Pedigree Is Passé.  Americans Prefer Mutts.

April 5, 2001 Park Avenue, New York, USA

"Hey, that's a good-looking dog.  What kind is he?" people ask Peggy Kennedy.

She answers, "He's a Shedwhiner.  He sheds and he whines."

Ms. Kennedy is just one of the growing list of celebrities setting the latest trend: mutts are très chic.

Actresses Candice Bergen, Isabella Rossellini, fashion icons Annette and Oscar de la Renta, and homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart are just a few of the others.

In the weeks to come, they will be helping to promote the first annual Great American Mutt Show, which will be held in New York City later this month.

You might catch a glimpse of Buddy,
whom you can adopt from the HSNY.

Though not necessarily the first, (mixed-breed dog shows have recently become more common across North America) the GAMS is expected to be one of the largest dog shows to hit the Big Apple.  The event will raise funds to benefit various shelters that don't have time or resources to devote to fund-raising efforts.

The primary recipient will be the Humane Society of New York, a no-kill shelter that serves NYC.

The show will feature up to 700 mutts, mongrels, mixes and pedigree-challenged dogs on Saturday, April 21 at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal, Pier 92.

For $25 (USD) you can register your own pooch as a contestant, provided that he/she is not a purebred (unless you think you can cook up a good disguise).

Awards will be given in thirty different classes, including: Mostly Hound, Mostly Spaniel, Mostly Shepherd, and Mostly Collie.

Looks are not all, either.  Talented dogs will compete for the honors Best Kisser, Most Musical, Best Lap Dog Over 50 lbs., Highest Jumper, Longest Tail, and Pets who Look most like their Owners.

All kidding aside, the idea is to educate the public about dogs and breeds.  What many people don't know is that lots of breeds inherit a long list of medical and mental problems, the direct result of overbreeding.  Purebred owners can find themselves spending enormous sums of money at the vet, trying to keep their pets healthy.

Isabella Rossellini says she loves a mutt "because it's like haute couture. It's your own personal mix, no one else has a dog like it."

What do you say, Wags?  Maybe we can catch a Mets game while we're up there.

§§§

^Articles