Wheaten Terriers and the Westminster Kennel Club
I love dogs. And as a result, I love pretty much anything that involves dogs, and this includes dog shows. Now, the most famous dog show of them all has to be the Westminster Kennel Club, which is held annually at Madison Square Garden New York City. People come from all over the world to see this event, making it a huge tourist draw for the big city. If you're going to Westminster Kennel Club 2011, we hope that you will choose a New York vacation rental from MetroFlats.com; realistically, that's the best option anyway, with hotels for the event either booked or extremely expensive. But this article is not about that, believe it or not. This is about a major gripe I have with Westminster, despite my enjoyment of it: one of my favorite breeds never wins. What breed is it? The Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier. Of all the Westminster Kennel Club breeds, this particular one is routinely snubbed.
Now I may be a bit biased here. The first two dogs I owned were Wheatens, and I think they are adorable. But despite this, I think it is fair to ask why this breed is not getting the recognition it deserves. Over the years, they have become more and more popular, to the point where I see one almost every time I go out somewhere. It is also generally recognized that these dogs are playful, energetic, and very intelligent, making them ideal show dogs. Yet, let's look at the Westiminster Kennel Club past winners for this decade:
2010: Scottish Terrier
2009: Sussex Spaniel
2008: Beagle
2007: English Springer Spaniel
2006: Colored Bull Dog Terrier
2005: German Shorthaired Pointer
2004: Newfoundland
2003: Kerry Blue Terrier
2002: Miniature Poodle
2001: Bichon Frise
2000: English Springer Spaniel
From this list, we can see there are certainly no shortage of Terriers, so we can't say this is a case of Terrier bias. In fact, the Terrier is the most successful group in the show's history, winning a whopping 45 times. To put this number in perspective, the next closest group is Sporting, with 19 wins. Yet the Wheaten Terrier has not won a Best in Show even once. So why haven't they won? Well I'm not sure, but I think it has something to do with the way they are shown. Personally, the haircuts I have seen Wheatens get at Westminster are, to put it nicely, bad. I think the breed would be better served by allowing their eyes to be seen more, which would mean cutting the hair on its face. But beyond this, perhaps they just don't show well in general. Despite how energetic they are, they have always seemed overly calm at Westminster. You would think this might be a good trait, but a winning dog really needs to be able to connect with the crowd, and Wheatens have never seemed to do that as of now.
So for now, I continue to wait for my favorite breed to break the streak and win Best in Show. Perhaps 2011 will be the year. But more than likely, it won't be. But Westminster 2011 is sure to be a great event regardless. And once again, if you are looking for lodging in NYC, there is no better place to check out than MetroFlats.com: your hotel alternative!
Wheaten Terriers and the Westminster Kennel Club
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