The Westminster Dog Show NYC 2012

Early February in New York City means the arrival of the Westminster Kennel Club 136th Annual Dog Show at Madison Square Garden! The event is Today and Tuesday. Tickets start at a surprising $45, but all tickets allow you to see the benching area (Doggie backstage). It is a fun event to catch at least once. Much of the event is the judging of nearly 2,000 dogs who are all tying to usurp Hickory - the defending champ and a pretty dang gorgeous dog -for top honors. You can catch a lot of the show on TV on the USA Network as well.

We've already seen some truly beautiful dogs being walked around midtown in preparation for the event. All in all, the big dog show is just like the movie "Best in Show" but with 100% less Parker Posey and Jane Lynch. For the next few days, MSG will be the glorious home of The Knicks, Rangers and Dog poo!

Astonish your friends, amaze assorted dog owners and astound strangers with the following trivia regarding one of the premiere animal events in NYC. 

• The Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, making it America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. 
• First held in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is America's second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.
•  The dog show has outlasted three previous versions of Madison Square Garden, and is currently being staged in MSG IV.
• The first telecast of Westminster was in 1948, three years before "I Love Lucy" premiered.
• 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.
• The Empire State Building first honored Westminster by lighting its tower in the Westminster colors of purple and gold in 2004 and 2011.
• There have been a total of 299,024 dogs entered in Westminster's 134 shows through 2010
• 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.
• 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.
• In 1884, The Westminster Kennel Club became the first member of the American Kennel Club.