By Final Day/Day 2 of the Dog Show. I’m not sleeping well, which is actually fairly typical when I travel (and crazy that I used to travel so much for work. I guess I never slept). Today is mostly big dogs and Tonight is the BIG night for Best in Show at Madison Square Gardens.
More of the same as yesterday. I spend some time in the show area and some time in the bench area. There are so many golden retrievers and labradors that they have to divide the group into multiple judging rings.
I am fascinated by two breeds at the moment: Irish Wolfhound and Clumber Spaniel. The Wolfhound caught my eye because it is just about the opposite of Mavis. I figured a change would do me good. I was ready to start my hunt for a local rescue when I did some more research. Much to my dismay I discovered that the lifespan of an Irish Wolfhound is 6-10 years. I honestly don’t know that my heart can handle another heartbreak so soon. So the Irish Wolfhound is temporarily on the backburner. The Clumber Spaniel caught my eye…well.. just because. It is goofy-looking and seems to be sweet-natured. If do decide to choose a purebred, these two are the top contenders. Truthfully, I’m more of a rescue/mutt lover. I’ll see what God sends my way.
After the show we pulled ourselves together, eating once again at the Long Acre tavern and then it was time to head to Madison Square Garden. This is only about a 1/2 mile or so from our hotel, but one of our ladies is not that ambulatory, so we took an Uber. I’ve never attended a concert/show at Madison Square Gardens…so this was exciting for me in more ways than one. We found our seats and settled in for the remaining ‘semi-finals’ and then the main event – Best in Show. I was rooting for all the dogs but mostly for the Old English Sheepdog. I thought for sure the Aghan had it. But what do I know? Zero, apparently. Penny the Doberman won Best in Show, with Runner-up going to the Chesapeake Bay retriever.
We experienced the mass exodus from MSG…which was chaotic. The escalators weren’t working so your options were 1) wait for an elevator 2) walk down the stairs or 3)walk down the escalators. We ended up separated into two pairs, but eventually made it down to the bottom. My friend struggled greatly…I was pleasantly surprised that the other attendees were decidedly patient with her.
There was mass demand for Ubers, so I suggested we walk back to the hotel. It is rather a pleasant walk – although in retrospect I feel bad for putting my friend through it. My logic was that by the time we called an Uber and got through the traffic/rush hour, the walk would have had us there at the same time. Plus it truly is a straight shot. Fun fact: The Empire State Building is lit up in Westminster Dog Show colors for the show!
We made it back to the hotel safe and sound.
No luggage – it is still sitting at a warehouse in New Jersey.
