Best In Show

The 2011 Westminster Kennel Club annual dog show has come and gone. I don't know about you, but I always root for the Great Dane! This year the Best In Show winner was a female Scottish Deerhound named Hickory. It was pretty exciting considering a Scottish Deerhound has never won! Other breeds that have never won Best In Show include Great Danes, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, Border Collies, and Chihuahuas.

Great Danes are in the Working Group. Dogs in the Working Group were bred to perform some sort of job like pulling sleds, guarding property, and rescue work. According to WKC's historical records, the Working Group has had 15 Best In Show wins. Three of the wins went to Old English Sheepdogs (2) and Rough Coated Collies before they were moved to the Herding Group in 1983. In the Working Group, Boxers and Dobermans are the super stars. Both have won Best In Show 4 times!! Again, Great Danes have never won Best In Show but they have have many Best of Group placements. Before 2011, the Scottish Deerhound had a similar record so there's still hope for the Great Dane!

Established in 1877, The Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest group dedicated to purebred dogs. This year was its 135th show! Here are some fun facts:

• The first telecast of the Westminster Dog Show was in 1948, three years before "I Love Lucy" premiered.
• Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, the invention of basketball and the establishment of the World Series.
• First held in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is America's second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.

Congratulations to the Scottish Deerhound!

Better luck next year Danes!!

;-)