The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show heads into its final stretch as all the top dogs have been judged, leaving the final groups to be selected to compete for Best In Show at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
During the day Tuesday all the dogs from the Sporting, Working and Terrier breeds were judged and selected, leaving the finalists to compete for a chance at Best In Show against the winners of the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups
The television coverage will have the Junior Showmanship Finals, Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, and the Best In Show presentation, with American Foxhound Pandora's Box winning the Best of Breed for the hounds, Banana Joe V Tani Kazari, defeating a Miniature Pinscher and a Pomeranian for the toys group, a Bichon Frise named Pillowtalk for the non-sporting group and an Old English Sheep Dog named Swagger took home the herding group.
Tuesday had judging all day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with panel judges making their best decisions. The televised coverage of the event starts at 8 on USA Network. Last year's winner was Palacegarden Malachy, aka: "Malachy", a Pekingeseout, while the previous winners were a Scottish Deerhound and a Scottish Terrier.
Tuesday's results included the Sporting, Working and Terrier groups and the Best In Show will be selected from one of the seven breeds represented out of the nearly 3,000 entrants. The title of Best In Show was used for a comedy film by Christopher Guest, which was filmed in a mock-documentary style and parodied the event with the similar "Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show."
The Best In Show is the most anticipated event of the competition and the dog that wins is instantly catapulted to the top of the list as the most desired canine in the industry. Dog shows are held all year around the country in anticipation for the event.
Michael J. Dougherty will be serving as the Best In Show judge and he has over 50 years of experience in the field and has won a number of Best of Breed awards. Along with the 40 other judges on the panel, Dougherty is tasked with trying to find the "top dog" of all the breeds. The final night is usually the biggest draw at the competition and tickets are expected to be tough to find at Madison Square Garden.
Many of the dogs have been preparing all year for the event, working on beauty looks, tricks, while also slimming down or beefing up depending on the breed. Each of the dogs that wins its breed receives special attention and usually are favorites for next year if they make it to the final seven.
The show offers apps for phones to watch along live with the television broadcast and it also offers updates on breeds, group winners and more. The Best In Show event is expected to get underway around 10:30 and will finish around 11 p.m. when the broadcast on USA ends. Whichever dog wins gets presented with a silver bowl and gets to spend 2013 as America's best dog.
CLICK HERE for the official Westminster Live Stream or CLICK HERE for the USA streaming page. For a FULL List of ALL dogs competing and their breeds, CLICK HERE.
