In 1877, New York was well on its way to becoming the world’s greatest city. This was the year that a group of sporting gentlemen decided that this would be a good time to hold a dog show in Manhattan. It didn’t take long before the Westminster Kennel Club, following the lead of its home town, would be on its way to becoming the world’s greatest dog show... THE COLORFUL HISTORY OF AMERICA’S DOG SHOW WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB COURTESY WKC
extended to four days from its origi- nally-scheduled three, and drew this coverage from “Forest and Stream” magazine: “To say that the dog show held in the city last week was a success would but poorly convey an idea of what the result really was. It was a magnificent triumph for the dogs and for the pro- jectors of the show. We question if on any previous occasion has there ever assembled in this city such a number of people at one time, and represent- ing as much of the culture, wealth and fashion of the town.” To fully grasp the place in history of the Westminster Kennel Club and its famed annual dog show at Madison Square Garden, consider this: Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb, the automobile, and the zipper; the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument; and manned air flight and the establishment of the World Series. Since Westminster held its first show 127 years ago, there have been 26 men elected president and 12 states have joined the union. The dog show has outlasted three pre-
It was at one of those meetings that the members decided that they would stage a dog show so that they could compare their dogs in a setting away from the field. The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs, given under the auspices of the Westminster Kennel Club, was staged in 1877 at Gilmore’s Garden (the forerunner of Madison Square Garden) in New York City, drawing an entry of 1,201 dogs. The show was such a hit that it was
With its spectacular beginnings and extraordinary growth in the years to follow, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was quickly reflecting the growth and success of New York City. As the dog show grew every year, so did the Westminster Kennel Club’s position as the symbol of the pure- bred dog, with its influence being felt in show rings everywhere, and even- tually in millions of television homes across the country. Westminster has become America’s Dog Show. “Westminster gets its name from a long gone hotel in Manhattan. There, sporting gentlemen used to meet in the bar to drink and lie about their shooting accomplishments. Eventually they formed a club and bought a train- ing area and kennel. They kept their dogs there and hired a trainer. “They couldn’t agree on the name for their new club. But finally someone suggested that they name it after their favorite bar. The idea was unanimous- ly selected, we imagine, with the hoisting of a dozen drinking arms.” – Maxwell Riddle, from a newspaper story quoted in “The Dog Show, 125 Years of Westminster” by William Stifel
Postcard from 1908
74 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2018
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