Show Dogs Awards Night In New York

Here's a bit of fun and frivolity. I'm in New York for a few days on business, in part to attend and participate in the Westminster Dog Show (which runs Monday and Tuesday); and surrounding events. I've been going to Westminster for the past 6 years, and I look forward to it every year. As Americans, we are not alone in our love of dogs and the sport of showing dogs for competition. Dog shows are amazingly popular here in the US and many countries worldwide. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a venerable institution, with all the pomp, circumstance and good fun too. They promote responsible breeding practices. Most people involved in dog shows love dogs and enjoy spending their lives learning, loving and living with their favorite breed, usually because of the personalities of a particular breed. Breed enthusiasts are really into their favorites. I have my own favorite...with two standard poodles, I now consider myself a "poodle person". I'm sure this will attract my usual share of nut-job extremists who will leave a comment chastising me for not rescuing dogs, bla bla bla. Well of course there are plenty of GREAT dogs in shelters that deserve homes. And the last time I checked, this a free country, so I would tell those extremists to chill out and recognize that people are free to enjoy pure breeds and appreciate dogs of any variety. Since I do happen to care, I may as well mention that if you are so inclined to add a dog to your life, do consider visiting a shelter. You can find both pure and mixed breed dogs who need someone's love, affection and a good home. There, I said it. OK now back to the fun stuff. So last night was the 55th Annual Show Dogs of the Year Awards, an evening to recognize the top judges, trainers, breeders, handlers, and owner teams. It is a rarefied group of the exalted within the dog show world. It is a fancy black tie affair- a good excuse to pull out all the stops and have fun. Oh by the way, the top photo above left is me with friend Michelle.

above: the statuettes are lined up waiting for the awards ceremony.

above: in the center of each table were beautiful arrangements of roses, and copies of Dogs in Review magazine for 2010.

above: I'm partial to poodles- so I snapped a photo of these two posters. There were breeds for each dog group, but I conveniently forgot to take photos of them!

above: dessert was dark chocolate "purses" of chocolate mousse, topped with white chocolate dog, so delish!
Fabulous After Party Entertainment
After the awards, a small group of us went to a lounge called the Carnegie Club, where they featured "Sinatra Saturdays", right up my alley...

above: The Stan Rubin Orchestra was already performing when we arrived. I love the big band sound, it isn't common to find places that still feature this style of entertainment anymore.

above: we made our way to the mezzanine lounge, where I took a few photos of the orchestra, and the lead vocalist who was channeling Frank Sinatra.

above: I just like this view of the bar below, with the orchestra in the distance. This was like a 1950's lounge. It was filled with pleasant aroma of cigar smoke and swell music.
Check out this groovy video from the club:


above: once we had our champagne, we decided it was time for cigars...

above: I'm not a smoker by nature but once or twice a year I enjoy a good cigar.

above: The atmosphere, music and company made for a perfect way to wind down a great night in Manhattan. New York, the city so nice they named it twice.
-Rick Rockhill