NEW YORK — Thousands of dogs from 20 countries will compete in this year’s annual Westminster Kennel Club show in New York, which opens Sunday and culminates with the crowning of “Best-in-Show,” the most coveted prize for pedigree dogs in the United States. Now in its 144th year, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show bills itself as the second-oldest sporting event in the country, behind only the Kentucky Derby horse race. Starting on Sunday, judges will pick individual dogs that best exemplify the standards of his or her breed, from the exotic to the familiar. The Westminster Kennel Club has its roots in New York City in the 1870s, when a group of sporting gentlemen would meet at a hotel bar near Union Square in lower Manhattan to trade stories about hunting and the exploits of their dogs, according to the club’s website. One night, the men decided to put on a dog show, and they named it after the gathering spot, the long-gone Westminster Hotel.

Source: National Post February 09, 2020 12:00 UTC