Some might say that the Westminster is not a sport, but it was chronicled for years that way and the indisputable fact is, it is second only to the Kentucky Derby as America's longest running annual sporting event. Started by a group of wealthy sportsman to show off their hunting dogs in 1877 at The Westminster Hotel in NYC, it is now heading for it's 129th year and has been synomous with Madison Square Garden through its history at all three locations. It has also been compared to by todays media as the Superbowl or World Series of the dog show world. No one will argue with that, but unlike the Superbowl or Series which is held at the end of the season, Westminster is held in February....kind of like the Daytona 500 .... spectacular and flashy, with a big crowd, yet doggedly different!

From the little I know about it, I would argue that dog shows certainly contain many elements of most sporting events that requires training, dedication, discipline, and perserverence. But perhaps the one thing that puts all those spectators in the stands is the suspense of the outcome. At Westminster that rings true. One of the top pro dog people in the game today is Bill McFadden who has been quoted as saying "Anything can happen at the Garden."

As you will find out 1936 was one of those years when Anything Could and Did happen there.