Westminster Kennel Club dog show to welcome mutts after 138 years: Report

This year, for the first time ever, mutts, mongrels or whatever what ever you want to call mixed-breed canines will be allowed to participate in the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden.

The nation’s premiere dog show event has a long history of only allowing purebreds to compete, but will now let the common pooches in, reports The Associated Press.

Talk about real underdogs.

The mutts — formally nicknamed "all-American dogs" — will join the snobby purebreds in the First Masters Agility Championship, a skills-based competition that’s "all about brains — brains and speed," show chairman Tom Bradley said at a news conference Wednesday at Madison Square Garden. "Agility dogs are not designer dogs — or they don’t have to be."

Organizers say this year marks the first time dogs of mixed breeds have appeared anywhere at Westminster since the 138-year-old event’s early days.

But they can't vie for the prestigious Best in Show award at next month's big event. That’s still for purebreds only. It’ll be awarded on Feb. 11.

The change may have come as a response to animal rights supporters who argue that promoting dog breeding is unethical. Many mutts need to find homes — 60 percent of dogs in shelters are reportedly euthanized — and should be promoted as desirable pets. While Bradley would not say whether such criticism of the show pressured them to make the change, he did admit that “purebred dogs have taken a bit of a rap” recently.

Joining the labradoodles at the upcoming show will be three new breeds. They’re the chinook, the Portuguese podengo pequeño and the rat terrier.

It's about time for the equal opportunity because one sniffed butt smells like any other.

Was rookie pup poisoned at Westminster Dog Show

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — which crowned an Affenpinscher as Best in Show for the first time ever — may now need a Bloodhound to figure out how a prized show dog suddenly died a few days after competing in the Madison Square Garden show.

Cruz, a 3-year-old Samoyed who competed in his first Westminster earlier this month, died Feb. 16 while competing in another dog show in Colorado. Both the dog's co-owners believe the the dog was poisoned.

"It is in the realm of possibility," Lynette Blue said after Cruz became sick and vomited blood before dying.

"We have gone through all the steps of where he was, what was done, and he was always on a leash," said Blue, 67, who has co-owned Cruz since birth and has raised and shown the furry, snow-white breed of dogs since the 1960. "He was never outside. He was always with the handler."

All the symptoms are consistent with poisoning and Cruz's handler, Robert Chaffin, said he thought animal activists were to blame.

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Chaffin, whom Blue says she "absolutely" does not suspect was involved in Cruz's death, is convinced that the dog was poisoned and said there was a four-hour window during which the dog could have been poisoned, but not by a competitor. Instead, Chaffin said he is suspicious of an animal rights activist he encountered at the dog show who "was just scowling at me and telling me how cruel I was."

Members of some animal rights groups criticized the shows in the past.  PETA co-founder and president Ingrid Newkirk said "it makes no sense whatsoever " that an animal rights proponent would harm an animal.

The dog was cremated and a necropsy was not performed. The death could be from rat poisoning said medical experts.

"We can't figure out a timeline where it could have happened while he was in the room or being walked," said Blue, who said she had no insurance policy on Cruz.

"Dogs are dogs.  It's not anyone's fault," said Molly Cominskey, the vet who treated Cruz." They eat stuff, they get into things, they make bad decisions."

Cruz was one of 33 Samoyeds competing in the Westminster and did not win any prizes.

Affenpinscher wins Best in Show at Westminster Dog Show

The third time ended up being a charm for Banana Joe, a 5-year-old Affenpinscher, who was named top dog at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Tuesday night.

This little black dog is no average Joe and became the first of his breed to win Best in Show at Madison Square Garden after falling short of the big prize two other times.

"He's won a lot of big shows, but not like this one," said Joe's handler Ernesto Lara.

Besides his good looks, the spunky little dog can understand "sit" and "play dead" in four languages.

"He speaks German, Dutch, Spanish and English," boasted the prized dog's co-owner and breeder Mieke Cooijmans.

Banana Joe will be pulling a Ray Lewis and leave the game on top — holding (or lapping from) the championship cup.  Westminster will be Banana Joe's last competition before the veteran show dog retires to Holland.  After making the talk show rounds, of course.

"He doesn't know his size or know he has a pushed in face," said Lara of Banana Joe's personality.  "He thinks he's Mr. America."

Today he is.

Pek-ingsanity replaces Linsanity in Madison Square Garden

A tiny petite Pekingese was the big winner at the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last night.  The tiny breed with a  smushed-in face surrounded by a mop of fur won Best in Show at Madison Square Garden.

Malachy took the top prize after he beat out 2,077 pure-bred canines from 185 different breeds.

"I'm still in shock.  It's the thrill of a lifetime," said David Fitzpatrick, the dog's handler and one of his owners.

The little pooch beat out big dogs like a Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher, Irish Setter, Kerry Blue Terrier, German Shepherd, and a wire-haired Dachshund to get the title.