The Gossip Column: May 22, 2026

WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB'S big news is it’s dog show will be live on NETFLIX for its evening group and best in show judging from MADISON SQUARE GARDEN and the daytime breed judging from the JAVITS CENTER streamed on TUDUM and WESTMINSTER WEBSITES. This new arrangement will open WESTMINSTER to those NETFLIX customers around the world. What a fabulous way to promote pure bred dogs and for the public to see the enjoyment owners get in showing their dogs. In this week’s editorial we published both judging panels (breeds, group and best) for WESTMINSTER and the AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP as they were released just one day apart. So I would like to acknowledge the other non regular judges. The Junior Showmanship judges are MADELINE PETERSON and TRACIE LALIBERTE  doing the preliminaries and LISA GALLIZZO  the finals. Judging the non regular classes in Orlando at the AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in Junior Showmanship, the preliminaries are ADAM PETERSON (whose wife is judging the same classes at Westminster) and CAROLINE CLEGG with MARY DUKES judging the final. The very popular Bred by Exhibitor competition will be headed by judge DAVID KIRKLAND with the Sporting Group judged by DEBBIE CAMPBELL-FREEMAN, the Hound Group by JON COLE, the Working Group by STEVEN KEATING, the Terrier Group by VALERIE RICKARD, the Toy Group by ANGELA PICKETT, the Non Sporting by HAROLD “RED” TATRO III and the Herding Group by LINDA CLARK. Also judging in the NOHS is DANIEL SMYTH judging Best with SHARON ANN REDMER Sporting Breeds and Group, BRYAN MARTIN Hound Breeds and Group, CHRIS ANN MOORE Working Breeds and Group, Terrier Breeds and Group TODD CLYDE, Toy Breeds and Group DEBRA FERGUSON-JONES, Non-Sporting Breeds and Group TODD CLYDE and Herding Breeds and Group SHARON ANN REDMER. GLADYS KNIGHT has nothing on the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB as its Friendship Train continues to add passengers. They have now announced a mutual cooperation agreement with the KOREA KENNEL FEDERATION. In 2007 we recognized the Korean organization but one of the new additions to this recognition is to “explore opportunities to hold events.” As if we didn't have enough dog shows in the United States, are we becoming an International FCI-type of Kennel Association with dog shows held under AKC rules around the World? First Mexico City and now Seoul? Look around, our dog shows are dying a slow death, why not concentrate on dog shows in our country?