For some, Thanksgiving Day means nonstop football on television, but in this house, it’s National Dog Show Day! For the last 23 years, the Philadelphia Kennel Club has teamed up with NBC to film the National Dog Show, which airs on Thanksgiving Day right after the legendary Macy’s Parade. While the broadcast is aired on Thanksgiving, the actual show will happen and be filmed on Saturday, Nov. 15, and the public is encouraged to attend.
If you love dogs or want a family-friendly event for the kids, the National Dog Show is the event for you. A short ride to The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, will have you in dog heaven in no time. There are 1,994 dogs entered, representing 207 different breeds, and they are all available for you to meet and greet. Every breed from the large Irish Wolfhound to the tiny Chihuahua will be on hand, ready and willing to be worshiped by the public. If you like Chihuahuas, there will be 18 long-coated ones and 16 smooth-coated ones there for you to dote upon. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live with the most popular dog in the country, the French Bulldog, 24 of them will be there, as well as their breeders, who can talk to you about what they are like to live with and what a good Frenchie is. If you have never heard of, let alone seen, a Xoloitzcuintli (pronounced show-low-its-queentli or “xolo” for short), there will be 16 of them there for you to meet.
Aside from petting beautiful dogs all day, there will be plenty of other things to do there. You can watch dogs in action doing agility, catching frisbees, and doing trick demonstrations. The public is invited to watch group judging, which is filmed for Thanksgiving Day and leads to Best in Show. In addition, there are vendors galore, like my dogs’ personal favorite, White Dog Bone, which has every dog treat known to man, and my personal favorite, MacKenzie Dog Collars. The Philadelphia Kennel Club also donates a tremendous amount of money to local Philadelphia-based dog rescues, and many of those organizations are on hand with available dogs. You could also easily run into the show’s hosts, NBC Sportscaster Mary Carillo, David Frei, and John O’Hurley of “Seinfeld” fame. Last year, my puppy, Kabuki, filmed a segment for the show with Mary, and we had a blast.
Last year, a pug named Vito won Best in Show. I think this year the competition is in the Terrier Group between a Scottish Terrier named Beatrice and Faith, the Sealyham Terrier.
The Expo Center is located at 100 Station Road, Oaks, PA, 19456. The show starts at 8 a.m.
Dogs are natural therapists, and a visit to The National Dog Show is sure to put a smile on everyone’s face! If you make it to the show, stop by and say hi to my white bull terrier, Kabuki. She lives to meet and greet!
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net.
Heidi Clayton started Four On the Floor Dog Training to provide positive, reward-based dog training in South Jersey. She breeds, trains and shows bull terriers under the SoraBully’s Bull Terriers kennel name. Email questions to heidi@fouronthefloordogtraining.net or learn more at https://fouronthefloordogtraining.net
