The competitors could run, jump and weave — and, for the first time, relax by rolling in the grass. Ripple the Boston terrier, for one, was taking advantage as she cooled off Friday from the agility course at the Westminster Kennel Club’s first outdoor dog show in over 140 years. The longtime Manhattan event, usually held indoors in February, instead is happening outdoors at a suburban estate because of pandemic precautions that also closed the show to the public.
While the move means forgoing the glitter of Madison Square Garden, it’s a breath of fresh air for some contestants and their human partners.
“I didn’t really want to have to subject her to New York winter in the city,” owner Dan Haddy said as Ripple basked in a 70-degree (21 degrees Celsius) afternoon, stretching out on softer grass than she generally finds at home in Anderson, South Carolina. “June, out here, on a day like this — yeah, this is beautiful.”
Also read: A catio, or cat patio, is now the latest rage among pet parents
More than 300 canines, ranging from a Chihuahua to a Rottweiler to mixed-breed dogs, were running timed obstacle courses to vie for the agility championship. Ripple made it into the final round, and the winner was to be crowned Friday night.
With no spectators and plenty of elbow room on the grounds of the Lyndhurst estate in Tarrytown, New York, the nation’s most prestigious dog show opened with a more relaxed feel than usual. Either way, competing there for the first time was a childhood dream come true for Dr. Whitney Heiken, a veterinarian with a Swedish vallhund named Valkyrie.
“I would go to Westminster, wherever it was,” said Heiken, of Norristown, Pennsylvania, “but this dog loves to be outside. … It’s a huge plus for us.” Until now, the Westminster show had been in Manhattan since its 1877 founding and was held in an open-air venue only in its first few years. This year, it’s in tents at…