NEW YORK (AP) — There will be plenty of tradition, pup, and circumstance at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show this weekend.
But for the first time in its 145-year history, the storied canine competition is trading the buzz of the Big Apple for the airy grounds of a suburban riverfront estate.
That's one of many changes prompted by pandemic precautions.
Because of coronavirus concerns, the show was rescheduled from its usual February dates and isn't allowing in-person spectators.
Human participants must be vaccinated or newly tested.
And the sought-after best in show trophy will be awarded under a tent outside the Gothic-castle-style mansion at the Lyndhurst estate in Tarrytown, New York, not in the sports palace of Manhattan's Madison Square Garden.
On Friday, the event kicks off with an agility competition, followed by the traditional judging of breeds, with the event concluding on Sunday with its best in show.
According to the Associated Press, the event will feature four breeds for the first time: the barbet, the Dogo Argentino, the Belgian Laekenois, and the Biewer Terrier.
Fox Sports is scheduled to broadcast the event.
