The National Dog Show will be held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA this weekend with more than 150 breeds and 2,000 dogs.
“I think there’s something in it for everyone. There isn’t much programming anymore that hits all of our mass audience,” says John O’Hurley, TV host for the show, which is broadcast on NBC on Thanksgiving day.
While most of the country experiences the competition through the annual broadcast, those who attend the show get to take part in the one of the few “benched” dog shows in the country, which means all the competing dogs will be available for spectators to see and interact with, as well as talk to their owners, at least when they are not on stage competing.
“Dogs do something for us that nothing else can do, they round off the sharp edges of human experience. Anytime you have a dog with you, you are the best version of yourself,” says Hurley, who is also an author and actor, most widely known as J. Peterman on Seinfeld.
This year there will be two new breeds on display at the show, the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen and the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje.
“We call them new breeds but some of these breeds have been around for years,” says National Dog Show Analyst David Frei. “They’re new to the competition, but they’re not really new breeds; they didn’t just show up out of nowhere.”
The National Dog Show Best of Show competition will be on Saturday, while Sunday will feature enhanced athletic-dog exhibitions and other family-friendly and hands-on activities.
There will be agility and dock-diving demonstrations by the dogs, rescue groups will have adoptable dogs, therapy dogs will be onsite for children, and vendors will be offering various pet supplies. The MetroKids staff will be there both days, so stop by to say hello.
Matthew Brooks is a MetroKids intern and student at Drexel University.
. The Best of Show competition will take place Saturday for broadcast on NBC on Thanksgiving day.){kind=link}