogs had to stay "benched" (ie. caged) backstage for hours. The public wandered through this tropically hot dog zoo, taking pictures and asking questions about the captives. Dog Lady saw a forlorn looking Newfoundland named Titan slobbering in his crate with his water bowl empty. She asked the women chatting near Titan's cage how it was possible to travel with such a large animal. They ignored the question and kept chatting. Here's a video of Titan in happier times.

Dog Lady took this picture of matinee-idol handler Bill McFadden being corraled by an admirer as he left the ring. McFadden showed a few compact dogs, including this second-place Westie, a French bulldog, and the Dandie Dinmont terrier co-owned by Bill Cosby.

Dog Lady had no real star sightings, except for the dogs, of course. She heard Martha Stewart, wearing a tobacco-colored coat, was in the house to see the chows compete. And she saw Cindy Adams, the New York Post columnist, teetering down the Garden's concrete stairs.

Instead of battling with the crowds at Madison Square Garden, Dog Lady would have been just as happy hanging out across the street in the lobbies of nearby hotels where dogs paraded or lolled with their keepers during off-hours. At the Hotel Affinia, Dog Lady met a sweet Bernese mountain dog named Kohl from Cleveland. Kohl won Best of Breed at Westminster in 2006 and he took the title "Love Muffin" in 2007.

In the end, James, an English springer spaniel, won Best In Show. James is a handsome lad who looks like a canine patrician. Dog Lady, however, was happy to get home to her own Best In Show, a scruffy darling with a comical face and a twisted tail who's a champion at racing around the house with his squeaky frog.

Posted by Dog Lady at February 14, 2007 11:01 AM