The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show [Archive]

a35362

02-08-2003, 09:39 PM

The dog show is coming! The dog show is coming!

I don't own any dogs, in fact I'm not even crazy about dogs in real life, but I love watching the dog show. It's the Olympics, the Oscars, the Miss America pageant of the dog show world. It will air live Monday and Tuesday nights on the USA network and be re-aired the following mornings. The very best of the best of every recognized breed: the Westie, the German sheperd, the Pomeranian, the Akita, the Papillon, the greyhound, the Bichon Frise, the Newfoundland, the Chihuahua, the Siberian husky, the standard poodle, the toy collie, the border terrier. Handsome dogs, goofy dogs, elegant dogs, powerful dogs, foofy dogs, lovable dogs. See the snooty owners and breeders! The totally focused handlers! The judges, with the power of God in their decisions! Drama! Excitement! Pathos! Best of breed! Best of group! Best of show! Man, I can't help myself. I get sucked in every year. I love it, I love it.

beagledave

02-08-2003, 09:45 PM

Easy prediction: nobody from the hound group winds BOS. Again.

Casey1505

02-08-2003, 10:39 PM

I have a Chocolate Lab, so I root for that group. I watched the Invitational a couple of weeks ago (the National Championship of Dog Shows is how it was advertized). There was a Weimeraner (sp?) that should have won BOS. Those dogs are beautiful

Bad News Baboon

02-09-2003, 12:32 AM

I always root for the Boston Terriers to win.
They never do, but I cheer all the same.

Except on American shows, where it is mandatory to crop their ears.

:mad:

Lissa

02-09-2003, 12:41 AM

Yeah, I hate the cropping of tails/ears, too.

The dogs don't look all that happy to be ther. I know they're not in pain, but I always wince a little when I watch them trotted out, choke collars high and taut against their jawbones to keep their heads held high.

I prefer the dog agility contests. Now those are some pooches that look like they're having a blast!

Kallessa

02-09-2003, 12:49 AM

Every time I watch a dog show, I end up falling in love with the beagles--especially the 13 inch ones. They have the cutest damn faces--I never knew I liked beagles until I started watching dog shows! I mean, Snoopy and the Beagle Boys did not prepare me for those sweet little faces, and that waggy tail, and the bright eyes. Pardon me while I gush.

Still, should I decide to get a dog, I'd likely go for a Lhapso Apso (yeah, made of mess of that spelling). They really are one of the world's great breeds, so loving, and keeping them in a puppy cut let's everyone see their sweet little faces and bright, sparkling eyes and . . .

The thing is, everyone agrees, I'm really a cat person. Dog shows just do me in.

Juniper200

02-09-2003, 02:06 AM

I'm the same way. What is it about televised dog shows? They ought to have all the entertainment value of a Wide World of Sports bowling tournament, but it's so hard to stop watching. And I'm allergic to dogs! I'm afraid of any dog larger than a cocker spaniel! What gives?

Go terriers!

jackelope

02-09-2003, 02:37 AM

Time to watch Best in Show (http://www.imdb.com/Details?0218839) again!

I don't mean to belittle the dog show in any way; I just thought that movie was hilarious. And if the AKC would recognize Carolina Dogs (http://www.carolinadogs.com), I'd probably watch and root for them, as I have one (http://fff.fathom.org/pages/jackelope/zeke-edit.jpg) (who is not as fat as she looks in that picture! Really!).

Enjoy the show, all!

Bad News Baboon

02-09-2003, 02:53 AM

Jackelope,

While your dog is tres adorable, I am afraid that your heart will be broken because the judges will surely vote these beauties (http://www.geocities.com/wendydyba/slides/dongy/dongy.html) as B.O.S.

;)

Gyrate

02-09-2003, 04:52 AM

Originally posted by beagledave
Easy prediction: nobody from the hound group winds BOS. Again. I feel your pain, although I'm a basset man myself.

Baker

02-09-2003, 06:05 AM

What's the name of that one breed that looks like a walking fringe? It's at least medium sized or larger, and white. Those always look so peculiar. And poodles seem like they would be more attractive if they didn't have that stupid haircut.

beagledave

02-09-2003, 07:58 AM

Originally posted by Baker
What's the name of that one breed that looks like a walking fringe? It's at least medium sized or larger, and white. Those always look so peculiar. And poodles seem like they would be more attractive if they didn't have that stupid haircut.

I believe you're referring to the Afghan (http://www.alden-arts.co.uk/dogs/a01brs.jpg)

Llama Llogophile

02-09-2003, 08:19 AM

Originally posted by jackelope
I don't mean to belittle the dog show in any way...

I do.

Every time I've seen one on TV (at my sister's house - she's likes this stuff) I've had that "squidgy" feeling: there's something wrong there, but I'm not quite sure what.

It seems to me that it's in the same category with child beauty pageants. Despite appearances, I'm not too sure the contestants would choose to be there if they could.

And recently I leafed through a book on how to groom show dogs. Some of the procedures those dogs have to go through (especially the big poodles) seemed just plain mean.

To me, making a living thing a "show piece" just doesn't seem right.

Oh, and "Best In Show" was hilarious. :)

Scarlett67

02-09-2003, 09:32 AM

Originally posted by Baker
What's the name of that one breed that looks like a walking fringe? It's at least medium sized or larger, and white.

I believe you're thinking of the Komondor. (http://clubs.akc.org/kca/)

Go English springer spaniel, go!

E-Sabbath

02-09-2003, 09:48 AM

I watch it whenever I can. Couple years back, my dog's uncle was up for Best in Show... His father shared a sire and dam with the dog. Funny, too. He's sitting, watching the TV with us, when all of a sudden this dog comes on. We say, "Hey, doesn't that look like..." and all of a sudden, Kaylon, the standard poodle (white) in question, charges the screen, barking, leaps up to put his paws on it, and then starts sniffing around it to try to get in. Really _uncanny_ resemblance to Orion, Kaylon's father.

Does this mean that dogs have self awareness?

whiterabbit

02-09-2003, 10:32 AM

I'm not the only one. Good! My stepdad and I had a fine time a few weeks ago watching some big dog show on Animal Planet. There were dogs I had never heard of, let alone see.

I have to root for the retrievers, those being about my favorite dogs. But some of the others are damn cute. I also have to root for any Clumber Spaniels because one of my stepdad's sisters raises them.

Tupug Anachi

02-09-2003, 10:59 AM

beagledave Keep watching the hound group. Next year, or the year after, this little beauty is going to kick some ace! Click here to see Shasei's Keepsake For Whiterose (http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Feb/2003291569268070312660.jpg) Her call name is Amber. She is a Saluki.

Ambers Mom

02-09-2003, 11:17 AM

Thanks Tupug Anachi for that vote of confidence. You forgot to mention that she is only 8 months old, but already defeating adult Salukis in the ring. Yes, we will be at Westminster at some point in the near future. This is an incredibly flashy and showy girl, the dog of a lifetime, and not being a novice in the ring, I can assure you that, barring any unforseen injury or illness (as you know has happened to me once before), this one is going to write a new book about Salukis.

The Mermaid

02-09-2003, 11:19 AM

Everyone knows that the Brittany is the most handsome and smartest dog in the whole wide world.

My two have me trained perfectly.

I laughed my ass off a few years ago when the German Short Haired Pointer got out there and shit all over when he was called. The judge was unfazed. She said "Well such is life"

When the dog finished he strutted out there like "I'm cool now, you people get with the program"

My brother in law has had about 4 or 5 GSPs, every one as dumb as a box of hammers.

Tupug Anachi

02-09-2003, 11:36 AM

I remember that dog, Mermaid! That was hysterical! Amber's Mom, why don't you relate some of your "shining moments" at dog shows? :D

Ambers Mom

02-09-2003, 11:50 AM

Ahhhhhh, got me Tupug. My motto - sometimes you gotta have a gimmick......

My most memorable(?) dog show moment was the Irish Setter National Specialty, 1988, in San Francisco, California. I had purchased a lovely crepe, floor length skirt for the occassion. Being very vertically challenged, it never occurred to me that that skirt would present a problem, being a combination of a bit too long, with an elastic waistband. After setting my Irish girl up for the judge, I stood up without realizing I was standing on the skirt, and promptly disrobed myself in the ring. Oh God.

One other time was handling my Irish Setter boy in Kansas to esteemed judge Michelle Billings, who is a stickler for a well behaved dog in the ring. There was a concrete retaining wall, about 4' high, next to the ring with bleachers above for the spectators. There was never such a thing as a small entry in Irish Setters and I was handling Nixon in a rather large Open Dog class, somewhere in the middle, when he decided he wanted to visit with the spectators, and in full gait on an "around", he crossed in front of me, ripped the lead out of my hand, leaped the wall, and went up into the stands to greet people in a way only a big, dorky Irish Setter can do. As I stood dogless in the middle of the ring, with handlers passing me up snickering at me, I prayed for the bright white beam to take me away to the mothership and get me the hell out of there.

Then there was Scarlet, the "bitch from hell". At a large televised show in Kansas one year (thank goodness we didn't make it to the screen), we were showing to a judge who had a white carnation in his lapel. Scarlet must have had the damn flower scoped out, and coming back from an "out and back", she suddenly lunged forward, ripped that flower out his lapel, and "killed" it right in front of him. I wanted to die.

But, there was the really sweet time that Nixon jumped up on Dorothy McDonald, who was ill at the time and looking very frail, and gave her a huge bear hug and a kiss in front of many spectators. She gave him Winners Dog. LOL!

Green Bean

02-09-2003, 12:25 PM

Wow. Amber is gor-gee-ous!!

I'll be rootin' for the GSPs and the Dalmatians. (Spot the Wonderpup is a mix of those two breeds.) I wish I could have seen that GSP poop in the ring!

Baker

02-09-2003, 12:46 PM

Scarlett67 , that's it, the Komondor. Thanks for the website pictures. It must be hard to keep those suckers neatly groomed!

OESGal

02-09-2003, 01:39 PM

Not to be rude, but as a person who shows dogs in conformation, I see a few of you have made an error in your abbriviations; for Best In Show, it is BIS. It's NOT BOS :)
One of my dogs is going to be at Westminster this year, I hope he makes it to the group so I can see him on TV. Look for an Old English Sheepdog named Ch. Whisperwood's Wizard of Oz (Ozzie)

Shirley Ujest

02-09-2003, 01:40 PM

Thanks for the headsup!

I, too, love watching this show. (So does my overweight, chronically shedding yellow lab.)

I wish some lesser known breed would win. Poodles....bah..bunch of pantywaists. Scotties....cute....but...really....

I'd like a basenji to win. I want to see the dog's popularity explode. I had one as a kid and no one beleived me that the dog could yodel. (They also hate cold weather quite vigorously which all goes back to their Egyptian breeding.)

If that couldn't win, I'd like to see something like the dachund win or a Great Dane.

jackelope

02-10-2003, 12:01 AM

Originally posted by Bad News Baboon
While your dog is tres adorable, I am afraid that your heart will be broken because the judges will surely vote these beauties (http://www.geocities.com/wendydyba/slides/dongy/dongy.html) as B.O.S.Bad News Baboon, while you have proven yourself a wonderful human being in the past, I am afraid I must respectfully disagree with you on this one...

Don't you hate that sensation when you want to say something that you suspect has already been said? Well, my feelings on the matter have already been said (http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues95/jun95/backpg_0695.html) by Daniel Pinkwater, and better than I ever could have. Enjoy.

Jackelope

Gyrate

02-10-2003, 04:54 AM

Originally posted by jackelope
Bad News Baboon, while you have proven yourself a wonderful human being in the past, I am afraid I must respectfully disagree with you on this one...

Don't you hate that sensation when you want to say something that you suspect has already been said? Well, my feelings on the matter have already been said (http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues95/jun95/backpg_0695.html) by Daniel Pinkwater, and better than I ever could have. Enjoy. Heh. I must agree. Boston terriers fall into a category I like to call "shovel dogs", i.e. dogs who look like they've been hit in the face with a shovel. This also includes pekes, pugs, and bulldogs. Ugly things.

OTOH, my family has a wonderful set of antique set of cast-iron Boston terrier doorstops. So obviously they're good for something. ;)

peedin

02-10-2003, 07:39 AM

OESGal, I hope I get to see Ozzie. I've recently fallen in loff with the OES, but living in an apartment precludes me from owning one. Ambers Mom, I also loff Irish Settters (had one named Scarlett and she was the BEST) so my loyalties are divided. Can I root for both?

Tupug Anachi

02-10-2003, 12:35 PM

No. Try not.
Do or do not, there is no try
We are not amused. :mad:

Tupug Anachi

02-10-2003, 12:37 PM

We aren't very bright either. That was supposed to be:

This also includes pekes, pugs, and bulldogs. Ugly things.

Gazelle

02-10-2003, 12:49 PM

Originally posted by Scarlett67
I believe you're thinking of the Komondor. (http://clubs.akc.org/kca/)Speaking of this strange-looking breed, for the longest time I had no idea what the heck was on the cover of Beck's Odelay album. Then I saw one on the Westminster show. I call it the dreadlock dog. :)

I'm all over this, a35362. Thanks for the heads-up! Love it! So entertaining.

I always root for Cardigan Welsh corgis (http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/cardiga.cfm) (since I have one); they never win either.

Gyrate

02-10-2003, 12:56 PM

Originally posted by Tupug Anachi
We are not amused. :mad: It could be worse. I could have explained the derivation of the term "punt dog". :eek:

I can't help it -- I really dislike what Eddie Izzard calls "small yappy-type dogs". Give me a hound any day.

Gazelle

02-10-2003, 01:02 PM

jr8 and jackelope, you are mean. :(

Bostons are so sweet, as are pugs. I feel sorry for Mr. Pinkwater. I think his story says more about him and his family than it does about poor Bootsie.

Dogs are the embodiment of love.

Gyrate

02-10-2003, 01:33 PM

To be fair, my brother-in-law has two pugs, which are apparently sweet little dogs. Drooly, bug-eyed, snuffly things, but very sweet nonetheless.

porcupine

02-10-2003, 01:36 PM

jackelope, you beat me to it - I love that movie. I love watchin' dawg shows, too (but not as much as agility).

I have a Norwegian Elkhound, but I can't find the pic I scanned and uploaded. :(

Barbarian

02-10-2003, 03:24 PM

I don't know what's funnier: the Afghan, the Komondor, or that there are two dogs bred to look like ambulatory mops.

blanx

02-10-2003, 03:48 PM

3 actually- look up the breed Puli.

Bad News Baboon

02-10-2003, 04:10 PM

That's it, Jackeloope...
gimme my shirts back!

;)

The dog that man describes sounds nothing like mine.
Except for the snoring part.

I defy ANY of you to meet Dongle or Georgie and not fall in love.
It is simply not posible.

Seriously though, why do the same breeds win over and over again? Why bother competing. The poodles always place.

FEH!

Tupug Anachi

02-10-2003, 04:18 PM

You wanta see dreads? Check out the corded poodle here (http://royaume.com/~baladin/) Click on the left and then you have to scroll down and click on the one that says Photo 2 France.

Baker

02-11-2003, 10:43 PM

The Kerry Blue Terrier won Best In Show!

a35362

02-11-2003, 10:46 PM

Very pretty dog. I swear I don't know how the judges can decide. I was kinda rooting for either the German shepherd or the Newfoundland, and I liked the Ibizan too.

deborak

02-11-2003, 10:56 PM

a35362, the German shepherd, Newfoundland, and Ibizan were my choices, also! I suspected the Kerry Blue would win, he's been winning everything lately. I could see that he was a very impressive and beautiful dog, but for some reason, he didn't arouse any emotion in me like the other three did.

Dallas, the German shepherd, was so gorgeous and noble and perfect that I actually welled up watching him! :o

Weirddave

02-11-2003, 11:00 PM

They always pick the goofy dog. Dallas was the BOS, IMHO, hands down.

GingerOfTheNorth

02-11-2003, 11:49 PM

Best IN show, dear. And I fell in love with the Cavalier King Charles spaniels last night. We have polar tastes in pets, as I'm allergic to both the animals themselves and the mess they make - Dave likes big ol' mutts, I like small little doggies I can carry in my purse. Plus, small little breeds are generally the ones I wouldn't be allergic to.

I think the Kerry deserved the win. Dallas was also way up there in my choices. The Standard Poodle should have been blushing, or contemplating a change in groomers.

beagledave

02-12-2003, 07:42 AM

This (http://www.beagles-on-the-web.com/dailyDigital/) sums up my attitude about yet another terrier win.

Sunspace

02-12-2003, 09:46 AM

Look for an Old English Sheepdog named Ch. Whisperwood's Wizard of Oz (Ozzie)What does the Ch. stand for?

SC_Wolf

02-12-2003, 09:58 AM

That'd be Champion, Sunspace.

Archergal

02-12-2003, 10:02 AM

Originally posted by Sunspace
What does the Ch. stand for?

Champion.

Archergal, owner of 4 Australian Shepherds, and roots for the herding breeds

Tupug Anachi

02-12-2003, 10:29 AM

I feel like Jan Brady about the Kerry. Mick, Mick, Mick! It's not that I don't think he deserves it, I'm just sick of seeing him take everything. I'm just glad the Peke (read shovel dog) didn't win. That poor thing couldn't walk with tripping over his own hair.

SpazCat

02-12-2003, 12:03 PM

Originally posted by jr8
I feel your pain, although I'm a basset man myself.

Ah, a man after my own heart. How could they have resisted this paragon of cute doggyness? (http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/breeds/wm03/garden/images/HM80931001.jpg). If my dog's ears were long enough to be show quality, the Bassets would win every year.* She's that cute. (http://www.printroom.com/_vti_bin/ViewImage.dll?userid=SpazCat&album_id=38747&image_id=31&courtesy=1)

*She would have won. She's twelve now and covered with Old Dog Bumps.

SpazCat

02-12-2003, 12:14 PM

Okaaaay, the hamsters ate my link.

Try this: http://www.printroom.com/EditAlbumPhoto.asp?userid=SpazCat&album_id=38747&image_id=31

Query: Why do show dogs have such strange names? My dog has a normal name: Brandi Alexa. These dogs have very strange names. Topsfield Bumper Cars, Monogram I Hear a Symphony, Majenkir Raynbo's Dazzle, just to name a few.

romansperson

02-12-2003, 01:39 PM

Part of the reason is that no two dogs registered with the AKC can have the same name. So long funny names are unlikely to have been previously used. Frequently the first word in a name is also the name the breeder has chosen for his or her kennel or breeding line.

Gyrate

02-13-2003, 01:52 AM

Originally posted by Tupug Anachi
I feel like Jan Brady about the Kerry. Mick, Mick, Mick! It's not that I don't think he deserves it, I'm just sick of seeing him take everything. I'm just glad the Peke (read shovel dog) didn't win. That poor thing couldn't walk with tripping over his own hair. Is this the same peke that took BiS at Crufts a couple years ago? The one that looks like Cartman? I can't find a picture, alas...

SpazCat: your second link requires a password. But that's a darned nice looking basset hound. And speaking of hounds, I used to be ambivalent about bloodhounds until I saw Best in Show and fell in love with the one in the movie. Sweet!

E-Sabbath

02-13-2003, 06:24 AM

I've got to say, Mick is a really _incredible_ Kerry Blue. I know Standard Poodles and Kerry Blues. The Standard was good, but he didn't really want to be there as much as the handler did. Mick was on the _top_ of his game, and he's a really exceptional example. Those legs, that chest. I don't even see any of the breed's traditional flaws in him. Not to mention he didn't start poinging like they tend to. Very well behaved.

Yes, Kerry Blues poing. Uncle's used to have a six foot tall fence, and as you drove up, you'd see dog heads popping up and down behind it for a look at you.