Almost everyone has managed sit down and watch it at least a portion of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. If you watch it religiously, you know how many different breeds of dogs are represented each and every time. Even if you only sit down and watch a portion of it every once in awhile, you undoubtedly know that the Westminster Kennel Club is basically the authority when it comes to purebred dogs. However, you might not know much about the history of the Westminster Kennel Club. Some of it is quite interesting and other facts are rather surprising. Keep reading find out more about it.
The Westminster Kennel Club held its first dog show in 1877 in Manhattan. From that point forward, the show started to serve as a symbol to virtually anyone that knew anything about it, whether that knowledge was detailed or casual. Obviously, the Westminster Kennel Club is a symbol of the purebred dog, not to mention the qualities that are typically expected within each breed. This is something that virtually anyone would agree on, as the purebred dog is the first thing that is often thought of when somebody mentions the Westminster Kennel Club. However, there are several more things that the organization has become synonymous with over the years, not the least of which involves things like class, money, and high society. Of course, you don’t have to be a regular in the society section of the newspaper in order to participate in modern dog shows, but that’s basically how the Kennel Club got its start.
When you consider such things as mentioned in the paragraph above, you might be surprised to learn where the name came from. In fact, the name was formed when a bunch of men from the aforementioned society pages got together in order to get this whole thing off the ground in the first place. They couldn’t really agree on a name and somebody finally came up with the idea of naming it after their favorite bar. This bar was in the Westminster Hotel, a favorite watering hole for high society types that had ceased to exist years before the first dog show was ever held. Nevertheless, the name stuck and still rings true today.
In addition to the interesting and sometimes comical history concerning the development and naming of the Westminster Kennel Club, it is also interesting to note that the dog show was a hit from the beginning. In fact, the very first dog show that was ever held in 1877 had 1,201 entries to its credit. Obviously, its popularity has only grown over the years. Today, it takes hours upon hours for the dog show to take place and often, it is an event that people schedule their entire year around. This is not only due to its immense popularity, but also its prestige.
To date, this dog show has been going strong for 127 years. If you stop and think about it, that’s longer than automobiles have been around. In fact, it’s longer than virtually anything in modern society has existed. There are relatively few things that are capable of lasting for well over 100 years to begin with. That fact alone can serve as a testament to the importance of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Follow Us
