2,721 Dogs Marks The Largest Entry In 15 Years For The 137th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Westminster Kennel Club is proud to announce the entries for its 137th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, to be held in New York City on February 11-12, 2013. Entries from all 50 states and several foreign countries have given the 137th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show its largest entry in 15 years - 2,721 dogs - as America's Dog Show extends its standing as the second-longest continuously-held sporting event in this country.

There are entries representing all of the 187 breeds and varieties eligible for this year's show. Golden Retrievers lead the way (61), followed by Labrador Retrievers (54), Rhodesian Ridgebacks (50), French Bulldogs (6), Australian Shepherds (43) and Chinese Cresteds (40). There are 73 total entries spanning three varieties of Dachshunds. Five breeds have single entries: Plott, Anatolian Shepherd Dog, Kuvasz, Norwegian Lundehund and Entlebucher Mountain Dog.

The entry, subject to final audit, includes two breeds newly-recognized by the American Kennel Club, eligible for The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the first time: Treeing Walker Coonhound (13 entries, Hound Group) and the Russell Terrier (15, Terrier Group). There are also 84 entries in Junior Showmanship.

For the first time ever, The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will take place in two different venues. Breed judging, benching and Junior Showmanship preliminary competition will take place during the days on Monday and Tuesday at Piers 92/94 in New York, located at West 55th Street and the West Side Highway (12th Avenue). Group and Best In Show judging, as well as the Junior Showmanship Finals, will be held at Madison Square Garden on Monday and Tuesday evenings, as has been the case virtually every year since the show began in 1877.

For the third straight year, New York represents the greatest number of entries with 287. California has 228, New Jersey 219 and Pennsylvania 210. There are 117 foreign entries, led by Canada with 104. Dogs are also entered from Brazil, Germany, Croatia, United Kingdom, France, Japan and Mexico. Many other foreign-owned dogs are entered from U.S. addresses, and in the final compilation there will be additional foreign countries represented.

Breeds and varieties in the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups will be benched and judged at The Piers during the day on Monday, with Group competition that evening at the Garden.  On Tuesday, breeds and varieties in the Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups will be benched and judged at the Piers and judging of those Groups will take place on Tuesday night, with judging of Best In Show, featuring all seven of the Group winners, to be held Tuesday evening at the Garden in the final event of the show. 

The evening competition will be televised live each night from 8-11 p.m. ET. Monday's telecast of the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups will air on CNBC. Tuesday's telecast will air on USA Network and will include the Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, as well as Best In Show. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, televised since 1948, is and always has been America's most widely-watched live telecast of a dog show.

In 2013, also for the first time ever, Westminster will produce live coverage of all the breed judging during the days, posting live streaming video on its website of the competition in all 187 breeds and varieties. Since 2005, breed judging highlights have been carried on the website on a delayed basis, but this year, for the first time, this important part of the show will be covered live and in its entirety with real-time posting on the Westminster website.

Best In Show will be judged by Mr. Michael Dougherty of Escondido, CA. Mr. Dougherty heads a panel of 43 judges from 18 states and three foreign countries presiding over the dog world's most prestigious event.

Group judges are Ms. Karen Wilson of Sperryville, VA, Sporting; Mr. Luc Boileau of Burlington, WI, Hound; Mr. Robert Vandiver of Simpsonville, SC, Working; Mr. Jay Richardson of St. Charles, IL, Terrier; Mr. Dennis McCoy of Apex, NC, Toy; Ms. Florence Males of Pleasant Hill, CA, Non-Sporting; and Mr. Charles Trotter of Carmel, CA, Herding. Mr. Jason Hoke of Madison, WI will judge the Junior Showmanship finals.

Tickets are still available for both the day events at The Piers and the evening events at Madison Square Garden. See the Westminster website (www.westminsterkennelclub.org) for ticket information.

Entries for 2013 (subject to final audit):

Sporting breeds (545):   Brittanys 18, Pointers 26, Pointers (German Shorthaired) 39, Pointers (German Wirehaired) 6, Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay) 21, Retrievers (Curly-Coated) 8, Retrievers (Flat-Coated) 27, Retrievers (Golden) 61, Retrievers (Labrador) 54, Retrievers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling) 20, Setters (English) 25, Setters (Gordon) 9, Setters (Irish) 23, Setters (Irish Red & White) 8, Spaniels (American Water) 2, Spaniels (Boykin) 7, Spaniels (Clumber) 14, Spaniels (Cocker) ASCOB 8, Spaniels (Cocker) Black 8, Spaniels (Cocker) Parti-Color 6, Spaniels (English Cocker) 22, Spaniels (English Springer) 24, Spaniels (Field) 8, Spaniels (Irish Water) 9, Spaniels (Sussex) 8, Spaniels (Welsh Springer) 13, Spinone Italiano 14, Vizslas 25, Weimaraners 21, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons 11.

Hound breeds (413):  Afghan Hounds 25, American English Coonhounds 2, American Foxhounds 2, Basenjis 19, Basset Hounds 8, Beagles (13") 12,  Beagles (15") 19, Black and Tan Coonhounds 5, Bloodhounds 9, Bluetick Coonhounds 2, Borzoi 29, Dachshunds (Longhaired) 26, Dachshunds (Smooth) 27, Dachshunds (Wirehaired) 20, English Foxhounds 4, Greyhounds 9, Harriers 5, Ibizan Hounds 12, Irish Wolfhounds 11, Norwegian Elkhounds 12, Otterhounds 7, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen 9, Pharaoh Hounds 16, Plotts 1, Redbone Coonhounds 7, Rhodesian Ridgebacks 50, Salukis 20, Scottish Deerhounds 5, Treeing Walker Coonhounds 13, Whippets 27.

Working breeds (413):  Akitas 19, Alaskan Malamutes 7, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs 1, Bernese Mountain Dogs 24, Black Russian Terriers 10, Boxers 22, Bullmastiffs 23, Cane Corsos 20, Doberman Pinschers 20, Dogue de Bordeaux 15, German Pinschers 8, Giant Schnauzers 10, Great Danes 16,  Great Pyrenees 14, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs 18, Komondorok 5, Kuvaszok 1, Leonbergers 10, Mastiffs 18, Neapolitan Mastiffs 5, Newfoundlands 16, Portuguese Water Dogs 26, Rottweilers 26, St. Bernards 10, Samoyeds 33, Siberian Huskies 22, Standard Schnauzers 8, Tibetan Mastiffs 6.

Terriers breeds (291):  Airedale Terriers 9, American Staffordshire Terriers 6, Australian Terriers 10, Bedlington Terriers 12, Border Terriers 13, Bull Terriers (Colored) 4, Bull Terriers (White) 3, Cairn Terriers 13, Cesky Terriers 9, Dandie Dinmont Terriers 2, Fox Terriers (Smooth) 16, Fox Terriers (Wire) 8, Glen of Imaal Terriers 3, Irish Terriers 7,  Kerry Blue Terriers 12, Lakeland Terriers 8, Manchester Terriers (Standard) 9, Miniature Bull Terriers 8, Miniature Schnauzers 18, Norfolk Terriers 9, Norwich Terriers 19, Parson Russell Terriers 11, Russell Terriers 15, Scottish Terriers 12, Sealyham Terriers 5, Skye Terriers 7, Soft Coated Wheaten Terriers 15, Staffordshire Bull Terriers 7, Welsh Terriers 5, West Highland White Terriers 16.

Toy breeds (396):  Affenpinschers 7, Brussels Griffons 10, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels 34, Chihuahuas (Long Coat) 20, Chihuahuas (Smooth Coat) 33, Chinese Cresteds 40, English Toy Spaniels (Blenheim & Prince Charles) 5, English Toy Spaniels (King Charles & Ruby) 7, Havanese 26, Italian Greyhounds 21, Japanese Chins 11, Maltese 13, Manchester Terriers (Toy) 7, Miniature Pinschers 10, Papillons 19, Pekingese 12, Pomeranians 21, Poodles (Toy) 10, Pugs 34, Shih Tzu 17, Silky Terriers 6, Toy Fox Terriers 9, Yorkshire Terriers 24.

Non-Sporting breeds (267):  American Eskimo Dogs 9, Bichon Frises 9, Boston Terriers 34, Bulldogs 20, Chinese Shar-Pei 9, Chow Chows 9, Dalmatians 14, Finnish Spitz 4, French Bulldogs 46, Keeshondens 12, Lhasa Apsos 6, Lowchen 6, Norwegian Lundehunds 1,  Poodles (Miniature) 7, Poodles (Standard) 19, Schipperkes 8, Shiba Inu 19, Tibetan Spaniels 12, Tibetan Terriers 20, Xoloitzcuintlis 3.

Herding breeds (312):  Australian Cattle Dogs 11, Australian Shepherds 43, Bearded Collies 13, Beauceron 6, Belgian Malinois 15, Belgian Sheepdogs 9, Belgian Tervurens 12, Border Collies 19, Bouviers des Flandres 10, Briards 21, Canaan Dogs 2, Cardigan Welsh Corgis 13, Collies (Rough) 10, Collies (Smooth) 13, Entlebucher Mountain Dogs 1, Finnish Lapphunds 7, German Shepherd Dogs 22, Icelandic Sheepdogs 5, Norwegian Buhunds 3, Old English Sheepdogs 21, Pembroke Welsh Corgis 15, Polish Lowland Sheepdogs 7, Pulik 3, Pyrenean Shepherds 10, Shetland Sheepdogs 14, Swedish Vallhunds 7.

Entries by state:    

Alaska 1, Alabama 18, Arkansas 10, Arizona 21, California 228, Colorado 33, Connecticut 130, Delaware 10, Florida 114,  Georgia 48, Hawaii 16, Idaho 6, Illinois 64, Indiana 36, Iowa 12, Kansas 8, Kentucky 31, Louisiana 19, Maine 9, Maryland 76, Massachusetts 119, Michigan 83, Minnesota 17, Mississippi 6, Missouri 26, Montana 3, Nebraska 13, Nevada 8, New Hampshire 40, New Jersey 219, New Mexico 11, New York 287, North Carolina 52, North Dakota 1, Ohio 106, Oklahoma 22, Oregon 19, Pennsylvania 210, Rhode Island 22, South Carolina 50, South Dakota 4, Tennessee 27, Texas 119, Utah 1, Vermont 10, Virginia 87, Washington 58, West Virginia 9, Wisconsin 41, Wyoming 2.

Others:  District of Columbia 5, Canada 104, Brazil 4, Croatia 2, Germany 2, United Kingdom 2, France 1, Japan 1, Mexico 1.

Junior Showmanship:  84

SOURCE The Westminster Kennel Club