The Big Dog Show - 10 Facts about The Westminster Kennel Club 135th Annual Puppy Parade

Happening right this very moment at Madison Square Garden are royal grand finals or some such of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. A NYC tradition for pups, owners, fans and Christopher Guest.The Big Adventure thought we would supply some quality trivia and facts about the show lifted straight from their own site -http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/

Astonish your friends, amaze assorted dog owners and astound strangers with the following information:  

1. The Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, making it America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. 
2. First held in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is America's second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.
3.  The dog show has outlasted three previous versions of Madison Square Garden, and is currently being staged in MSG IV.
4. The first telecast of Westminster was in 1948, three years before "I Love Lucy" premiered.
5. A portion of the proceeds from Westminster's first show in 1877 was donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to establish a home for stray and disabled animals.
6. The Empire State Building first honored Westminster by lighting its tower in the Westminster colors of purple and gold in 2004 and will do so again in 2011.
7. There have been a total of 299,024 dogs entered in Westminster's 134 shows through 2010
8. Through the 2010 show, there have been 1,673 judges who have officiated at least once at Westminster, some as many as 23 times, at Westminster.
9. Two Best In Show winners, Norwich Terriers, had the same sire: 1994's Ch. Chidley's Willum the Conqueror and 1998's Ch. Fairewood Frolic were offspring (half brother/sister) of Ch. Royal Rock Don of Chidley. We don’t even know what any of that means.
10. In 1884, The Westminster Kennel Club became the first member of the American Kennel Club. 

For what it's worth, The Sporting, Working, Terrier, and Best In Show competition is going to be televised live tonight (Tuesday, 2/15) on USA Network from 8-11 PM ET