At Madison Square Garden in New York, hundreds of dogs lined the rows during the WKC Westminster Dog Show on February 12, but the only sounds to be heard were that of the thousands of people – not a single bark. The faint smell of wet dog was overpowered by the innumerable fragrant shampoos, conditioners, sprays and powders being used.
Carol Montgomery, a breeder of Samoyeds–pure white herding dogs with a thick double coat–sits beside her beloved pup Emily, wearing a matching white dress.
“You know, it’s like children. You want your children to live up to their full potential, and it’s the same with breeding dogs. You know, some dogs, they don’t want to [be] show [dogs]. They’re not meant to show. Other dogs love it. They love to show off,” Montgomery says as she pets Emily.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the nation’s most prestigious dog sporting event. In its 143rd year, the event saw more than 3,000 dogs competing in New York City over two days to bring home the world famous title of “Best in Show.” The event has been held at Madison Square Garden since 1877.
The competition consists of determining Best of Breed, then Best of Group and finally the winners from that round progress to the Best in Show competition. This year the top prize was taken by a perky Fox Terrier named King.
Among the many requirements for getting into Westminster, dogs must have to enter, the basic rules include: winning a championship title at one of the many smaller shows, being able to breed (not spayed or neutered), and of course, being a purebred dog.
The issue of pure breeding is not without controversy, however.
Many animal rights activists argue that pure breeding poses risks not only to the dogs themselves by passing on certain health risks, but also to the millions of dogs in shelters across the country who need homes.
Steve Cohn, the Manager of Veterinary Communications at Nestle Purina Pro Plan, the sponsors of the Westminster dog show, says that “when you’re breeding a particular breed, you can end up with problems that are associated with too much inbreeding, or you can breed in specific traits that you don’t want.”
He continues, “As an example, there are more breeds that are prone to something like hip dysplasia or cardiac disease, or a number of different things. And a good breeder, if they’ve had experiences with that, will know how to breed those things out.”
Paul Clas, a dog handler and member of the Professional Handlers Association believes that puppy mills are the true main proponents of the problems activists fight against. According to the ASPCA, puppy mills are establishments that breed purebred dogs for pet sale and are known for over breeding, forcing female dogs to have multiple litters per year, not monitoring potential inbreeding defects, and keeping dogs in unfit conditions.
The demand for purebred dogs keeps puppy mills in business and buyers often do not know a dog they see in the pet store may have come from a mill. Many states, including New Jersey, have tried to enact legislation to protect against these practices.
Because purebred dogs can cost from $500 to more than $1,000, the financial incentives can sometimes be worth the risks for the puppy mills.
But from the perspective of the owners, breeders and handlers at Westminster, showing dogs in itself is not a money maker.
Class says, “Most of the breeders that do this, they don’t make money out of it…The breeders involved in this sport, most of them are doing it for passion and they spend more money than they actually make.”
In fact, King, the winning Fox Terrier won’t get any money either. There is no prize money, only a trophy, for the best of show winner.
