The Westminster Dog Show

Those who know me these days would say I am a cat person, and that is true.  I’ve been blessed by feline companions for many, many years.  Cats seem able to cope with the demands of my schedule, and certainly Mr. Manny is always glad to see me when I return from a day or a week away.

But I grew up with dogs and love them, too.  I carry dog “cookies” in my car so I am prepared when I visit my friends and their pooches.  I’d have a dog now, if I didn’t have to work 10+ hour days (I can’t quite bring myself to think about doggie daycare….).

And I love watching the Westminster Dog Show. I love hearing the descriptions of the dogs, in the announcer’s sonorous voice.  I love seeing the handlers run around trying to keep up with the dogs. 

Most of all, I love seeing the amazing, almost-unbelievable variety of the dogs.  They are all the same creatures; they are all dogs.  But some are huge, like the Irish wolfhound, and some are teeny, weighing only four or five pounds.  They have short hair and look almost bald, or they have long silky coats that ruffle against the floor.  They are white and black and red and brown and almost blue.  They have careers as hunters or herders; they are good with children or suited for search and rescue.  They trot and strut and waddle and run.  They pose and sometimes they even bark. 

To watch the dog show is to see only one example of the great and beautiful diversity of God’s good creation.  I am in awe of it; and it makes me look at those of my species in the same way – as examples of the amazing diversity of holy handiwork!