Pekingese Malachy is Top Dog at Westminster

Malachy the Pekingese, the only dog on the show floor who could fit INSIDE the coveted silver bowl, nabbed top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show last night. It was 4-year-old Malachy's 115th Best in Show title as he beat out  a Dalmatian, German Shepherd, Doberman Pinscher, Iris Setter, Kerry Blue Terrier and Wirehaired Dachshund to become the newest Westminster champ.

AP Photo

It was the fourth time a Peke has won at Westminster and the first time since 1990.

Favorite quotes around the show ring (From Blooomberg reports):

"He’s a charismatic little guy," said Lisa Croft-Elliott. "He’s like your favorite pair of bedroom slippers.”

Malachy's handler and part-owner David Fitzpatrick was asked whether the 11-pound champ has feline traits, given his Persian cat-like resemblance. He's not like a cat at all," he said. He's like a Pekingese."

Photo by John Ashbey

We hear Malachy will indeed make the traditional trip to Sardi's to eat steak today. Can't wait to see that photo!

Newest AKC/Eukanuba National Champion: London the Standard Poodle!

I spent last week at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show, and all the fluffing, puffing and strutting culminated last night with the Best in Show competition. Top honors and $50,000 in prize money went to GCH CH Jaset's Satisfaction, a Standard Poodle known as London, owned by Beth Harris, Michele Molnar and Jamie Danburg of Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

It was a spectacular event, all the way around. The AKC/National Championship joined a range of canine sporting events all under one roof, including the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC National Obedience Invitational and AKC Juniors competition in showmanship, agility and obedience.

After the event we got to hobnob with London and his owners and handlers, and I had the chance to hold the ENORMOUS Best in Show ribbon...

It's almost as big as I am! Wow!

But even more impressive is how lovely and friendly London and his entire team are. London's owner Beth Harris says that London actually paces himself during the year by taking time off and enjoying his down time. He has his own Facebook page where it says he enjoys fetching Frisbees, playing with squeaky toys, swimming and chewing on bones ... sounds familiar! And you can find him on Twitter too, at @London_S_Poodle.

Here, London gives us a big smile in the show ring after he was crowned.

We also enjoyed watching the AKC Agility and Obedience Invitationals as well as the Eukanuba World Challenge and the junior competitions. Check out results from all the competitions here and on akc.org.

Nearly 5,000 dogs competed for more than $225,000 in prize money. The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will be telecast on ABC on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012. Stay tuned about details of a viewing party on Twitter party where we'll get to relive all the excitement!

Thanksgiving Traditions: Macy’s Parade and The National Dog Show with a side of Turkey!

One of our favorite Thanksgiving traditions starts with watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by The National Dog Show presented by Purina. Cosmo and I camp out in front of the TV all morning, enjoying amazing parade floats, Broadway numbers and finally each breed group followed by Best in Show.

Ahhh, what could be better!

This year, to mark the 10^th anniversary of The National Dog Show on NBC, viewers can enjoy more dog show fun by downloading the free National Dog Show app from the Android Market or iTunes App Store. We just downloaded ours and are already hooked on reading up on all sorts of fun facts, taking polls and watching videos of our favorite breeds.

Fun Fact from The National Dog Show App

The hilarious Christopher Guest movie Best in Show inspired NBC’s Jon Miller to bring NBC, The Kennel Club of Philadelphia and Purina together to make The National Dog Show a reality. The Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s all-breed show dates back to the 1800s, and beginning in 2002, the prestigious show was transported to the living rooms of millions of Americans to enjoy on Thanksgiving day.

This year, host John O’Hurley and expert analyst David Frei will be back to share their colorful commentary as 2,000 dogs vie for Best in Show honors. The 10^th anniversary special is scheduled to air on NBC from noon to 2 p.m. in all time zones, right after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Now, does anyone know where we can get a Busy Bee?

A special not so Wordless Wednesday, Westminster style!

We had lots of fun with photos at the #WKCPawpawty!
Thanks to Rick Rockhill for providing this photo of
a nice overview of Madison Square Garden

Pet lovers across the country watched the drama and excitement of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show over the past few days. But we had the opportunity to experience it in a completely different way this year as we watched it on TV and shared the experience with thousands of our friends on Twitter.

Social media has brought the world closer together in ways we never would have dreamed about just a few years back. It's about much, much more than the "social media gurus" or the 5-second news cycle. It's about creating a community and enriching an experience no matter what  your  interests -- from dogs to diapers and about everything else you can imagine.

@PedigreeUS provided some great behind-the-scenes photos! 

Starting with the first broadcast on Monday night, plenty of folks across the country started using hashtags such as #WKC and #Westminster to hear what other were saying about the show. The USA Network hosted a feed, where we could follow all the conversations about the dog show and you can still check it out to see all the post show comments and photos.

Then last night we joined a special viewing party to help raise money for the shelter pets at Save-A-Dog in Grayslake, Ill. Sponsored by Pedigree and hosted by #Pawpawty creator Frugal Dougal, people and their pets who tweet (known as the anipals) followed the hashtag #WKCPawpawty. Pedigree donated $1 to the shelter for everyone who tweeted the special hashtag and there also were quizzes and prize giveaways to make the evening even more fun! In fact, we even had our own "Best in Show" photo competitions and you can see some of the great photo's on Frugal Dougal's blog.

Right before the Best in Show winner was announced, the folks from
@PedigreeUS snapped this shot of the winning dog,
 GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, the Scottish Deerhound

And if that wasn't enough, the Twitter band, The Shibbering Cheetos  kicked off the party with a concert and my own Cosmo Havanese served up the color commentary and play-by-by so that our pals without cable or from different countries could also join in the excitement of our country's oldest dog show. An interesting tidbit from the Westminster Kennel Club web site states that the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, first held in 1877, is America's second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby. You can read more about the show's history here, and it sounds every bit as glamorous as it is today.

So at the 135 Annual Westminster Dog Show, social media provided us the opportunity to share the experience, photos and great behind the scenes stories with friends who were at the show in person and with pals from across the country and world. Host Frugal Dougal with his mom Lynn Haigh, experienced the show from our tweets and photos while "watching" from their computer in the U.K. (at 4 a.m.!).

While I've always wanted to attend Westminster in person -- and still intend to -- I can't think of a better way to enjoy the show than we did last night with the many great friends from around the world who share our love for dogs. It was truly a Best in Show experience!

Congratulations to this year's Best in Show, GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind!
(photo: Westminster Kennel Club)