PetsCareMart

By Amy Fernandez

Recent years have eroded our ingrained association between Westminster and February. But it’s a tough habit to break. You might venture to call it a conditioned reflex, so it’s still a bit confusing as we head into it.  There are perfectly logical reasons why clubs defend their designated show dates in the AKC calendar. It’s mid-winter, so we instantly think Westminster. Springtime… we’re still getting used to this arrangement. Maybe it’s time for a reminder of Westminster’s past flirtations with this far more appealing New York season. In fact, the club held several shows in early May. Obviously, that alleviated the perpetual concerns with travel and weather. Otherwise, how did they go?

Westminster’s seventh show on May 8-11, 1883–and also their first May event oddly–neatly coincided with their upcoming show. Let’s take that as a lucky omen. And Westminster’s star was certainly rising in 1883. The club had gone into this one determined to teach the world how to run a dog show, and seven years in they knew the drill.

Although they were still renting the Vanderbilt -owned former train depot, that less than ideal location didn’t seem to impede Westminster’s growing popularity. The total entry of 979 dogs featured the era’s biggest canine stars like Turk the Mastiff and Ch. Bonivard, the St. Bernard. Giant breeds were in their heyday and those two benched attractions sold a lot of tickets that year. To illustrate the extent of public fascination with giant breeds, Harper’s Weekly featured Newfs, Mastiffs and Saints for several weeks before and after the show. New York Times coverage commenced weeks earlier on April 15^th saying that entries were already “far in excess of those at any other show. Dogs are coming from Canada and from England.”  William Graham, who wasn’t the only Brit to carve out a multi-faceted career as a judge/breeder/broker/journalist, arrived with a literal boatload of contenders including Nevison, a Mastiff valued at $1000 and winner of 32 prizes; Garry Owen, an Irish Terrier that was also a big winner with a big price tag, and the already noted Saint Bonivard.

That year the club offered six Collie classes, acknowledging the breed’s spiraling popularity. However, the article went on to say, “The most valuable American dog entered so far is Biz, an Irish Setter owned by J.S. McIntosh of Pittsburgh, rated at $15,000.” Westminster Superintendent Charles Lincoln also bragged to the press that well before entries closed, “all the prize winners at the Ottawa, Washington and Pittsburgh bench shows” were expected, adding that the hottest competition was likely to come from English Setters, Pugs, Pointers and Collies–a statement that might not fly with current AKC regulations.

On May 9^th Times show coverage noted, “There were Mastiffs and St. Bernards and Newfoundlands and many others there yesterday with incomparably more brains than half the attendants at the Democratic primaries.” Even then, politics seemed to creep into every aspect of life. Possibly the biggest celebrity appearance that year was Samuel Tilden, who had been on the losing end of the 1876 presidential election. The mere fact of his attendance was excellent PR for Westminster…but Tilden wasn’t just looking around. Tilden was dog shopping and the press covered every thrilling moment, which was actually not that thrilling. Anyone who has benched Pugs at Westminster can relate to Tilden’s introduction to Duke. “The sage of Grammercy Park patted the native of Long Island on the head and the native of Long Island lay down and went to sleep”. Obviously, Tilden knew his dog when he found it.

Additional Times coverage added Duke’s disappointing ring performance which earned a measly VHC. Of course, the press also shared Tilden’s home address, which was possibly not a great idea.  Professional ethics have changed dramatically since then, but some things never do, as the final Times report said on May 12.  “Little remains to be said about the bench show of 1883 except that it was one of the most successful ever given by the Westminster club, that it was admirably managed from first to last, that everybody who took a prize went home satisfied, and that everybody who didn’t considered his dog an ill-used animal.”

 (Note: No photo available from the May 1883 show)

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