Westminster Kennel Club Announces 2021 Dog Show Venue, Date Change

Listen to this article

Press release: Westminster Kennel Club

The 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will take place on June 12 and 13, 2021, at Lyndhurst, a property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in Tarrytown, New York, with live coverage across FOX Sports networks. Due to the ever-changing government restrictions during the pandemic a move to a springtime, outdoor dog show was necessary to the show.

Westminster Weekend will kick-off with the Masters Agility Championship on Friday, June 11, 2021, which will be followed by the Masters Obedience Championship on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Junior Showmanship, Breed, Group, and Best in Show judging will be June 12 and 13, 2021. For the first time, the Best in Show competition will be televised live on FOX.

“We are excited to host the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Lyndhurst, a unique icon of American culture with its park-like landscape and majestic castle overlooking the Hudson River,” said Westminster Kennel Club President Charlton Reynders III. “The wide-open outdoor space at this extraordinary venue allows us to hold a dog show safely while following current social distancing guidelines and public health regulations.”

Lyndhurst, home to America’s Finest Gothic Revival mansion just 25 miles north of New York City, is a 67-acre estate on Route 9 in Tarrytown, New York. The property was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded not-for-profit, in 1961. The estate was designed in 1838 by renowned architect Alexander Jackson Davis. Noteworthy occupants include former New York City mayor William Paulding, merchant George Merritt, and railroad tycoon Jay Gould.

Lyndhurst is no stranger to dog shows, having hosted them for more than three decades. In 1983, New York Times dog show reporter Walter Fletcher called Lyndhurst, “one of the most beautiful show sites in the country.”

In addition, three newly AKC-recognized breeds will join the 208 eligible breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2021. The archetype water dog of France, the Barbet is a joyful, bright, and loyal companion. A rustic breed with roots as far back at the 16th century, this medium-sized dog locates, flushes, and retrieves birds. The Barbet will join the Sporting Group.

The rarest of the four native Belgium breeds, the Belgian Laekenois (pronounced “Lak-in-wah”) is an affectionate, alert and intelligent dog bred to herd and guard flocks and fields. Similar to the Malinois, Shepherd and Tervuren, this sturdy dog’s main difference, besides region of origin, is his rough, coarse coat with a tousled look. The Belgian Laekenois joins the Herding Group.

The Dogo Argentino, developed in Argentina’s Cordoba province in the 1920s, was bred to find, chase, and catch dangerous game such as wild boar, pumas, and other destructive predators. The Dogo Argentino joins the Working Group.