Westminster '09

For events with a capital "E" it's always nice to know someone in the biz for an unique backstage look. Thanks to Ari, I was once again able to gain insider access to this year's Westminster. As everyone knows by now, the winner was a Sussex Spaniel named "Stump". Here's a pic of him getting ready to be judged -- little did he know that he was going to be swarmed (quite literally) by reporters within the hour:



However, what people don't know is that heavy money favorite going into Best in Show was the winner of the Toy Group. I'm glad that didn't come to pass. I saw Stump when he won his group, and although it was an unlikely choice, he definitely had that certain je ne sais quoi when one saw him strutting in the ring.

Anyway, although ticket sales and participation was down this year -- which btw, I was rather glad of cuz I did not miss the body-crushing masses from last year -- there wasn't a discernible difference in terms of the fervor of the crowds.

Here are some of my favs from the day: