00:08 Bobbe: People ask me what sort of dog I have,
I say Pembroke Welsh Corgi and they kind of look at you.
And I say, you know the pictures of the queen with her dogs and they go ‘oh yes’ and
then they know instantly what it is.
00:22 COMM: Welcome to Meet the Breeds - the dog
show where it’s not only the animals vying for the judges’ attention
00:37 Victor: Anyone who knows dog show people,
we’re all crazy.
So if you ever want to give us some good help, just let us know who a good psychiatrist is.
00:46 COMM: The event at Pier 92 in New York is
organised by the Westminster Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club and gives attendees
the chance to meet more than a hundred different breeds.
00:58 COMM: But what sets this apart from other
dog shows is the effort the owners put in themselves, dressing up and decorating their
stands to compliment their prized pets.
01:08 Elizabeth: Oh, the pageantry in this event
I think is very special for people to come out.
Not only to learn about the breeds, to see if one is right for them, but also because
every breed comes from a specific place and it helps kids and adults learn about culture,
geography, all sorts of aspects of people in the world.
01:32 COMM: But it's also an opportunity for their
devoted owners to champion their dogs of choice.
01:38 Pat: We always say that the mastiffs are the
keeper of the castle.
they’re an old english breed and originally they were bred to watch the house.
01:46 Pat: We have three mastiffs who go through
a 40lb bag of food every ten days.
01:50 Pat: People freak out because they’ve probably
never seen a dog this big ever.
01:55 Beth: Peter Pan’s nana was a Newfoundland
so they are natural nursemaids.
Fabulous with children.
02:02 Patricia: I like their athleticism and their
companionship, they’re good companion dogs.
02:07 COMM: This year’s event attracted tens of
thousands of curious dog lovers and was part of a three day program of competitions and
shows.
02:16 COMM: As always, the bar was high for both
pets and owners.
02:22 Patricia: This is the 6th year of Meet The
Breeds so each year everyone has to go up a notch so you’re going to one across that.
02:29 Celeste: The AKC has a competition for what
they think it the best booth so every year we try to up the ante and do something a little
different so we attract the attention of the public because the saluki has a great story.
02:46 COMM: And although the dogs seem to enjoy
themselves, they aren’t the only ones fond of the attention.
02:53 Bobbe: I really enjoy it.
You get to be a different persona I can just sit and wave and talk to to people, be with
the corgis.
It’s wonderful day.
I enjoy doing it.
03:04 Julie: Oh, these are definitely eccentric
people.
I don’t go to dinner like this but I love to dress up and I love to dress my dogs up
too.
03:15 Julie: I think dog people in general are eccentric
but they are very passionate about what they do and what they breed and what type of dog
they own.
They’re really heart dogs.
03:28 Victor: The focus really is the dogs but hell,
we’re here it’s part of us too.