The Glitz and Glamour Of Dog Shows

Westminster’s 136th Dog Show

Often simply called “The Garden”, the Westminster Kennel Club is February 13-14, 2012 at Madison Square Garden, Pennsylvania Plaza on 7th Ave in New York City.

Breed judging will begin at 8:00AM, ending about 6PM. All Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding breeds and varieties will be judged on Monday, with Groups judged on Monday evening.

All Sporting, Working, and Terrier breeds and varieties will be judged on Tuesday, with Groups judged on Tuesday evening. Best In Show will also be judged on Tuesday evening.  All Junior Showmanship preliminaries will be judged on Monday afternoon, with the finals to be held at 7:30PM on Tuesday evening.

WKC Broadcast Information:  The Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding group competition will be televised live Monday on USA Network from 8-9 PM ET and continuing on CNBC from 9-11 PM ET. The Sporting, Working, Terrier, and Best In Show competition will be televised live Tuesday on USA Network from 8-11 PM ET.

Breed judging highlight videos are available throughout the day on Monday and Tuesday on the Westminster Web site. These highlights will be available after the show, as well.

The West Coast telecast is delayed for your time zone. Since results are posted to our Web site as they occur live, if you want to enjoy the drama of the moment, please avoid the Westminster Web site after 5 p.m. Pacific Time on each evening.

Westminster Best In Show honors will be done by Cindy Vogels of Greenwood Village, Colorado.  Cindy Vogels is well known to Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier people and just about everyone in the sport of dogs.  This is her fifth assignment at Westminster and she judged the Terrier Group in 2005.  Mrs. Vogels has produced well over 100 Soft Wheaten champions in partnership with her mother. Among those dogs were many Group and Best In Show winners, and the top-producing American Terrier dam of all time.

She is chairman of the AKC-Canine Health Foundation, past president of the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier Club of America, and a member of the board of trustees for Take the Lead.  What you may not know is that she is a graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music with a performance degree in flute, and holds a Master of Music degree in history from the University of Colorado.

Group judges are Mr. W. Terry Stacy of Chapel Hill, NC, Sporting; Ms. Patricia Laurans of Newtown, CT, Hound; Ms. Betty Regina Leininger of Frisco, TX, Working; Mr. William F. Potter of St. Louis, MO, Terrier; Mr. Tim Catterson of New Castle, IN, Toy; Mr. Randy Garren of Apex, NC, Non-Sporting; and Mr. Houston Clark of Decatur, KY, Herding. Ms. Terry Hundt of Newtown, CT will judge the Junior Showmanship finals.

Six New Breeds at WKC!  They raise the total AKC recognized breeds to 185. The breeds newly-recognized by the American Kennel Club are the American English Coonhound (Hound Group), the Cesky Terrier (Terrier), the Norwegian Lundehund and the Xoloitzcuintli (Non-Sporting), and the Entlebucher Mountain Dog and the Finnish Lapphund (Herding).

2012 Westminster Kennel Club judges panel:

SPORTING BREEDS AND VARIETIES (30):

Mrs. Betty-Anne Stenmark, Woodside, CA: Brittanys, German Shorthaired Pointers, German Wirehaired Pointers, Weimaraners.

Mr. Ken Murray, Island Lake, IL: Pointers, English Setters, Gordon Setters, Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons.

Mr. Walter Sommerfelt, Lenoir City, TN: Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, Curly Coated Retrievers, Flat Coated Retrievers, Field Spaniels, Irish Water Spaniels, Sussex Spaniels, Welsh Springer Spaniels.

Mr. Robert Ennis, Angola, NY: Golden Retrievers, Spinoni Italiano, Vizslas.

Mrs. Barbara Gilchrist, Rochester, WA: Labrador Retrievers.

Dr.Donald Sturz, Centerport, NY: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, American Water Spaniels, Boykin Spaniels, Clumber Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels (all Varieties).

Mr. Geir Flyckt-Pedersen, Chapel Hill, NC: English Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels.

HOUND BREEDS AND VARIETIES (29):

Dr.Donald Sturz, Centerport, NY: Afghan Hounds, Borzoi, Ibizan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Salukis.

Ms. Joy Brewster, Newtown, CT: American English Coonhounds, Basenjis, Basset Hounds, Harriers.

Mr. Dana Cline, Loves Park, IL: Black & Tan Coonhounds, Bloodhounds, Bluetick Coonhound, American Foxhound, English Foxhound, Irish Wolfhounds, Plotts, Redbone Coonhounds.

Mr. William Sahloff, Swanton, OH: Beagles (both Varieties), Otterhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Scottish Deerhounds.

Mr. Ralph Lemcke, Indianapolis, IN: Dachshunds (all varieties), Norwegian Elkhounds, Petit Bassets Griffons Vendeen.

Mr. Geir Flyckt-Pedersen, Chapel Hill, NC: Greyhounds, Whippets.

WORKING BREEDS (28):

Mr. Rick Gschwender, Oxford, MI: Akitas, Alaskan Malamutes, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs, Black Russian Terriers, Bullmastiffs, St. Bernards.

Ms. Judy Harrington, Monson, MA: Bernese Mountain Dogs, Boxers, Great Danes, Siberian Huskies.

Mr. Eric Ringle, Oakland Park, FL: Cane Corsos, Dogues de Bordeaux, Neapolitan Mastiffs.

Mr. Clay Coady, Paradise Valley, AZ: Doberman Pinschers, German Pinschers, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, Rottweilers.

Mr. Geir Flyckt-Pedersen, Chapel Hill, NC: Giant Schnauzers, Standard Schnauzers.

Ms. Theresa Hundt, Newtown, CT: Komondorok, Kuvaszok, Leonbergers, Newfoundlands, Portuguese Water Dogs, Samoyeds, Tibetan Mastiffs.

Ms. Helma Weeks, Philadelphia, PA: Mastiffs.

TERRIER BREEDS AND VARIETIES (29):

Mrs. Virginia Latham Smith, Acampo, CA: Airedale Terriers, Glen of Imaal Terriers, Lakeland Terriers, Miniature Schnauzers, Sealyham Terriers, Skye Terriers, Soft-Coated Wheaten Terriers, Standard Manchester Terriers, West Highland White Terriers.

Mr. Peter Green, Bowmansville, PA: American Staffordshire Terriers, Australian Terriers, Bull Terriers (both Varieties), Irish Terriers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Miniature Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Welsh Terriers.

Mr. Robert Hutton, Louisville, KY: Bedlington Terriers, Border Terriers, Cairn Terriers, Cesky Terrier, Dandie Dinmont Terriers, Smooth Fox Terriers, Wire Fox Terriers, Scottish Terriers.

Mr. Jon Cole, Nashville, TN: Norfolk Terriers, Norwich Terriers, Parson Russell Terriers.

TOY BREEDS AND VARIETIES (23):

Mrs. Sari Tietjen, Rhinebeck, NY: Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons, Chinese Cresteds, English Toy Spaniels (both Varieties), Havanese.

Mrs. Keke Kahn, Sarasota, FL: Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chihuahuas (both Varieties).

Mr. Jon Cole, Nashville, TN: Italian Greyhounds.

Ms. Judy Webb, Albuquerque, NM: Japanese Chins, Maltese, Miniature Pinschers, Shih Tzu, Silky Terriers, Toy Fox Terriers, Toy Manchester Terriers, Yorkshire Terriers.

Mr. Norman Patton, Mesa, AZ: Papillons, Pomeranians, Pugs.

Mrs. Doris Cozart, Kaufman, TX: Pekingese, Toy Poodles.

NON-SPORTING BREEDS AND VARIETIES (20):

Mr. Richard Beauchamp, Cambria, CA: American Eskimo Dogs, Boston Terriers, Chinese Shar-Peis, Keeshonden, Tibetan Spaniels, Tibetan Terriers, Xoloitzcuintli.

Mrs. Doris Cozart, Kaufman, TX: Bichons Frise, Chow Chows, Finnish Spitz, Lowchen, Norwegian Lundehund, Miniature Poodles, Standard Poodles.

Mr. Leonard Reppond, San Leandro, CA: Bulldogs, Dalmatians, French Bulldogs, Lhasa Apsos.

Mr. Jon Cole, Nashville, TN: Shiba Inu, Schipperkes.

HERDING BREEDS AND VARIETIES (26):

Mrs. Kimberly Meredith-Cavanna, Pleasant Hill, CA: Australian Cattle Dogs, Bearded Collies, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdogs, Belgian Tervuren, Briards, Canaan Dogs, Finnish Lapphund.

Mr. Walter Sommerfelt, Lenoir City, TN: Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, Collies (both Varieties).

Mr. Jon Cole, Nashville, TN: Beauceron, Polish Lowland Sheepdogs, Pulik.

Ms. Joy Brewster, Newtown, CT: Bouviers des Flandres, Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Pembroke Welsh Corgis.

Mr. Robert Slay, Cary, NC: Entlebucher Mountain Dog, German Shepherd Dogs, Icelandic Sheepdog, Norwegian Buhunds, Old English Sheepdogs, Pyrenean Shepherds, Shetland Sheepdogs, Swedish Vallhunds.

JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP PRELIMINARIES: Mrs. Barbara Gilchrist, Rochester, WA, and Mr. William Sahloff, Swanton, OH.