ArcaMax

Every dog may have its day, but only one can win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, coming up Monday-Tuesday, Feb.16-17, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

All dogs competing in the prestigious show have earned the title of Champion for combinations of previous dog show successes. Each of the 2,711 entrants will compete first against their own breed. Labrador Retrievers compete against other Labs, and Scottish Terriers go up against other Scotties, etc. Eventually, one top dog is named Best in Breed for each of the participating breeds.

There are seven groups, and each breed falls into one of them. For example, Labradors are in the Sporting Group, Scotties in the Terrier Group. The other five groups are Herding, Hound, Non-Sporting, Toy and Working. Finally, comes the part of the competition that's televised, as one dog is designated the winner for each of the seven groups. Those seven dogs compete for Best in Show.

"The Best in Show winner will be the best specimen of that breed on that day," says dog show announcer David Frei. "The Best in Show judge is not comparing each of those seven dogs to one another, but each is being compared to a breed standard which the judge has in his head. The judge is sequestered, and doesn't know who those seven dogs are until he walks into the ring."

This year's Best in Show judge is a judge in more ways than one. The Hon. David Merriam, of Bonsall, CA, happens to be a retired trial judge in real life. (Dog show losers serve no jail time, though their tails may be tucked between their legs.)

Frei has seen 25 years of past Best in Show winners and says, "You bet they seem to at least know that something exciting has happened, even if they don't know exactly what. After all, you have about 10,000 cheering spectators."

Among the 192 breeds and varieties participating in the show, there's a pair of newcomers this year:

Coton de Tulear: "They look like a giant cotton ball," says Frei, of the breed that typically weighs 8-15 pounds. "Their exotic history has been romanticized a bit," he says. "They were the royal dogs of Madagascar (an island off the coast of Africa). They were used by pirate outlaw traders who would steal the dogs out of the country."

Many people with allergies have no issues with the Coton, one explanation for their allure, as well as a their bubbly personality.

Wire Haired Viszla: Like the smooth-coated Viszla, a longtime American Kennel Club breed, this is a hunting dog also developed in Hungary.

...continued

(c) 2015 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.