Page 71 - Aussie Magazine - 2024 Issue 3
P. 71
The Westminster Kennel
Club, established in 1877, is History television homes across the
America's oldest organization In 1877, New York was well country. Westminster has
dedicated to the sport of dogs. on its way to becoming the become America’s Dog Show.
It hosts the iconic, all-breed world’s greatest city. This
Westminster Kennel Club Dog was the year that a group of
Show, the second-longest, sporting gentlemen decided
continuously held sporting that this would be a good “Westminster gets its
event in the U.S., and since time to hold a dog show in name from a long-gone
1948, the longest nationally hotel in Manhattan. There,
televised live dog show. Manhattan. It didn’t take long sporting gentlemen used
The annual dog show—a before the Westminster Kennel to meet in the bar to
conformation competition Club, following the lead of its drink and lie about their
for purebred dogs—and the home town, would be on its shooting accomplishments.
Masters Agility Championship way to becoming the world’s Eventually, they formed a
and Masters Obedience greatest dog show. club and bought a training
Championship— where dogs area and kennel. They kept
from all backgrounds are With its spectacular their dogs there and hired
eligible to compete—make beginnings and extraordinary a trainer. They couldn’t
Westminster Week with its growth in the years to follow, agree on the name of their
nearly 3,000 dogs from the the Westminster Kennel Club new club. Finally, someone
U.S. and around the world Dog Show quickly reflected suggested that they name
a pinnacle experience for the growth and success of it after their favourite bar.
any dog lover. The Club’s New York City. As the dog The idea was unanimously
mission, which enhances the show grew yearly, so did selected, we imagine, with
lives of all dogs, celebrates the Westminster Kennel the hoisting of a dozen
the companionship of dogs, Club’s position as the symbol drinking arms.”
promotes responsible of the purebred dog, with
dog ownership, and breed its influence being felt in – Maxwell Riddle, from a
preservation. WESTMINSTER. show rings everywhere and newspaper story quoted in
There's only one. eventually in millions of “The Dog Show, 125 Years
of Westminster” by William
Stifel.
It was at one of those meetings
that the members decided that
they would stage a dog show
so that they could compare
their dogs in a setting away
from the field. The First Annual
New York Bench Show of Dogs,
given under the auspices of the
Westminster Kennel Club, was
staged in 1877 at Gilmore’s
Garden (the forerunner of
Madison Square Garden) in
New York City, drawing an
entry of 1201 dogs.
Ribbon
