The 136th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show begins Monday in New York. Dogs from across the country come for two days to compete in the world's most famous dog show against top entries in their breed and group. Rhodesian Ridgebacks, French Bulldogs, Labrador Retrievers and over 150 other breeds arrived in New York this weekend to prepare for the show.
The prestigious show will feature 2,077 dogs and 105 Junior Showmanship entries. Dogs come from 47 states across the United States, with the most entries coming from New York, California and Pennsylvania.
Dogs will compete against each other in breeds and varieties in the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups on Monday. The Group competition will be in the evening. Tuesday will feature the Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups. From the over 2,000 competitors, 185 will win Best of Breed awards and seven will be Group winners of the Best in Show competition late Tuesday.
Take a closer look at behind-the-scenes pictures of the dogs as they arrive in New York to prepare for the show.
Charles Weidig arrives with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Flair, at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City to check in for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Feb. 10, 2012. The 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the country's oldest and largest dog show competition, takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Feb. 13 and 14.REUTERS/Mike Segar REUTERS/MikJoan Behrend of Long Island, New York, carries her Pomeranian, Honey Nut Cheerio, at the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City after arriving for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. REUTERS/Mike SegarRonnie Goldberg of New Jersey holds Butterfly Kisses, a Yorkshire Terrier, in the lobby of the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York after arriving for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. REUTERS/Mike SegarA Cavalier King Charles Spaniel waits in a cage outside the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City before checking in for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. REUTERS/Mike SegarJoe Buchannan of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania places his Cavalier King Charles Spaniels into a cage as he is helped by a doorman into the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City to check in for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog ShowREUTERS/Mike SegarGilbert, a three-year-old Briard breed, leaps on his owner Delores Dement of Memphis, Tennessee as they arrive to check into the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City for the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. REUTERS/Mike SegarChesney, a French Bulldog, stands on the sidewalk outside the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City before the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. RETERS/Mike SegarTommy, a Yorkshire Terrier, is held by its owner Fred Wolpert in the Pennsylvania Hotel in New York City before the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. REUTERS/Mike Segar
