What Makes Me Sad

The Westminster Dog Show people make me sad.

You see, I look so forward each year to the Westminster Dog Show in February. Yes, I admit it. I look forward to it for a good month before the event. To me, it is a better harbinger of Spring than the groundhog. I love to watch it even though I realize that makes me something of a shallow person. I have a dear friend who is very much "into" dogs. So it surprised me when I mentioned last year about watching the WDS that she responded by saying, "Why?? That's just a silly beauty contest!" Hmmm, I'd never actually thought about it in those terms. Yeah, it is pretty much the Miss America Pageant for dogs. Well, except that they don't have to come out dressed in skimpy bathing suits. But still, it is all about appearances and nothing to do with function. Which certainly is a big difference between dogs and humans, but that we'll save for another posting.

But I still loved the pageantry, the excitement, and the opportunity to watch what are absolutely the most gorgeous dogs in the country and even the world strut their stuff. Ohh, fair warning. MAJOR anthropomorphising is about to happen. You see, I believe that some dogs are vain and shallow just like humans and actually enjoy being out there with all eyes focused on them for their moment of fame. And I base that on a dog I used to have. A toy poodle named Cherie Amour. She was an absolutely beautiful and extremely intelligent dog. Every time we'd have her groomed, she would strut around the house for a week. That dog could have been the inspiration for Madonna's song "Vogue" because she would walk into the livingroom and, if there was a sufficient audience, she would suddenly stop and strike a pose. Plus, after each grooming, she would accompany the first person into the bathroom, wait for them to close the door, and then thoroughly examine herself in the full-length mirror. Apparently pleased with her new "do," she would lie down in front of the mirror and continue to gaze appreciatively at herself. No kidding. It was hysterical! So there you have it--my evidence that some dogs are vain.

But, unfortunately, the WDS people ruined it for me this year. How? Well, for some years, Pedigree dog food has been a major sponsor of the show. And each year, they have produced some brilliant tear-jerking commercials to expose the plight of shelter dogs. Their campaign, which I thought was tremendously effective, was "Don't pity a shelter dog. Adopt one." And I never saw the Oliver set of commercials that I didn't ball like a baby. Pedigree used these commercials to get donations for their foundation that provides major support for shelters across the country. A company that has a heart. You don't see that very much anymore and I thought it was wonderful of them to use the Westminster two-day show to do a major fund-raising campaign for their foundation.

Well, this year, the Westminster people contacted Pedigree and told them they no longer wanted them to be a sponsor. Why, in heavens name you ask, would an event turn down a major sponsor? Because the WDS people were concerned the serious nature and content of the Pedigree commercials was causing viewers to turn away. That the emotional effect was making people change the channel. Oh PUH-LEASE!! Those commercials were one of the major reasons I watched.

Wow, talk about class warfare! The hoity-toity richy Rich's didn't want any "downers" to their happy little self-loving festival. Can't you just see them all looking down their sophisticated noses at those mutts in the commercials and saying, "Who let them in? Oh Jeeves, please remove the rubbish from the room." Talk about shallow. Man, that totally takes the cake. You won't let a worthy cause solicit funding because its just too, too sad for your viewers.

So I didn't watch. I wanted to, but I didn't. Honestly, I felt like a drug addict with my fingers twitching on the remote. I so wanted to push the buttons and get my "It's really almost Spring doggy fix." But I resisted. And I'm glad I did. My tiny little part of a larger protest that was borne on the Internet and the social media platforms this past weekend. I posted a message on the Westminster Dog Show Facebook page and was surprised at how many responses it got. I also posted on the Pedigree Facebook page.

In the end, congratulations to Malachy the Pekingese. But a major thumbs down to all the totally clueless people at Westminster who got nothing but bad press this weekend for a totally boneheaded move. Yep, they're in the Daily Dog Pile for sure!