A Thanksgiving tradition for some families, the dog show has been hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia for more than 125 years. Although the dogs competed against each other two weeks before Thanksgiving, the show isn’t broadcast until Thursday.
To see more than 205 breeds and varieties of dogs vie to become the top dog out of every pup present, viewers should tune into NBC. The network will broadcast the competition nationwide on television from noon until 2 p.m. local time.
Dog lovers are also able to watch NBC’s live content online through the NBC Sports website or the NBC Sports mobile application. Available for download on Android and iOS devices, as well as, smart televisions, it will require people to link to their TV provider using their username and password. The content that’s visible to users will also depend on their provider and location.
The most widely viewed dog show in America, according to the National Dog Show, the competition was taped on November 16. First, dogs are judged by breed with the winner of each breed going on to the group competition.
There are nine groups at the National Dog Show, listed on the schedule as Toy, Herding, Terrier, Hound, Working, Sporting and Non-Sporting. A different judge considers the pups in each group and is tasked with deciding who among the canines is pawfect.
“The main consideration is the dog’s conformation or overall appearance, temperament and structure. The judges are looking for characteristics that allow the dog to perform the function for which his or her breed was bred,” the National Dog Show explained on its website.
The winning dog of each group then goes on to Best in Show, the top echelon of dog competitions. This year’s Best in Show judge is Charlotte P. Patterson, who, prior to the National Dog Show, judged Best in Show nine times since January, according to the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Last year, Whiskey, a 3-year-old whippet was named best in show and his handler, Justin Smithey told NBC at the time the dog was an “outstanding example” of what the ideal whippet would look like. Whippets are nicknamed the “poor man’s racehorse” because of their lightning-quick capabilities and similarities to the much larger dog, the greyhound.
Whiskey also won the American Kennel Club Dog Show on New Year’s, but a few months later, in February, he had a disappointing defeat at the Westminster Dog Show when he lost the competition to his sister, Bourbon.
If viewers were hoping to see Whiskey defend his title on Thursday at the National Dog Show, I’m sorry to say they’ll be disappointed. Whiskey won’t be returning to the competition this year because he is retired.
Even without Whiskey, it’s chalking up to be a doggone good show and it’s the first time the Azawakh will get to compete. A West African sighthound, the dog originated in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and has a short, fine coat that comes in any color or color combination, according to the AKC.
