Westminster: The Doggie Super Bowl!

Often I find myself questioning whether or not it is worth it to keep all of the cable that I currently have with my subscription. I am a big football fan and I definitely wouldn't want to miss any of my beloved Eagles’ games. (If you prick me, do I not bleed green?) However, this week I realized something that I never fully realized before. With my sports package I get to see something almost as great as an Eagles playoff game: The Westminster Dog show!

Just in case you were all wondering if us dog-walkers get our fill of dogs while working with them day in and day out, the answer is. NO. In fact, the need for cold, wet noses and wiggly butts only intensifies while being in contact with them. (Yes, I have been known to pull over my bike to pet a pup, if time allows. And yes, I will perpetually yell out “Bubs!” and point while driving past a dog that everyone needs to see...which is all dogs. Just to give you a little bit of insight into the ABCs of me :)) So the opportunity to see the show LIVE was nothing short of amazing. Below are some of my insights into this puptacular spectacular!

My favorite name of all the categories is the “Non-Sporting Dog” category! Evidently, the officials of the doggie world thought it imperative that we need to know that these dogs don’t “Sport.” However, just one peek at the dogs in this category would let the viewers know that these dogs, indeed, do not “sport.” And probably will never have an interest in “Sport.” My favorite thing to do is say, as the dog waddles across the screen, is sing, “We don’t sport, we don’t sport’ to the rhythm of the dog who is waddling. (If you don’t do this, how are we even friends?!?) Bulldogs, I am looking at you! Their walk says “Yeah...we like the attention and all, but we would rather be napping on our favorite person’s lap.” You can nap on me anytime!

Then comes the Terrier category! Terriers, or as I like to refer to them, Terrierists, are well-known for their feisty behavior and their ability to be, pound for pound, the bossiest beasts on 4 legs. (Nothing against cats...they are bossy, they just don’t have that bark! This observation also excludes the Bully terriers. They are terriers but they are really the Baby Huey of terriers. They are people-pleasers and general derps and want nothing more than to be house hippos and lap dogs)

My absolute favorite part of the Terrier groups are the descriptions of each breed. It is basically an exercise in coming up with euphemisms for bossy. Such examples include: “Feisty, resilient, Fearless!” “ Tenacious and intelligent!” “A spirited, self-assured demeanor!” “Look of a lamb and heart of a lion!’ Being a former English Teacher and someone who is self-proclaimed writer-adjacent, I can firmly proclaim that the writers of these Terrier breed descriptions are masters/mistresses of their craft. We can all take a lesson from their amazing ability to say “Tiny, bossy, poop heads that do what they want to do unless what they want to do is also what you also want to do and in that case, it is just a coincidence” in 30 different ways! Now, I say this with all the love in my heart. I am a proud owner of a terrier and there is nothing better than a bossy, tiny, fluff-bear to tell you how to live your life. I know I need it.

Then there is Best in Show! This year’s Best in Show had a little controversy around it. (As much as a dog show can have controversy. I mean, it is all dogs, all the time!) But there was a Golden Retriever, Daniel, that made it to the BIS round this year and was clearly the crowd favorite! (He was a “Me” favorite as well. But not because I understand anything about breed standards, but because I grew up with goldens and they are single-pawedly responsible for my OBSESSION with dogs. And when I say “Grew Up” I mean, me and my golden, Karat, were puppies together and got into lots and lots of wholesome trouble :)) When Daniel won for the Sporting Group, his handler gave him the Blue Ribbon to parade around the ring with and Daniel. was like “Look! I has sum ding in my mouf...I gib to anybuddy that pet” I’m pretty sure at least five audience members fainted from cuteness.

But then there was Siba, the Standard Poodle. Siba was adorned with puff-balls of fur and a lot of sass. She was the overall winner of BIS and some thought Daniel was robbed. But when that Majestic Poodle sat in the winner’s circle, paws-crossed with a sly smile, she knew she was the queen of the day. She was like “Yep, I am gorgeous, have you seen the two perfectly round and seemingly useless puffs of fur on my butt? Worship them...they deserve it!” Ruff said, all hail Queen Siba!