Westminster Dog Show 2010 Pictures: Judging Starts At Westminster Kennel Club Show (PHOTOS)

NEW YORK (Associated Press) - America's most prestigious dog show is starting with some Razzle Dazzle.

A 3-year-old bulldog with the catchy name of Razzle Dazzle is among the early winners Monday at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York.

There are 2,500 dogs competing at Madison Square Garden for the coveted title of best in show. The top prize will be presented Tuesday night. A 4-year-old Scottish terrier named Sadie is considered a big favorite to win.

Before all the results are in, check out some behind the scenes photos from this weekend!

Bull Terrier

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Comments

[PokerPetPortraits]

12:54 PM on 02/17/2010

Imagine you and your pet(s) painted in the classic "Dogs Playing Poker" portrait.

--- Sitting at the table with your pet(s) drinking beer, smoking cigars and playing poker with the dogs!

All entirely hand painted on canvas.

How cool is that?

You and your pet(s) will be immortalized playing poker with the other ruff dudes!

Other scenarios available: golf with pet as caddy, billiards, dance floor, at a bar with pet, etc. etc... your imagination is the limit!

THESE ARE TRUE PORTRAITS. (They are NOT mocked up pics created in Photoshop)

www dot pokerpetportraits dot com

[IvyShoots]

10:33 AM on 02/16/2010

Beagles rule!

[PaleMail]

09:20 AM on 02/16/2010

Cats rule!

[DemsLikeGuns2]

08:37 AM on 02/16/2010

Good luck to the Rottwielers!

[elifant71]

07:58 AM on 02/16/2010

Boxers rule the rest drule! Breeding is done as a preventitive measure to ensure the continued success of the breed not as a torture device for looks. Anyone who things that is delusional. I am not saying all breeders are saints because they are not. All I have to do is refer anyone to the thousands of puppy mills that are all over the place that produce dogs that are not selectively bred, and often end up abused and homeless. Dog shows such as this let the public see what their owners already know-they are ambassadors of their kind to the human race that needs to stop looking at any animal as something to own and more of a pack member. I have had the pleasure of having part of my pack everything from boxers to chihuahuas. Each fit into my life in their own wonderful way, and though most were what breeders call "pet quality only" they still were a wonderful example of their species. For those that critique what they obviously don't understand-remember this, if don't like don't participate, support spaying, and be a care giver to those cast aside because selective breeding wasn't available. Dogs or any animal are a product of their environment not their breeding. Physical challenges of any breed are there because of something that evovled over hundreds of years. If breeders could truly breed out disease or heredity issues then why don't humans?

[PlanoBlue]

07:52 AM on 02/16/2010

I've had poodles, daschunds, dalmatians, chihuahuas and dobermans. Right now I'm in bed with three shar-peis...........I'll never have another breed of dogs again. The best breed ever!

[pammiethekid]

07:33 AM on 02/16/2010

In answer to the claim that breeders are deforming dogs by selective breeding, let me defend shepherd breeders, the ones I know, anyway. I've had five german shepherds from show lines, none have had hip problems at all. My current GSD will be ten in June and can still clear a six foot fence when she's motivated. There are health problems in all the lines, but many breeders work hard to breed those out, and do care about health and longevity.

[hibiscuscottage]

04:06 AM on 02/16/2010

Papillons Forever!!

[barklesswagmore]

04:05 AM on 02/16/2010

Tibetan Terriers are beast.

[gal416]

02:38 AM on 02/16/2010

Simon my whippet and Hobbs my basset.

[tazj]

02:19 AM on 02/16/2010

the beagle is adorable

[soapboxdiva]

02:15 AM on 02/16/2010

People need to wake up to the horrible practices of breeders, just some examples: spaniards have been bred to have small skulls, unfortunately this means their brain no longer fits the skull cavity so many of them have the most horrid pains in the head often leading to severe fitting; German Shepherd's are bred so their back slopes - they are basically now deformed and in pain most of the time; Rhodesian Ridgeback puppies who are born without the ridge are euthanased so they won't "damage" the breed, the problem is that the ridge is actually a deformity so they're euthanasing the healthy dogs!; pugs suffer terrible headaches and sinus problems because they've been bred to have flat faces, sausage dogs are now bred to have ridiculously short legs and extra long bodies and too many have trouble walking.....and on and on it goes. The majority of the well known pure breeds are now very sick and will probably die out eventually, so the irony is that man is killing his best friend.

In the past we manipulated breeding to enhance certain character traits related to work eg hunting & sheep dogs, but now it's all done for appearances. Think twice before you buy a pure bred dog, better to get a mutt.

[nicole5]

01:45 AM on 02/16/2010

That beagle is just adorable, but he looks so sad

[brooklyncitizen]

10:25 PM on 02/15/2010

Cat person here....but these are cute, especially the bull terrier.

[Gladys1963]

10:28 PM on 02/15/2010

I'm a cat person, too, but I never miss watching Westminster, either in person or on TV.

My cat has been paying extra attention to me this evening...hmm.

=^..^=

[elann]

10:07 PM on 02/15/2010

I was at a party where a guest brought along her King Charles Cavalier. I couldn't believe how that dog made the rounds - had better social skills than most the guests. Talk about work the room! lol