Editorial: January 27, 2023

The year 2022 has ended. Now the planning for the 67th Purina® Pro Plan® Show Dogs of the Year Awards Dinner partnered with Dog News is in full swing. The show results for the year end have been calculated by the American Kennel Club, and printed in the January 13 issue of Dog News and posted on our website. Once again, we congratulate the winners in every category. Last year, to keep the long tradition of the dinner as part of the Westminster Kennel Club weekend and thanks to the members of the Westminster Kennel Club, we were fortunate to host a cocktail party on the grounds of Lyndhurst, the venue for the dog show. Now we are very pleased to announce that the black-tie dinner will return to the beautiful New York landmark, Gotham Hall, in Manhattan on Sunday evening, May 7, 2023. Letters notifying the top-winning dogs in each variety group, top obedience dog and top-winning Junior showman will be mailed shortly, followed closely by the letters to those nominated in the online voting categories of Breeder of the Year, Owner Handler of the Year, Professional Handler of the Year, Judge of the Year and Show of the Year. Once the nominees have been notified, we will announce the starting date of the online voting for the above categories as well as the date on which voting will end. All these award winners will be honored at the dinner, as well as the lighthearted “Golden Pooper Scooper” award, then the more serious and coveted inductee to the Anne Rogers Clark Hall of Fame. While we all contribute to the sport and reap the benefits week in and week out, it is a wonderful, festive celebration of our sport of purebred dogs to recognize those dogs and honor the breeders, owners and handlers who have accomplished so much in the past year. It also honors those among us whom we feel have contributed something extra to their respective fields of expertise, whether it be as a breeder, owner-handler, professional handler, judge or dog show. As we have in years past, we look forward to helping celebrate these milestones that become part of the history of our sport. We will keep you updated as we get closer to the next step. And Now the Preparation….