It’s. That. Time. Again. Excuse my enthusiasm, but it is time for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Forget all the other dog shows that populate the television, this is the Academy Awards for Dogs. This is the big show.

I get all excited and sit glued to the tv for hours watching the best of the best dogs as they parade by. Then the next morning I call my agent and we compare notes. “What did you think of the Bernese?” “Wasn’t that <insert toy group dog of choice here> hilarious?”

This is my tenth year of this, my February addiction, and every year I love it just a little bit more. I watch the breeds looking for dogs I would love to own. And I listen to the commentary for historical notes about the various older breeds and then research them for my books. The Westminster Dog Show has given me such characters as Rowan the Irish Wolfhound from Tempted by the Night: and Brutus the nearly loveable, full of small dog attitude Affenpinscher from Love Letters from a Duke:

So settle in tonight and tomorrow night and go to the dogs. And after you’ve watched the Westminster, then go rent “Best in Show” which is a tongue-in-cheek “documentary” about a big dog show. It’s a hilarious follow up to watching the real thing.

And if you are wondering who won last week’s contest with Samantha James it was Pam B!  Thanks so much to Samantha for coming by the blog and supplying such fun topics and thanks to everyone who came by to comment, share the blog around and enter.