Sussex spaniel Ch Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, aka Stump, was named Best in Show in 2009 (photo by David Atlas)
Madison Square Garden
Seventh Avenue to Eighth Avenue between 31st & 33rd Sts.
February 15-16, $20-$145, 8:00 am – 11:00 pm
www.westminsterkennelclub.org
www.thegarden.com
The 134th annual All Breed Dog Show, in which people run around in funny ways as they lead crazily groomed dogs across the Garden floor for two days, features 172 breeds and varieties for a total of 2,573 pups on display. This year’s heated competition gets under way on Presidents’ Day, giving dog lovers with full-time jobs and children in school the rare chance to check things out all day long. Judging begins bright and early Monday morning at 8:00 with pugs in ring one, French bulldogs in ring two, Irish wolfhounds in ring three, Rhodesian ridgebacks in ring four, English toy spaniels, smooth coat Chihuahuas, and Brussels griffons in ring five, and puliks in ring six. Tuesday’s entrants include all kinds of terriers, setters, and schnauzers as well as Weimaraners, Portuguese water dogs, mastiffs, pinschers, huskies, Great Danes, and many, many more. If you already have tickets, don’t get worried if they say 2009 instead of 2010; the Garden has admitted to making a printing mistake.