COVID-19 postpones Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show
Pekingese dog "Wasabi" is seen with the trophy after winning Best in Show at the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show June 13, 2021 at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)
NEW YORK - 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 surges.
The club's board of governors announced Wednesday it was postponing its 2022 event, scheduled for late January, to later in the year. A new date wasn't given.
"The health and safety of all participants in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show are paramount," the group said in a statement. "We appreciate the community’s continued interest and support as we delay the show to a time when we can safely convene."
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The dog show attracts competitors from around the U.S. and is normally held in February at Madison Square Garden. Last year it was moved to June and held at the Lyndhurst estate in suburban Tarrytown, north of New York City. Spectators weren’t allowed, and human participants had to be vaccinated or newly tested.
A Pekingese named Wasabi won best in show, beating out a whippet, a French bulldog, an old English sheepdog, a German shorthaired pointer, a Samoyed and a West Highland white terrier.