It is, officially, The AKC National Championship Dog Show presented by Royal Canin. There’s something for everyone there – Conformation, Obedience, Agility, Dock Diving, FAST CAT, Vendors, and more. Over 9,000 dogs entered over the weekend(!), this really is The Big Dog Show.
We got in the rental car on Friday and decided to “stop by” the convention center before we even checked in to our hotel. “Let’s not even take cameras. Let’s just run in and grab my credentials, and take a peak around,” I remember Maggie saying. This was about 2:30 in the afternoon, and most local shows tend to be winding down by then. Friday in Orlando is Specialty Day, however. There were still lots of people and dogs on site, and many breeds hadn’t gotten to BIS yet.
From the moment we stepped into the building, we felt the electricity in the air. One million square feet to explore! We took one look around and burst out laughing – How could we have left the cameras behind?! There’s sooo much here! Grooming setups covered in garland and tinsel; inflatable SantaDogs, decorated with rosettes from the week thus far; it was really like no other show during the year.

With no real plan for the day, we set about seeking the people in charge of press credentials. This journey took us past the AKC Museum of the Dog’s booth, and we stopped right there to visit with our friends from the Museum. Alan and Sarah were warm and welcoming and we spent quite a while chatting about upcoming events there.

Conveniently located right next door was the booth for Showsight magazine. Margaret was covering the weekend for them, so it was great to meet some of their people that we’d only spoken to by email or telephone.
We’ve been in the building for 15 or 20 minutes, and we’ve had the business meetings we needed to conduct “sometime” during the weekend! Now we’re laughing and joking about what a great trip we’re already having. And Maggie is pulling out the cell phone to make up for her lack of a camera in hand. We didn’t get to our hotel to check in until close to 7pm!
It was raining and miserable outside on Friday and Saturday, but inside the joy and warmth were palpable. People who are excited to be experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime event with their canine partner, whether it was in the breed ring or one of the many performance/sport rings. I visited with friends who had made the trip for the first time, and with others for whom it has become an annual pilgrimage. I made new friends while photographing all of the beautiful teams ringside and in the grooming areas.

There were more vendors here than I’ve seen in years, and some of the most interesting and beautiful items were on display. Artists of all sorts, from a painter who comes from France annually, to a sculptor who brought along several works-in-progress, to vendors who hand-craft beautiful leashes and collars, and many more.
Sunday, the rain had stopped and we were able to save steps and walk across the street to the convention center (Instead of taking the covered walkway that took us ½ mile out of the way!). There were different breeds inside today, and it felt like less dogs. Apparently, lots of exhibitors took the huge storm very seriously and decided to get their return trips started before the weather changed their plans. That didn’t stop us from having another fun-filled day of dogs and friends. It’s such a teeny tiny world, I had lunch with someone I’d never met, but who had just played host the past week to the breeder my 2 dogs came from!
The last evening, we were planning to bring dinner back to the room and sit and edit all night. Instead, we decided to head downstairs to where we’d seen a large screen set up with AKC TV on it. We ordered drinks and found empty seats among a group watching the Groups that were taking place across the street. The ladies we sat with were fabulous and fun, and when the streaming became glitchy it caused peals of laughter to erupt. It was the best cap to a tremendous weekend.
Traveling home on Monday, we kept talking about how much fun we’d had. And that it appeared the same was true for many others. The week before Christmas seems like an odd choice of timing, but I think that it helps to create the jovial environment. We’re all feeling celebratory and festive.

Pam Loeb
Senior Editor of DogsOutsideTheRing