There are 187 breeds that will be judged this year and the Wesminster Kennel Club is providing several livestream channels for daytime coverage before the networks take over in primetime for group judging. No one expects the power to go out when the Super Bowl of canine contests, the Westminster Kennel Club show, gets underway tonight at Madison Square Garden. But the arena will surely overload on cuteness. Now in its 137th year, the nation's premier dog show has expanded the number of entries for 2013—there are 2,721 dogs, representing 187 breeds—the largest number of contestants in 15 years. 
And this year marks a major change in the format at Westminster. For the first time in its history, the breed judging was moved to Piers 92 and 94 in Manhattan due to renovation at the Garden. But the move gives fans of Westminster a treat—this year the breed judging will be live streamed on westminsterkennelclub.org. Tonight's live coverage featured the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Groups. Tomorrow night's events include the Sporting, Working, and Terrier Groups, culminating with Best in Show, also known as America's Dog for 2013. American Foxhound Pandora's Box took home Best of Breed honors over the likes of Eenie Meenie Miney Moe, a Basset Hound, and Maggie May, a Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeen. 
The Foxhound was bred to (get this) hunt foxes. It also happens to be the state dog in the great state of Virginia. Next were the Toys, distinguished less by their function and more by their size. These dogs can be smaller versions of larger breeds. Banana Joe V Tani Kazari (real name), an Affenpinscher, won the event over a Miniature Pinscher, a Pekingese and a Pomeranian. A Pug named Tag I'm It appeared to be the crowd favorite, but alas finished fourth. The non-sporting group is perhaps the most diverse of the show's seven groups. The designation is essentially a catch-all, featuring everything from the American Bulldog to the French Poodle. This year, a Bichon Frise named Pillowtalk earned the right to compete for Best in Show from the group. He beat out a motley crew consisting of a Standard Poodle, French Bulldog (another crowd favorite) and a Tibetan Spaniel. The herding group wrapped up the night. An Old English Sheep Dog named Swagger pulled off a big upset, beating out more exotic breeds like the Puli, Beauceron and Canaan Dog. The Old English hasn't historically been a big winner at the Westminster Dog Show, but he'll be among the final competitors Tuesday. Here are the winners who will be moving on to tomorrow night's Best in Show competition: Hound: American Foxhound Toy: Affenpinscher Non-Sporting: Bichon Frise Herding: Old English Sheepdog Best in Group: HerdingRead more...
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