Pop an antihistamine and get ready to coo: The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is back in New York, where it has lured some 3,000 dogs — or, more to the point, their owners — to brave the ludicrous cold for a shot at glory. (Spare a thought for the Xoloitzcuintli and every other breed not equipped with the thick winter coat of an Alaskan malamute or a Saint Bernard.)
Backstage at this year’s milestone competition — Westminster’s 150th such celebration of canine excellence — expertise will once again float in the air like so much dander. Groomers know just which comb to use to tease out a standard poodle’s signature ankle poufs, and handlers know just how to lead a Finnish Spitz around the ring to display its effervescent personality to greatest effect. Judges, in particular, are responsible for knowing the details of the breed standard for every dog they would presume to assess.
But for the casual spectator, no special training is required to make that most durably true of pronouncements: They’re all good dogs.
At the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, our photographers captured champion dogs preparing for the biggest stage of their show careers.
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