The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Charter a Private Jet to The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Every February, the top dogs in the world compete to be the top dog at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

We Can Get You There

The show, first held 140 years ago by a group of sporting gentlemen in Manhattan, is a must-see for all dog lovers. Paramount Business Jets can arrange a charter flight for you into any airport near Madison Square Garden, where the show has been held since 1926:

• La Guardia Airport, KLGA, LGA, New York, United States (2 miles)
• East 34th Street Heliport, N6N5, 6N5, New York, United States (6 miles)
• West 30th St Heliport, KJRA, JRA, New York, United States (8 miles)
• John F Kennedy International Airport, KJFK, JFK, New York, United States (8 miles)
• Wall Street Heliport, KJRB, New York City, United States (9 miles)
• Teterboro Airport, KTEB, TEB, Teterboro, United States (13 miles)
• Newark Liberty International Airport, KEWR, EWR, Newark, United States (17 miles)
• Linden Airport, KLDJ, LDJ, Linden, United States (23 miles)
• Republic Airport, KFRG, FRG, Farmingdale, United States (23 miles)
• Westchester County Airport, KHPN, HPN, White Plains, United States (23 miles)

How It Got Its Name

In the late 19th century, a dozen or so sportsmen who owned hunting dogs, would meet at a hotel in Manhattan to drink and boast about their hunting successes and their dogs’ abilities.

They formed a club, bought a kennel where they could keep their dogs and hired a trainer for them. They named the club Westminster after the (now, long gone) hotel that housed their favorite bar.

In 1877, they decided to hold a dog show. It’s the second longest continually held sporting event (after the Kentucky Derby).

Fascinating Facts

• There were 1,021 dogs -- 35 purebreds and one mixed-breed category – entered in the first Westminster dog show in 1877. They included two staghounds listed as being from the pack of General George Custer, who had died the year before, and two deerhounds bred by the Queen of England.
• It cost $2 to enter a dog in the first Westminster. By 1892, the fee, which pays for attendants to feed and exercise the dogs, was raised to $5. The entry fee is $30 today but don’t let that fool you. It is estimated to cost about $250,000 – including grooming and handler expenses – to get a dog ready for Westminster. One-third of the dogs are invited to enter; the rest are champions or recognized as tops in their breed.
• J.P. Morgan entered his collies in many Westminster shows, beginning in 1893.
• The Best in Show award was first given in 1907. Ch. (show champion) Warren Remedy, a smooth fox terrier, won in 1907, 1908 and 1909, making her the only three-time winner. Six other dogs have won twice.
• Nelly Bly entered her Maltese in 1894, four years after making her record-breaking trip around the world.
• Handlers first wore armbands with the entry number of their dogs in 1904.
• The show moved to Madison Square Garden in 1926 where it remains to this day. (The facility was rebuilt and moved in 1969.)
• New York Yankee Lou Gehrig entered his German shepherd “Afra of Cosalta” in 1933.
• The first woman handler of a Best in Show winner – a standard poodle – was Mrs. Sherman Hoyt in 1935.
• Westminster was televised for the first time in 1948.
• Breed judging is streamed online at westminsterkennelclub.org for the first time in 2005. The kennel club reported that dog lovers from 140 countries visited the page more than 15 million times.
• The first beagle won Best in Show in 2008. (Hounds of any sort rarely win.)
• The oldest winner, who was 10 years old, was a Sussex spaniel who took the top prize in 2009. The youngest winner was a 9-month-old rough collie that won in 1929.
• Terriers have won the most – 45 – Best in Show awards with the wire fox terrier at the top with 14 wins.