The Westminster Kennel Club is indeed America’s Dog Show, evidenced once again by the fact that everyone wants to be at Madison Square Garden in New York City this February 14-15, 2005 for the 129th Annual event.
As in recent years, the entry limit of 2,500 dogs was reached in less than an hour after entries opened on December 3. The final total entry of 2,581 includes dogs that had been invited to pre-enter for being ranked in the top five of their respective breeds or varieties, and 81 dogs also entered in Junior Showmanship.
The Golden Retriever entry of 53 is the show’s highest for a single breed or variety the second year in a row and for the 16th time since 1978. That number also represents the highest single entry since 1995 when there were 54 Chinese Shar Peis.
Dachshunds, with three varieties, have a total entry of 64. Other top entries include Mastiffs 45, Rhodesian Ridgebacks 39, Havanese 39, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 35, Australian Shepherds 34, Pugs 33, French Bulldogs 33, Samoyeds 32 and Labrador Retrievers 30. Poodles have a total entry of 34 in three Varieties.
All 165 breeds and varieties recognized by the American Kennel Club will be represented at the show, to be held at Madison Square Garden. Three newly-recognized breeds will be competing for the first time at Westminster: Neapolitan Mastiffs (3 entries), Black Russian Terriers (15), and Glen of Imaal Terriers (5). There are also 81 entries in Junior Showmanship, where young handlers age 10-18 compete based only on their handling abilities (for 2005, Juniors are required to have ten wins during the previous show year to qualify, while in recent past years eight qualifying wins were needed).
By state, California (313 entries) and New York (226) will have the largest contingents of entries. All 48 of the contiguous states, Alaska, Puerto Rico and Canada have entries (complete state-by-state breakdown follows).
Mrs. Lynette Saltzman of Westport, CT, will judge Best In Show, heading a judging panel of 40 judges from 17 states and Canada.
Breeds and Varieties in the Working, Terriers, Toy, and Non Sporting Groups will be benched and judged during the day on Monday, with Group competition that evening. On Tuesday, breeds and varieties in the Sporting, Hound and Herding Groups will be benched and judged, with judging of those Groups and Best In Show to be held Tuesday evening. The evening competition will be televised live each evening at 8 PM (ET) on USA Network.
THE FINAL TABULATION OF ENTRIES FOR 2005 (Click here for Judging Schedule):
Sporting breeds: Brittanys 16, Pointers 18, Pointers (German Shorthaired) 24, Pointers (German Wirehaired) 10, Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay) 16, Retrievers (Curly-Coated) 11, Retrievers (Flat-Coated) 20, Retrievers (Golden) 53, Retrievers (Labrador) 30, Retrievers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling) 10, Setters (English) 23, Setters (Gordon) 9, Setters (Irish) 26, Spaniels (American Water) 3, Spaniels (Clumber) 16, Spaniels (Cocker) Black 13, Spaniels (Cocker) ASCOB 14, Spaniels (Cocker) Parti-Color 10, Spaniels (English Cocker) 15, Spaniels (English Springer) 24, Spaniels (Field) 5, Spaniels (Irish Water) 4, Spaniels (Sussex) 7, Spaniels (Welsh Springer) 6, Spinone Italiano13, Vizslas 26, Weimaraners 22, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 4.
Hound breeds: Afghan Hounds 21, Basenjis 16, Basset Hounds 16, Beagles (13″) 10, Beagles (15″) 18, Black and Tan Coonhounds 9, Bloodhounds 10, Borzois 27, Dachshunds (Longhaired) 18, Dachshunds (Smooth) 26, Dachshunds (Wirehaired) 20, Foxhounds (American) 6, Foxhounds (English) 6, Greyhounds 13, Harriers 4, Ibizan Hounds 6, Irish Wolfhounds 13, Norwegian Elkhounds 6, Otterhounds 3, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen 13, Pharaoh Hounds 11, Rhodesian Ridgebacks 39, Salukis 15, Scottish Deerhounds 6, Whippets 13.
Working breeds: Akitas 21, Alaskan Malamutes 15, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs 5, Bernese Mountain Dogs 18, Black Russian Terriers 15, Boxers 16, Bullmastiffs 22, Doberman Pinschers 27, German Pinschers 8, Giant Schnauzers 20, Great Danes 19, Great Pyrenees 12, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs 19, Komondorok 4, Kuvaszok 7, Mastiffs 45, Neapolitan Mastiffs 3, Newfoundlands 13, Portuguese Water Dogs 26, Rottweilers 25, St. Bernards 8, Samoyeds 32, Siberian Huskies 19, Standard Schnauzers 13.
Terriers breeds: Airedale Terriers 15, American Staffordshire Terriers 17, Australian Terriers 13, Bedlington Terriers 18, Border Terriers 16, Bull Terriers (Colored) 5, Bull Terriers (White) 5, Cairn Terriers 12, Dandie Dinmont Terriers 9, Fox Terriers (Smooth) 18, Fox Terriers (Wire) 14, Glen of Imaal Terriers 5, Irish Terriers 6, Kerry Blue Terriers 12, Lakeland Terriers 12, Manchester Terriers (Standard) 15, Miniature Bull Terriers 11, Miniature Schnauzers 9, Norfolk Terriers 14, Norwich Terriers 18, Parson Russell Terriers 25, Scottish Terriers 10, Sealyham Terriers 5, Skye Terriers 6, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers 7, Staffordshire Bull Terriers 8, Welsh Terriers 11, West Highland White Terriers 14.
Toy breeds: Affenpinschers 10, Brussels Griffons 10, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 35, Chihuahuas (Long Coat) 8, Chihuahuas (Smooth Coat) 11, Chinese Cresteds 29, English Toy Spaniels (Blenheim & Prince Charles) 2, English Toy Spaniels (King Charles & Ruby) 4, Havanese 39, Italian Greyhounds 20, Japanese Chins 11, Maltese 14, Manchester Terriers (Toy) 11, Miniature Pinschers 23, Papillons 22, Pekingese 6, Pomeranians 27, Poodles (Toy) 12 , Pugs 33, Shih Tzu 15, Silky Terriers 11, Toy Fox Terriers 12, Yorkshire Terriers 24.
Non-Sporting breeds: American Eskimo Dogs 13, Bichon Frises 15, Boston Terriers 20, Bulldogs 15, Chinese Shar-Pei 23, Chow Chows 11, Dalmatians 17, Finnish Spitz 9, French Bulldogs 33, Keeshonds 20, Lhasa Apsos 16, Lowchens 9, Poodles (Miniature) 11, Poodles (Standard) 11, Schipperkes 14, Shiba Inu 20, Tibetan Spaniels 14, Tibetan Terriers 15.
Herding breeds: Australian Cattle Dogs 10, Australian Shepherds 34, Bearded Collies 26, Belgian Malinois 17, Belgian Sheepdogs 13, Belgian Tervurens 14, Border Collies 18, Bouviers des Flandres 26, Briards 17, Canaan Dogs 6, Collies (Rough) 6, Collies (Smooth) 8, German Shepherd Dogs 8, Old English Sheepdogs 18, Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 9, Pulik 8, Shetland Sheepdogs 8, Welsh Corgis (Cardigan) 18, Welsh Corgis (Pembroke) 17.
ENTRIES BY STATE: Alabama 8, Alaska 4, Arizona 33, Arkansas 12, California 313, Colorado 49, Connecticut 106, Delaware 11, Florida 127, Georgia 55, Idaho 3, Illinois 71, Indiana 36, Iowa 11, Kansas 15, Kentucky 25, Louisiana 14, Maine 17, Maryland 93, Massachusetts 101, Michigan 81, Minnesota 21, Mississippi 7, Missouri 28, Montana 2, Nebraska 12, Nevada 11, New Hampshire 27, New Jersey 165, New Mexico 9, New York 226, North Carolina 59, North Dakota 1, Ohio 100, Oklahoma 19, Oregon 24, Pennsylvania 177, Rhode Island 17, South Carolina 20, South Dakota 2, Tennessee 33, Texas 148, Utah 7, Vermont 14, Virginia 77, Washington 76, West Virginia 9, Wisconsin 28, Wyoming 2. OTHERS: Puerto Rico 4, Canada 43.
For more information visit www.westminsterkennelclub.org.