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Westminster Dog Show Picks Tips Info.

It seems like a long time ago, but in 1938 the Westminster Kennel Club was already holding its 62nd annual dog show in New York City. And to mark the occasion, Time magazine chose for its cover a gentleman named John G. Bates, who later that week would step into the ring at Madison Square Garden to select Westminster's Best In Show winner.

The caption, written all those years ago, still tells the story of this great event:

"His choice becomes the people's choice."

True then, true today: Westminster is, undisputedly, America's Dog Show.

In 2006, the 130th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will add to its legacy as the greatest dog show in the world. It persists as the second longest continuously held sporting event in this country, just one year behind the Kentucky Derby.

Established in 1877, The Westminster Kennel Club is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. There is only one Westminster, and in its long and prestigious existence, just about every superlative imaginable has been used to describe the club, the show and its impact on the world of purebred dogs. The Westminster Kennel Club "has had great effect in improving the quality of the dogs owned for use or companionship. Of this there can be no doubt ..." wrote one reporter. True then, true today.

Simply put, Westminster has become the symbol of the purebred dog, in show rings as well as in millions of television homes across America.

The elegance, beauty and grace of the canine athletes combine with the excitement of the competition in the world's most famous sporting arena before a live national television audience. The result is an event that is the dog show world's version of the Super Bowl and Academy Awards. But even greater, The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a celebration of the wonderful canine spirit, reflecting our emotional and spiritual attachment to our dogs.

It all began in 1877 when The Westminster Kennel Club was officially formed "...to increase the interest in dogs, and thus improve the breeds, and to hold an Annual Dog Show in the city of New York ..." (from Westminster By-Laws).

By all accounts, that objective was accomplished from the very beginning.

The most-coveted award in the dog show, Best In Show, was given for the first time in 1907. That year, and for the next two years as well, it went to a Smooth Fox Terrier bitch named Ch. Warren Remedy. She remains the only dog every to win three times.

Six other dogs have won Best In Show twice, the most recent being the English Springer Spaniel, Ch. Chinoe's Adamant James in 1971 and 1972.

Storied in its history, rich in its tradition, The Westminster Kennel Club's famed annual dog show is unique, prestigious, and elegant for all concerned.

Indeed, there is only one Westminster.