NEW YORK — The A-listers who traveled to New York last month, gathering for the biggest event of their careers, arrived by car and driver, or on planes surrounded by entourages. They didn’t even carry their own passports, much less pack their kibble or squeaky toys. Each and every one of them, though, is a very good dog.
Some 2,500 top-ranked dogs were in New York City to compete in this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Breed judging, the marquee event, began May 13, while several hundred other dogs battled it out in events testing agility, obedience and the ability to dive the farthest off a dock. Sage, a miniature poodle, ended up being named best in show.
But even getting into the competition takes years of training and effort. And getting to the show requires extensive organizing by owners and handlers, who plan hours- or dayslong road or plane trips, pack thousands of dollars worth of gear — grooming tables, industrial-strength hair dryers, leashes, collars, toys, kibble and more — and pray that neither delays nor cancellations disrupt their itineraries. Treats are nonnegotiable.
“I try to stock up on healthy, single-ingredient treats such as freeze-dried duck or freeze-dried liver,” said Shell Lewis, 71, who came to New York with a Russell terrier and a cairn terrier. On show days, however, her dogs receive “something special and high value.” “It involves a drive-thru McDonald’s to pick up two sausage biscuits — I eat the biscuits, they g.
