There’s some good news for those that look forward to the annual National Dog Show on Thanksgiving Day.

While the global coronavirus pandemic has caused the show to not allow any spectators, fans can still watch the 2020 event from the comfort of their own homes.

Viewers can tune in on Thursday from 12-2 p.m. EST in all time zones, NBC has announced. The special will air right after the network’s annual “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

For those who prefer to watch online, the show can also be live-streamed through the NBC Sports website, NBCSports.com. Those with a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV device can download the NBC Sports app to watch the dog show.

The 2020 show, hosted by The Kennel Club of Philadelphia, is a smaller one because of numerous health and safety guidelines. Along with no spectators, no vendors, sponsors, or media were allowed at the event, which was filmed earlier this month.

Usually, around 2,000 dogs participate in the show, but this year, that number saw a 70% decrease, stated NBC. Only 600 dogs competed this time around.

The program played host to over 160 breeds and varieties, all split into seven groups. This year, there are three new breeds being introduced to the show including the Dogo Argentino, a pack-hunting dog and falls under the “Working” group; the Barbet, a water dog that falls under the “Sporting” group; and the Belgian Laekenois, which is a part of the “Herding” group.

The National Dog Show was founded in 1897 and started to occur annually in 1933. Only purebred dogs who are AKC registered are allowed to compete in the show.

National Dog Show
Last year, Gia, a Greyhound, was named Best in Show out of six other finalists. Twitter
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