Hi my name is Kylie Soafer and this was my fourth visit to the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, and what a grand show it is. I previously had the opportunity to compete in the National Championship in Long Beach, California, but nothing quite compares to the Westminster Dog Show. You may know that the Westminster show is one of the oldest events in America’s history, second only to the Kentucky Derby. A grand show like this should be held in a grand city, and New York certainly fits the bill. Participating in a time-honored event such as this is truly special to me.

So let’s start with the best part: the results. This year I showed both in breed (Weimaraners) and Junior Showmanship. Juniors was great, always is, but I didn’t get too far; the real thrill was showing to a Best of Opposite Sex award in breed. Of course most of the credit for that goes to the great breeding of Wismar Kennels. I will give myself credit for some of the handling skill, but only as a nod to the great mentorship I have received over the years from Susan Wise and Amy Young.

 In addition to all the fun inside the ring, we had a lot of fun outside the ring as well. For one, New York City has the best Chinese and Italian food on the planet. Taking in the Phantom of the Opera on Broadway is not something you can do everyday either - what a blast! Of course PETA provided their own form of entertainment this year. I’ll try to forget that one. In the end nothing compares to the Westminster show experience, it is arguably the greatest show on Earth and I’m glad I had a part in it.