The Sunday before the Westminster Kennel Club Show here in New York is always a dizzying round of dog parties where the glitteratti of dogdom show up to see and be seen. And this year was no exception.
I was kindly invited to attend the elegant
Bonham's pre-acution brunch with my friend and co-author, Christine Miele, president of the Golden Retriever's Club of America. We did
a wonderful book together which came out last year, but more about that later.
It was a fabulous affair with many stunning pieces of dog art, ceramics, metal castings, dog collars, etc. The walls were covered, floor to ceiling, with beloved dogs of yesteryear.
Waiters passed trays of delictables for both dogs and their people which were as creative as they were tasty. The caterer,
Gourmet Gal, was amazing! (gourmetgal.com) Quiches, fritattas, salmon blinis, and ginger dog biscuits for people, along with giant dog biscuits (for dogs) emblazoned with the word "Bonhams" (like dogs really care what it says.)
I happened to fall in love with a little dog painting of a small dog
with protruding tongue entitle "Impudence" by Charles Kay Robertson. The face reminded me of the famous
Mr. Winkle who shot to fame in 2000 with a wildly popular calendar. Winkle was named "The cutest dog in the universe" and a wave of Winklemania swept Japan like a tsunami of cuteness.
I
should have bid on this but am thinking I probably need a new flat
screen monitor instead. Sad. Anyway, I hope he finds a good home.
Our next stop was the elegant
Doyle Gallery on east 87th street where we attended a charity event for
Angels on a Leash, a wonderful therapy dog program that changes lives by integrating therapy dogs into patient care. The gallery was full of energy, people and dogs.We missed the presentation so went straight for the champagne and snacks which were plentiful.
We ran into David Frei, the beloved face of Westminster. There is no one on earth who is more generous and displays more grace under pressure than this man. He gives so much of his time and love to dogs, and has kindness left over for the people on the other end of the leash as well.
It was another room full of amazing art, amazing dogs and some amazing people!
Eli, the sartorial Chihuahua, was there with his companion, Karen, decked out in black tie. (We first met Eli last Christmas at the blessing of the animals in New York, dressed as a reindeer.)
Eli recently beat out the competition to win the honor of being on the Small Dog Milk Bone Box! He's appeared on the covers of New York Dog Magazine and New York Tails, and is the darling of the media.
Next stop, the open house at the
American Kennel Club. This annual event is the place to go to rub elbows with thejudges, the trainers, and the powerbrokers of dogdom. Their offices are nothing short of mindblowing with paintings and artwork, historical memorabilia, a library rich with dog reference material, and (on open house day) lots of snacks!
Upon exiting the elevators, we walked through the large glass doors and were greeted by a St. Bernard (painting) and a harpist and violin playing classical favorites. No dogs allowed at the party. But it was fine nonetheless.
Chris knows everyone, and ran into a whole pack of friends, from Cocker people to Irish Wolfhound people to PBGV people! Everyone seemed to be in fine spirits and looking forward to the spectacle that would be taking place the next day at Madison Square Garden: The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
