Best in Show

A few days ago our dear family friends texted me and asked if I was interested in a memorable NYC experience -- did I want to join them at the craziness that was Westminster. They warned me - its not quite how it appears on TV - it's kind of complete chaos.

And it turns out that yes, that classy looking green-turfed canine Olympics known as the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is totally off its rocker. 

You'd think, with these champion pedigree pups, there'd be some kind of concern over their well-being. You know, respect the dogs. You'd think the folks on high at Westminster would be all about protecting their four-legged royalty but that is completely not the case. 

Let me paint a picture. Out in that oh-so-green ring, the pups are prancing royally and tensions are high. But in the back? In the benching area? Where the dogs are getting groomed and prodded and brushed and combed and you see a stocky little woman pick up a ginormous fluffy sheepdog as big as she is and roll it over on its side to brush its stomach, and a little dachshund is getting a sponge bath and then his floppy little ears are flying around his head as he gets blow dried?  

Well, back there, the public is allowed to roam free. Who knew!? If you have a ticket, you can just wander through the complete insanity that has taken over Madison Square Garden and get up in those dogs' grills. There's no order. No lines. Not like a zoo, where you're watching from afar. No, there are the dogs set up on tables getting beautified, and there are the rest of us, pushing and shoving through the tables and taking pictures.

You can't help but be amazed that these dogs are submitting to the whole thing. I mean, what are the chances of having hundreds of dogs of every imaginable breed, all hanging out together with nary a skirmish in sight? And then pushing through crowds of people to get to the ring, with not a nip or a bark. No barking! I'm telling you, you'd barely even know there were dogs there aside from the tufts of hair flying off the combs of overzealous groomers.

So a NYC experience it was. People watching and dog worshipping at it's very finest.

My all time favorite photo. I mean really. Can you even take that face seriously?