Best In Show

Take me to New York, NY for the Westminster Dog Show!

The first Westminster show was held on May 8, 1877. No other continuously held sporting event in the United States is older except for the Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875.

The show originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily setters and pointers, initiated by a group of hunting men who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan.

They decided to create a kennel club called the Westminster Kennel Club specifically for the purpose of holding a dog show. The prizes for these first shows included such items as pearl handled pistols, of use to the hunters and terriermen who worked these dogs in the field. Since that time dog shows have drifted away from a focus on working dogs to a focus on the appearance of the dog alone.

The first show took place in May 1877 at Gilmore's Gardens (the Hippodrome) on the site now occupied by the New York Life Building, which also contains the AKC headquarters. The first show drew over 1200 dogs and proved so popular that its originally scheduled three days became four. It remained 3 or 4 days until 1941, when it changed to its current two-day format. Gilmore's Gardens at the time was an old railroad depot, which two years later became the first Madison Square Garden.

Dog breeds listed for the first show include the Long-haired Saint Bernard, the Esquimaux Dog, and the Siberian Bloodhound; most dogs had simple names such as Duke, Rover, Mungo, Nellie, and Rex, compared to today's fancier and longer dog names (although among today's call names there still number many Dukes, Nellies, Rexes and the like). The advent of Westminster predates the creation of the AKC, so breed standards were still rough and hard to find. The Westminster Kennel Club was the first club admitted to the AKC after AKC's founding in 1884.

Two deerhounds belonging to Queen Victoria of England were entered in the 1889 show. In 1905, with an entry of over 1700 dogs, Westminster surpassed even Crufts to become the largest all-breed dog show in the world.

In 2007, Westminster signed for Angel on a Leash to become an independent charity. Angel on a Leash is an organization that has specially trained therapy dogs that help improve patients' quality of life. Uno, the Westminster "Best in Show" dog in 2008, assists Angel on a Leash by visiting the medical centers with which the charity partners.

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