The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, held from May 11 to May 14, 2024, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, attracted approximately 2,500 dogs and their owners. The event began with agility, obedience and diving competitions on Saturday. On Monday, the focus shifted to determining the best in breed, best in group and ultimately, the best in show.
The power balance at Westminster favors the dogs. Chihuahuas were wheeled around in strollers while Dalmatians posed like statues on artificial turf. Basset hounds had their ears strapped to their chins to prevent them from sweeping the asphalt, and Lhasa apso's were carefully flat-ironed in a grooming tent. Several miniature poodles were sculpted into topiaries.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which was first held in 1877 and called Madison Square Garden home for a century, relocated to the Lyndhurst estate during the early pandemic. This is the second year of the show being held in Flushing, Queens, with Arthur Ashe Stadium offering deluxe accommodations for the main events.
Despite their eagerness to compete, dogs remained well-behaved throughout. The humans, however, had more varied results. With beer and gin and tonics available at several concession stands, some were less composed than their canine counterparts.
