In case you missed it, there was Drama at the Westminster dog show last week.
Behind the Kentucky Derby, the Westminster Kennel Club is the longest continuous running sporting event. The first show was held in 1887 and has been running every year’s Best in Show at Madison Square Garden for 134 years now, even during war-time.
Its first show had 1200 entries. Today the entries have grown to over 3000 and require two days to judge them all. With that history, doggie drama at the prestigious dog show is nothing new and this year’s show was no exception.
This year’s drama revolves around a schipperke named Colton. This Belgium small sheepdog breed has never won in the Best of Show, or best in any group, but this year the breed came as close as you can get to entering into the green carpet finalist ring as one of the seven finalists to be judged after winning best in the non-sporting group the night before.
But entering that final ring, ABC News reported, was a far as Colton and his handler Crista Cook got before being disqualified as ineligible due to a conflict of interest between the owner and a finalist judge and having to exit the coveted final green carpeted ring.
Then there were only six.
A day after earning a coveted spot in the final ring of seven at the Westminster Kennel Club, Colton the schipperke was ruled ineligible for best in show Tuesday night.
There was a conflict of interest — top judge Peter Green’s longtime partner has co-owned dogs with one of Colton’s co-owners, including 2013 Westminster champion Banana Joe the affenpinscher.
Spirited and compact, Colton was allowed to run around the green carpet at Madison Square Garden when the finalists are announced. Judge Peter Green then excused Colton from the ring, leaving only six contenders for the big prize.
ABC News
Because this is news you must know, even if you don’t want to, the show must go on.
And it did.
Now you know!
Question for the night: Do you have a favorite animal?