The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year. Dog owners from around the world come to show their dogs. Dogs are judged closely by eminent American Kennel Club (AKC) judges. It is considered by many to be America's most prestigious dog show. The 132nd WKC Dog Show was held February 11-12, 2008, with the 15" Beagle taking Best in Show. After the Crufts international show held annually in the UK, the Westminster Kennel Club show is considered one of the largest and most prestigious in the world.

History

[Westminster Dog Show.jpg|thumb|The 2007 best of breed [[Puli] in the Working Group judging]]

The first Westminster show was held in 1877. No other continuously held sporting event in the United States is older except for the Kentucky Derby, which was first held in 1875. The show originated as a show for gun dogs, primarily setters and pointers, initiated by a group of hunting men who met regularly at the Westminster Hotel at Irving Place and Sixteenth Street in Manhattan. They decided to create a kennel club called the Westminster Kennel Club specifically for the purpose of holding a dog show. The prizes for these first shows included such items as pearl handled pistols, of use to the hunters and terriermen who worked these dogs in the field. Since that time dog shows have drifted away from a focus on working dogs to a focus on the appearance of the dog alone.