It's Time for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
If you’re in New York City today, I hope you have your ticket to this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. This is the 144th year of the show, with more than 2600 dogs representing 204 different breeds and varieties competing for top honors.
This year, my Chow Chows, Empress Qin and Emperor Han, won’t be there, but two dogs related to my late champion, Genghis Kahn, will be competing - Talosa and Buddakan - both bred by Karen Tracy of Pazzazz Kennels. Qin competed at Westminster last February for "Best of Breed". It’s always a great feeling to have one of your own at this prestigious event. I’ll share lots of photos from the dog show later this week. My French Bulldogs, Bete Noire, and Creme Brûlée, and the Chows, Qin and Han, will be watching.
Enjoy these photos of my canine pack. If you're not attending the show, highlights can be viewed on the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show web site, WKC App, and the FOX Sports App. Group judging for the hounds, toys, non-sporting and herding breeds airs LIVE at 7:30pm ET tonight on Fox Sports 1.
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- I currently have four dogs sharing my Bedford, New York farm – two Chow Chows and two French Bulldogs. They are Champion Empress Qin, Emperor Han, Bete Noire, and Creme Brulee.
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- This is Emperor Han. He is almost two years old. He is the grandson of my dear late G.K. The Chow should have a large head with a broad, flat skull, a short, deep muzzle, and very expressive eyes – hard to resist this face!
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- This photo was taken last summer. Han has grown up to be a gorgeous Chow. He loves riding with me when I tour the farm on my trusted Polaris. Chows come in five colors: red, black, blue, cinnamon and cream. Both Han and Qin are reds.
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- Champion Empress Qin is almost three years old. She is very sweet, curious and loves to run around outside.
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- This photo was taken last year at Westminster. Qin is on the right, with her sister, Tolosa, on the left – both are on their grooming tables getting ready for their time in the ring. Good luck today, Tolosa.
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- My two dear Frenchies are also from champion breedings by James Dalton of Fabelhaft Kennels in Portsmouth, Ohio. Frenchies, as they are affectionately called, are the result of a 19th century cross between English bulldog ancestors and ratters from France. The breed is now categorized in the American Kennel Club’s Non-Sporting Group.
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- Here are my Frenchies playing in the enclosed pool area. My dogs get lots of exercise every day at the farm. Generally, a French Bulldog is about 11 to 12 inches tall. Males weigh 20 to 28 pounds, while females 16 to 24 pounds when full grown.
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- Here is Qin going over to see what the little Frenchies are up to. The Chow Chow is an ancient breed of northern Chinese origin. As an all-purpose dog of China, it was used for hunting, herding, pulling and protection. According to the breed’s standard, Chows should be sturdy and squarely built. Its body should be compact, and heavy boned.
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- I take the dogs with me as often as I can. Here they are in the back of my SUV – Qin, Han and Creme Brulee, but look closely, Bete Noire is also there.
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- Behind my kitchen, the dogs have an enclosed courtyard, where they can also play and watch lots of the activities around the farm. Like most other dogs breeds, French Bulldogs don’t like to be left alone for long periods of time. Despite a sad expression, the French Bulldog is comical, entertaining, and dependably amiable.
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- Han is the biggest of the pack, but also the biggest “teddy bear.” The Chow has a lovely thick mane, with small rounded ears, giving it the appearance of a lion.
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- Every afternoon, the dogs are brushed and cleaned. Han loves getting groomed – he always stays very still. There are two types of coat on a Chow Chow – rough and smooth. Both are double coated. This is a rough coated Chow. The outer coat is abundant, dense, and straight. The undercoat is soft and woolly.
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- Here’s Carlos brushing out his thick double coat – which end is this?
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- All the dogs’ feet are also washed each day to remove any mud and dirt from their paws. I like to keep a small basin by the door, so it is easy to clean their feet as soon as they come in from their walk.
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- The kitchen is the main hub of most homes. My Chows love watching out the door of my Winter House kitchen. Here is Qin in one of her favorite spots.
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- Many dogs like to lie down with their legs stretched out behind them like frogs – the cool tiled floor must feel refreshing on Qin’s belly. Does your dog do this?
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- Here are Han and Qin watching the Frenchies from the back door.
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- My dogs play hard, and sleep hard – Here’s Creme Brulee taking a nap on her favorite bed.
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- And here’s a photo taken just the other day of Qin and Han – they are half brother and sister from two different litters. Their mom is Peluche, my other Chow, who is staying with my breeder, Karen of Pazzazz Kennels. Chows are known to be serious minded, dignified and very bright. Chow Chows also tend to have independent spirits – some would call them even catlike. They are very loyal companions, and love to be with their families.
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- And here is a photo of all four of them at Skylands, my home in Maine, last summer. Here’s to all our beloved furred friends. And stay tuned to my blog. I’ll be sharing fun dog photos from the show later this week.
And here is a video I took of the Frenchies the other day - enjoy!
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