Meet Chet, a Berger Picard. AP Photo © John Minchillo

The pandemic has turned much of the world upside down, including many dog-related activities and special events. Of these, the Westminster Kennel Club dog show may be one of the best known. Typically held in February in Madison Square Garden with all the glitter and glamour you’d expect of a 145-year-old tradition, expect this year’s event to be different. Read on to learn more about the show that’s happening this weekend.

Quoting from the AP Wire Services:

The show was rescheduled from its usual February dates and isn’t allowing in-person spectators. Human participants must be vaccinated or newly tested. Dogs will compete as usual on green carpet for televised parts of the competition, but some other rounds will happen on an even more traditional green carpet — the lawn at the Lyndhurst estate in Tarrytown, New York….

Some off-the-beaten-path breeds are in the hunt for the big prize this year. Dog cognoscenti are keeping an eye on high-ranking hopefuls including a lagotto Romagnolo — an Italian truffle-hunting breed that first appeared at Westminster only five years ago — and a Dandie Dinmont terrier, the 15th-rarest U.S. breed, by the American Kennel Club’s count. The Dandie, named for a character in Sir Walter Scott’s 1815 novel “Guy Mannering,” is considered to be at risk of disappearing even in its homeland, the United Kingdom.

The show also is due to feature four breeds that are eligible to compete for the first time — the barbet, the dogo Argentino, the Belgian Laekenois, and the Biewer terrier.

Read the rest of the AP story online.

Want to know what’s happening and when to see events? Find a complete listing of “how to watch” events here. And to learn more about the legendary Westminster Kennel Club, visit their website!

Oh, and if you’re wondering what “dog cognoscenti” means: Merriam Webster defines this as “the people who know a lot about something.” As it’s used in the AP article, it’s all about dogs!