Long before the Super Bowl, there was the Westminster Dog Show.

The competition is hailed as the second oldest sporting event in American history, next to the Kentucky Derby.

You’d think that a parade of perfectly groomed pups would evoke nothing short of endless joy, but it’s highly competitive – it turns out ‘dog moms’ (and dads) can be just as intense as ‘dance moms’.

On Monday, February 10, the competition marks its 144th year. With almost a century and a half of shows to look back on, you’re guaranteed to find a few controversial moments.

INSIDER rounded them all up, and we picked the top five from their list.

Intrigue and Poisoning

Tragedy struck in 1895 when eight dogs were poisoned with strychnine, a strong odourless poison, at the show.

The eight toy dogs — Yorkshire Terriers, Japanese Chins, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels — were all poisoned the morning before the competition, according to The New York Times.

Unfortunately, all eight dogs died. Their deaths made front-page of the New York Times, with the headline “Eight of Mrs. Senn’s Pets Killed by a Miscreant at the Dog Show. Jealousy believed the Motive”.

In 2013, another pup, Cruz, a Samoyed, appeared to die of poison a few days after competing at the Westminster Dog Show. Investigations revealed that the show has been tampered with, often, by people with nefarious intentions.

PETA Protests

In 2010, PETA activists Dana Sylvester and Hope Round walked into the Best in Show ring just before the winner was crowned carrying signs that read “Mutts Rule” and “Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs’ Chances”.

Police told AP that Sylvester and Round were charged with criminal trespass. PETA said the women had acted on their own, but that the organization supported their actions.

PETA has held a number of protests outside Madison Square Garden during the Westminster Dog Show through the years.

To be fair, the Westminster Dog Show hasn’t endeared itself to animal activists. In 2012, it dumped its long-time sponsor Pedigree after its advert featuring shelter dogs, with the following reasoning:

“Show me an ad with a dog with a smile, don’t try to shame me,” Westminster’s veteran host David Frei told The Associated Press. “We told them that, and they ignored us.”

Not a good look.

Scandals Within The American Kennel Club (AKC)

The AKC is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the US. In 2012, it was revealed that the organisation was hiding a dark secret.

But a New York Times report revealed that a number of kennel owners whose litters were registered to the AKC — and, in some cases, were inspected by the organization — had been arrested on charges of animal cruelty.

The AKC has ties to the dog show, so this was a pretty big scandal.

Gender Trouble

In 2018, Reuters revealed that male dogs were more likely to win the competition than female dogs.

The report, which asked if there was a “glass ceiling for dogs,” showed that male dogs had won the competition 71 times, while female dogs had only won it 39 times.

Betty-Anne Stenmark, who judged Westminster’s Best in Show in 2018, rejected these claims, saying that male and female dogs both had a 50/50 shot of winning.

Judging, she claimed, is highly subjective.

Burns Got Burned

The biggest controversy from 2019 came when a beloved dachshund named Burns didn’t take home the top prize.

Burns became a huge fan-favorite at the competition thanks to his adorable prance and proud smile.

So many viewers were outraged when Burns lost out to King, the 15th wire fox terrier to win Best in Show in Westminster’s history.

Poor Burns. You can see him above, and he is very cute.

If you’d like to see the lighter side of the Westminster Dog Show go here, here and here for pictures and videos of winners from the last few years.

Then head on over to Pet Culture and get your prized pooch a treat.

They’ve earned it.

[source:insider]