From an AP story by Ginger Tidwell and Ben Walker headlined “Good dogs! 20 years of covering Westminster Kennel Club show”:
To every sport, there’s a season, a spot on the calendar that fans mark for the big event. World Series, October. College hoops, March. Indy 500, Memorial Day.
For dog owners, it’s right around Valentine’s Day. That’s when they normally cuddle up on the couch with their pooch to watch the Super Bowl of Dogs — the Westminster Kennel Club show.
K-9 HEROES
Most years, a dog like Appollo wouldn’t get close to the green carpet at the Garden. But the show in 2002 was no ordinary show.
With New York City still in shock from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, 20 search and rescue dogs were honored for their tireless work at the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
At 10, Appollo the German shepherd was getting a bit gray in the muzzle, his teeth were yellowing. He didn’t look like the 2,500 perfectly primped pooches around him.
Yet there was hardly a dry eye as the 10,000 spectators stood and cheered for the German shepherds, retrievers and their partners, an ovation usually reserved for the star athletes who played in the arena. It was hard not to be swept up in the emotion.
A spotlight featured them as they walked one by one into the center ring and actress Glenn Close sang “God Bless America” during the 15-minute ceremony.
Not the usual reception for this group.
“We were pretty nervous,” said Lt. Daniel Donadio, head of the New York Police Department’s K-9 unit. “We’d rather face gunmen than the crowd.”
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