Christ Yoder
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NEW YORK (AP) – The Westminster Kennel Club’s annual dog show has become the latest event to be postponed or canceled in New York as the number of coronavirus cases increases.
The club’s board of governors announced on Wednesday that it was postponing its 2022 event, scheduled for late January, until later in the year. A new date has not been given.
“The health and safety of all participants at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is paramount,” the group said in a statement. “We appreciate the continued interest and support from the community as we postpone the show to a time when it is safe to reunite.”
First held in 1877, the dog show attracts thousands of competitors from across the United States and normally takes place in February, with semi-finals and finals at Madison Square Garden. Last year it was moved to June and was held outside in the Lyndhurst Estate in the suburb of Tarrytown, north New York. Spectators were not allowed and human participants had to be vaccinated or newly tested.
A Pekingese named Wasabi took home the Best Show Award, defeating a Whippet, French Bulldog, Old English Sheepdog, German Shorthair Pointer, Samoyed, and West Highland White Terrier.
With COVID-19 cases now exploding in the United States, the postponement comes less than two weeks after more than 8,500 dogs, owners and handlers converged for another top American dog show, the American Kennel Club National Championship in Orlando, Florida.
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