Westminster, Pennsylvania and Rufus

Across from Madison Square Garden lies the Pennsylvania Hotel. It is a very old hotel, in fact it is in urgent need of renovation. So I was not very surprised that when I was headed to my studio on Sunday afternoon I saw a great influx of dogs coming in and out of the hotel...


A dog hotel!
Genius!
The decrepit old Pennsylvania needed an angle, something catchy...
Only in New York I thought, only in New York.

I know, I know. I shouldn't have been surprised. But when I saw the hotel sign welcoming contestants to the Westminster 2007 Dog show, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. I mean this is New York! We need a dog hotel!

I still couldn't resist going in though. Once inside, dogs of all shapes and sizes were meeting and greeting each other, seemingly not bothered by the fact that their owners let anyone and everyone photograph them...
While shooting one of these perfect examples of a canine, an owner asked me:
"do you know who this (dog) is?"
-Excuse me?
"This is Rufus! the best of show from last year!"
-oh right, how could I forget?
-Nice doggy.

Rufus. Best of show 2006

Talking to some of the dog owners and fans, I learned a lot about the show world. It's quite fascinating. The dogs are divided into seven categories, categories which include such groupings as "working class" and "toy" (dogs)!
Rumor has it that this year a bored oil magnate (I wonder where he could be from?) has spent over half a million promoting his "dog" (are they still called dogs at this point?).






P.S. Anyone interested in investing in a "LUXURY Dog Hotel" here in NYC? I'm now taking bidders...