Silly Fun with the AKC's Meet the Breeds

Do you have any kind of ritual that is super silly on the surface but provides such fun and laughter that you just have to do it regularly?  For GC and I, it’s become an annual outing to attend a very fun little showcase held each year at the Javits Center called “Meet the Breeds.”

And it’s a showcase of…

….dogs.  Specifically, every breed the American Kennel Club recognizes – more than 160 types! It’s completely silly…and insanely fun for dog lovers like us.

Stuffed animal or chow?

Lined up alphabetically, the owners/dogs let you pet, ask questions and just generally inform you of the background of each dog.  The pups are oftentimes show dogs and the breeders recognized as best in class, so everyone is super friendly and informative and the dogs have great temperaments. Case in point, GC up close and personal with a Boston Terrier and sheep dog! (Can you tell he is into this?)

Some of the owners also get reallllly into it.  I missed the name of this dog, but the owners left very little to the imagination in terms of letting you know where it came from:

Some owners also get into their own costumes, as demonstrated in the Corgi booth!  The Corgi, as some may know, are the favorite pet of Queen Elizabeth.

Some other favorites included flat faced little pugs:

Massive Irish Deerhounds:

Parsons Terriers (formerly Jack Russel Terriers, and the main breed that makes up my sweet little mutt, Pelusa):

Additionally, one of the coolest things is coming face to face with rare dogs you won’t see just roaming the streets. Such as the Komondor, which has hair that grows in as soft natural dreadlocks:

Or massive Mastiffs, which reach a full-grown man’s height when they stand on their back legs and reach 180 – 200 pounds…but remain so sweet:

There are also some cats, but cats give me insane allergic reactions, so we kind of skip them…but we spied a couple beautiful breeds like these aptly named “jungle cats.”

Anyways, a totally carefree way to spend an afternoon, especially if you have children that love animals! All the booths are so great about having kids come over and pet the animals. Here’s to ridiculous traditions!