“If you love dogs and you want to see the very best dogs from all around the world competing for the top prize of best in show at Westminster, just be there,” club President Donald Sturz said.
The Westminster Kennel Club dog show is back for a 149th year — and back at New York's Madison Square Garden for the first time since early 2020.
Or could this be the year for Monty the giant schnauzer, who was a Westminster finalist the last two years, won the American Kennel Club’s big show in December and is currently the sport's top-ranked dog?
Besides Monty and Mercedes, entrants include Vito, a pug who won the National Dog Show televised Thanksgiving Day, along with 2024 Westminster semifinalists Comet the shih tzu and Louis the Afghan hound.
At least for now, those poodle mixes aren't recognized as purebreds by the American Kennel Club, the governing body for Westminster and many other U.S. dog shows.
