How do Westminster Dog Show attendees travel to New York? With planning and lots of goodies.

The A-listers who traveled to New York last weekend, gathered for the biggest event of their careers, arrived by car and driver, or on planes surrounded by entourages. They didn’t even carry their own passports, much less pack their food or squeaky toys.

Each of them, however, is a very good dog.

About 2,500 top dogs are in New York City to compete in this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Breed judging, the marquee event, will begin on Monday, while several hundred other dogs have already battled in events that test agility, obedience and the ability to dive as far away from a dock as possible.

Getting on the show takes years of training and effort. Getting to the show requires extensive organization on the part of owners and handlers, who plan road or plane trips lasting hours or days, pack thousands of dollars worth of equipment – grooming tables, industrial hair dryers, leashes, collars, toys, food and more – and pray that neither delays nor cancellations derail your itineraries.

Treats are non-negotiable.

“I try to stock up on healthy, single-ingredient treats like freeze-dried duck or freeze-dried liver,” said Shell Lewis, 71, who came to New York with a Russell terrier and a Cairn terrier. On show days, however, your dogs receive “something special and of high value”.

“It’s a McDonald’s drive-thru to buy two sausage biscuits – I eat the biscuits, they get the sausage,” she said.

See how some show dogs and their entourages traveled to Westminster.

Taking the road

In the United States, accumulating titles in local, regional and national dog competitions requires constant driving, with long trips being the norm. Most dogs, their trainers say, are used to the road.

Lewis drove 14 hours from Geneva, Illinois, for Spangle, his 2-year-old Russell terrier, to compete in the agility event (unfortunately, Spangle was knocked out in the preliminaries). her 7-year-old Cairn terrier.

“They haven’t learned to drive yet,” Lewis said, “but they are excellent travelers.”

Krysthel Moore and Quinnzel, her Border Collie, who with a 15-foot jump reached the dock diving final, drove eight hours from their home in Quebec. Quinnzel napped most of the time, said Moore, 40.

Quinnzel barely notices a change in the environment, Moore added. “She doesn’t care where we are, she just likes being around me.”

Some attendees traveled by car to the show. Jenni Nieft and Kris Dunlap, who met at a dog show three years ago, drove from Wyoming for more than two days with Rowan, an 85-pound Bracco Italiano, and 52-pound Keeva, a Weimaraner. Both dogs will compete in the breed trial on Tuesday.

“They start young, they are cage trained and they just get used to it,” said Nieft, 53, who added that on road trips, exercise and bathroom breaks are crucial. “We guide the trip around your comfort.”

Driving was the only transportation option: Some dogs, like Rowan, are too big to fly, as commercial airlines have weight and carrier size limits.

Dogs don’t travel light, as Jamie Goodrich, 41, elaborated. Traveling from Central Square, NY, north of Syracuse, she packed her 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan with two boxes, two folding chairs, three gallons of water, dog and human emergency kits, two suitcases of human clothing, three collars, days of feed, cleaning equipment – ​​several brushes, scissors, a water spray bottle, a table, scissors – and an electric fan.

“Oh, and the dog,” she said of Aero, her Akita who will compete in the breed trial on Tuesday. (The fan keeps the Aero from overheating behind the scenes.)

Traveling by plane

Other dogs were flown to New York, which required compiling myriad documents, preparing vaccinations and navigating a minefield of various airline policies and breed and weight restrictions.

Janice Hayes, a 42-year-old professional trainer from Palm Springs, California, flies regularly to show dogs. Buddy Holly, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, won the top prize at last year’s Westminster (“He’s got more miles than all of us,” said Mrs. Hayes).

Buddy Holly is now retired, but traveled again this year to enjoy his final moments as defending champion and to accompany three other show dogs. Britney and Spotify, also a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens, are being shown, as is Hayden, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Due to their size, the three Petit Basset Griffon Vendéens fly in crates and in the luggage rack. Hayden flew in the cockpit.

Arriving at the airport hours in advance is one of Hayes’ travel strategies, as is reserving a seat on the side of the plane with a view of the plane’s hold—watching the dogs being loaded provides welcome reassurance that the dogs are there, too. on my way.

Dozens of dogs traveled from abroad to compete in this year’s show. Anel Vazquez Franchini and her dog Khaleesi, a 5-year-old bearded collie, flew in from Mexico City.

“We don’t have many bearded collies here. It’s easy to win when there’s no competition,” said Vasquez Franchini of Mexico’s dog shows. The Westminster show, she said, is a coveted opportunity for Khaleesi — or Kaly for short — to really prove herself.

Requirements for animals to travel internationally vary from country to country and can change frequently. Starting in August, dogs entering the United States must be microchipped and vaccinated against rabies.

Dogs living in the European Union who wish to travel internationally – or whose humans make that decision for them – must have their own pet passport. This document, issued by veterinarians, contains microchip registration, vaccination history and ownership information. It is mandatory for re-entry into the EU

Vitellozzo, a 2-year-old French bulldog who lives in Croatia with her coach, Valentina Zupan, has this passport. He is an experienced international traveler – this is his second time in the United States.

During the flight, Vitellozzo did not need tranquilizers or other medications, Zupan, 32, said. His box fits under the plane seat and he slept for most of the trip, which included driving to Budapest, flying to Warsaw and then Chicago for another show and then driving to New York.

Sharing rooms and beds

Housing the dogs and their humans overnight are the hotels closest to the show location, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

“Big dogs, small dogs, fancy dogs, regular dogs, it’s a lot,” said Raquan Williams, receptionist at the sold-out Four Points by Sheraton in Flushing. “We love it.”

In addition to nightly rates over $200, hotels often charge a one-time pet fee that can cost upwards of $100. Most Westminster groomers and owners share rooms with their dogs.

And beds.

“My dogs take up an entire bed. I’m lucky if I can sleep at the top,” said Patty Berkovitz, 69, who with her partner Jack Florek and two Irish Wolfhounds, Rowan and Brody, are staying at the Hilton Garden Inn in Long Island City. Rowan and Brody will compete – against each other – in the breed judging. All four creatures are in one room and each of the dogs weighs more than 160 pounds.

With such big bedfellows, Florek, 71, joked that his main strategy was to go to bed before the dogs, something he failed to do on Friday night.

“I was the little spoon,” he said.

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