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When I hear the words "dog show," I immediately have an image of a ring full of pure bred dogs meant to be admired from a far. The dogs are there for display only as exemplars of their particular breed. But as a former dog-owner (and hopefully future dog-owner some time soon), and full-time dog-lover, as adorable as the dogs are prancing around the ring, these events always read as kind of stiff and impenetrably formal to me. Dogs like to play! They want to be played with and I want to play with them!
Which is why the annual "Meet the Breeds" event held by the American Kennel Club is the perfect "dog show" (using the term loosely) for any animal-lover who actually wants to interact with dogs while also being able to appreciate that these animals are also there to represent the characteristics of their breed. Thousands of people from all around the country descend on the Javits Convention Center every fall to see all 160 recognized-AKC-breeds of dog (plus 50+ breeds of cats!). Each breed has its own booths staffed by AKC breeders who are there explain the traits and temperament of their breed, and to answer any questions. But the best part? Every booth also has furry ambassadors of each breed for you to pet and play with!
I had never heard of this event until a friend invited me along, and now I know I will go every year. The Javits Center is huge, and to being surrounded by dogs of every color all afternoon was probably as close to heaven as I will ever come on this earth. The dog breeds are organized in alphabetic order, and you walk for rows and rows of some of the most well behaved dogs you have ever seen. I used to have a pure bred chocolate lab, and it was impossible to keep him from wanting to approach every human that crossed his path, and yet even more difficult to prevent him from chasing after any dog that had the misfortune of passing by. I was amazed to see how these dogs did not flinch or shrink away from the hundreds of hands that want to pet their heads or stroke their fur.
There was also a show ring set up in the middle of the convention center, but instead of dogs going around and being evaluated by judges, this ring was meant for demonstration. Dogs were brought into the ring to show their abilities with general obedience and there were also elaborate obstacle courses for displays of agility and laser-like focus. Quite fun to watch, but that wasn't why I was there.
No, I was there to pet and play with dogs! The above is a bull mastiff and his owner said this dog weighed around 200 pounds. That is a lot of mastiff.
And puppies! Naturally puppies were the most popular at the event, as this crate full of beagle puppies demonstrates. They had the most energy and were the most excited to be pet. In turn, this was probably a great socialization exercise for young dogs in getting used to interacting with numerous people and being touched and inspected by strangers.
Needless to say, there were dogs there for every type of dog lover: toy dogs, big dogs, working dogs, and dogs I'd never even heard of.
And many of the breeders went to great lengths to decorate their booths to best represented their dog's region of origin and the culture behind the breeding of the dog's characteristics. The above was the booth of the Saluki, one of the oldest breeds of domesticated dog that was used as a hunting dog in ancient Egypt.
Below are just a few of the pictures I took that day. How many breeds do you recognize?
(Pug)
(Yorkshire Terrier)
(Newfoundland)
(Samoyed)
(Pembroke Welsh Corgi)
(Weimaraner)
(West Highland Terrier - I don't think he liked his little hat very much)
(Dalmation)
(Labrador Retriever)
By the end of the day, I was pretty happy. I did not get a chance to go to the cat section of the event, but Meet The Breeds is really all about the dogs. Hopefully no one wondered why I smelled heavily of dog when I was making my way around Manhattan afterward.
For more information on Meet the Breeds, visit: http://www.akc.org/meet_the_breeds/
The dates for the 2012 have not yet been announced, but "Meet the Breeds" is held every fall at the Javits Convention Center. For more information on the Jacob Javits Center, which holds fascinating events year-round, visit:
http://www.javitscenter.com/
655 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 216-2000
Which is why the annual "Meet the Breeds" event held by the American Kennel Club is the perfect "dog show" (using the term loosely) for any animal-lover who actually wants to interact with dogs while also being able to appreciate that these animals are also there to represent the characteristics of their breed. Thousands of people from all around the country descend on the Javits Convention Center every fall to see all 160 recognized-AKC-breeds of dog (plus 50+ breeds of cats!). Each breed has its own booths staffed by AKC breeders who are there explain the traits and temperament of their breed, and to answer any questions. But the best part? Every booth also has furry ambassadors of each breed for you to pet and play with!
I had never heard of this event until a friend invited me along, and now I know I will go every year. The Javits Center is huge, and to being surrounded by dogs of every color all afternoon was probably as close to heaven as I will ever come on this earth. The dog breeds are organized in alphabetic order, and you walk for rows and rows of some of the most well behaved dogs you have ever seen. I used to have a pure bred chocolate lab, and it was impossible to keep him from wanting to approach every human that crossed his path, and yet even more difficult to prevent him from chasing after any dog that had the misfortune of passing by. I was amazed to see how these dogs did not flinch or shrink away from the hundreds of hands that want to pet their heads or stroke their fur.
There was also a show ring set up in the middle of the convention center, but instead of dogs going around and being evaluated by judges, this ring was meant for demonstration. Dogs were brought into the ring to show their abilities with general obedience and there were also elaborate obstacle courses for displays of agility and laser-like focus. Quite fun to watch, but that wasn't why I was there.
No, I was there to pet and play with dogs! The above is a bull mastiff and his owner said this dog weighed around 200 pounds. That is a lot of mastiff.
And puppies! Naturally puppies were the most popular at the event, as this crate full of beagle puppies demonstrates. They had the most energy and were the most excited to be pet. In turn, this was probably a great socialization exercise for young dogs in getting used to interacting with numerous people and being touched and inspected by strangers.
Needless to say, there were dogs there for every type of dog lover: toy dogs, big dogs, working dogs, and dogs I'd never even heard of.
And many of the breeders went to great lengths to decorate their booths to best represented their dog's region of origin and the culture behind the breeding of the dog's characteristics. The above was the booth of the Saluki, one of the oldest breeds of domesticated dog that was used as a hunting dog in ancient Egypt.
Below are just a few of the pictures I took that day. How many breeds do you recognize?
(Pug)
(Yorkshire Terrier)
(Newfoundland)
(Samoyed)
(Pembroke Welsh Corgi)
(Weimaraner)
(West Highland Terrier - I don't think he liked his little hat very much)
(Dalmation)
(Labrador Retriever)
For more information on Meet the Breeds, visit: http://www.akc.org/meet_the_breeds/
The dates for the 2012 have not yet been announced, but "Meet the Breeds" is held every fall at the Javits Convention Center. For more information on the Jacob Javits Center, which holds fascinating events year-round, visit:
http://www.javitscenter.com/
655 West 34th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 216-2000
