Editorial: January 19, 2024

The new year has begun, and now the Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs of the Year Awards Dinner partnered with Dog News is getting into high gear in preparation for the Sunday, May 12, black-tie dinner, to be held once again at the extraordinary and unique Gotham Hall in Manhattan. Now with a myriad of conference calls and in-person meetings, everything is starting to come together. Menu, table settings and centerpieces, table placement … check. Congratulatory letters were sent to the designated person of the seven top-winning dogs for 2023. Congratulatory letters were also sent to the owner of the top-winning Obedience Dog and to the top-winning Junior Handler. Also in the mail are congratulatory letters to the three nominees in each of the five following categories; Judge of the Year, Professional Handler of the Year, Breeder of the Year, Owner Handler of the Year and Show of the Year. The winners of those categories will be voted on through an online voting system to start at a later date, to be announced. Hopefully, as requested, these nominees will keep their nominations secret until the voting starts … Check. Next, the evening’s entertainment has to be contacted and contracts signed. Accommodations made. The entertainer always has an association with musical theatre on Broadway … Check. It does take a village to put all this together, starting with the Purina Pro Plan movers and shakers — some, like Scott Smith, Annie Balotti and Corey Benedict, are well known to the dog-showing public, along with St. Louis-based Sherry Bresnahan and Nancy Herron, who has us check in on a regular basis so that nothing slips through the cracks. They are joined by the Dog News office and our dinner coordinator Vikki Oelerich. Then, of course, once all the winners, nominees and their guests and other officials are invited, comes to the guest list. Space prevents us from inviting all those you would like to have in attendance. It’s the hardest part of putting the evening together. Once it’s all done and dusted, we all look forward to a great evening celebrating our sport and those of us who have had a great year in the show ring. OK, there is one other thing we don't look forward to … will the tuxedo fit … to be announced!