- The Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, making it America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs.
- First held in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is America’s second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby..
- Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, the invention of basketball and the establishment of the World Series.
- Since Westminster held its first show 133 years ago, there have been 25 men elected president and 12 states have joined the Union. The dog show has outlasted three previous versions of Madison Square Garden, and is currently being staged in MSG IV.
- The first telecast of Westminster was in 1948, three years before “I Love Lucy” premiered.
- In 2005, streaming video with same day coverage of breed judging highlights was made available for the first time on the Westminster web site (www.westminsterkennelclub.org). It was an immediate and huge hit.
- A portion of the proceeds from Westminster’s first show in 1877 was donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to establish a home for stray and disabled animals.
- The Empire State Building first honored Westminster by lighting its tower in the Westminster colors of purple and gold in 2004 and will do so again in 2011.
- There have been a total of 299,024 dogs entered in Westminster’s 134 shows through 2010
- Through the 2010 show, there have been 1,673 judges who have officiated at least once at Westminster, some as many as 23 times, at Westminster.
- Two dogs have won Best In Show at both Westminster and Crufts in Birmingham, England, each of them winning at the English show before coming to the America: the Lakeland Terrier, Ch. Stingray of Derryabah (Crufts 1967, WKC 1968) and the Kerry Blue Terrier, Ch. Torums Scarf Michael (Crufts 2000, WKC 2003).
- Only one time has the offspring of a Best In Show winner duplicated the feat. In 2000, the English Springer Spaniel Ch. Salilyn N’ Erin’s Shameless repeated the 1993 BIS accomplishment of her sire, Ch. Salilyn’s Condor.
- Two Best In Show winners, Norwich Terriers, had the same sire: 1994’s Ch. Chidley’s Willum the Conqueror and 1998’s Ch. Fairewood Frolic were offspring (half brother/sister) of Ch. Royal Rock Don of Chidley
- The Papillon, Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being (“Kirby”), is the only dog to capture Best In Show at the World Dog Show (1998 in Helsinki) and Best In Show at Westminster (1999).
- In 2009, Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, a Sussex Spaniel, became the oldest dog to capture Best In Show at 10 years, 2 months and 9 days of age in 2009. The youngest winner was the Rough Collie, Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven, who captured the award in 1929 at the age of exactly 9 months.
- Westminster was established in 1877, pre-dating the founding of the governing body of the sport, the American Kennel Club, which was established in 1884.
- In 1884, The Westminster Kennel Club became the first member of the American Kennel Club.
Source: Westminster Media Center www.westminsterkennelclub.org/mediacenter/