Westminster Kennel Club will hold their 133rd annual dog show at Madison Square Garden Center in NY on February 5 through February 11, 2009. This is the Super Bowl for Dogs!! The dog show has been televised since 1948! USA Network will air part of the first night of the live show of judging of the hound, terrier, non-sporting and herding groups on Monday, February 9, 2009 from 8 to 9 pm Eastern Standard Time and then CNBC will finish airing the rest of the judging from 9 to 11 pm (EST). On Tuesday, February 10, 2009, USA Network will air the second night of judging of the sporting, working and toy groups from 8 to 11 pm (EST) ending with the Best in Show finale!

Every year Westminster invites the top dogs in each breed to compete in the show. The English Springer Spaniels that were invited this year are CH Amilyn Fanfare, Ch Cerise Jesse James (call name Jesse), CH Cerise Signature of Telltale CD RN (call name Dustin), CH Crossroad Crownroyal Miracle (call name Bloomie), and CH Tara’s Master of D” Game. You can see the majority of these amazing Springers in the Volume 10 number 2 issue of The Springer Showcase or at www.springershowcase.com. You can also see some of them at www.essonlinemagazine.com, volume 3 issue 3.

Overall, there are 27 English Springer Spaniels entered to compete for Best of Breed and the winner will later compete in the Sporting Group. Dogs for all over United States are entered to compete and also several dogs from foreign countries. California has the most entries with 265, followed by New York with 235 and Pennsylvania with 180 entries. Canada has the most entries for a foreign country of 74.

I will be faithfully watching and rooting for the English Springer Spaniel that wins Best of Breed to go all the way!!!!! “Go Springers!”

Are you a busy working family? Do you occasionally need a pet sitter or a dog walker? If you are like most families, both parents are busy working and the children are busy with school activities. Where does that leave the family pet? Did he/she get companionship or a walk today? If you are searching for pet services but not sure where to start, look no further than Sittercity.com.
No matter where you live, you just enter your zip code and the website will find you several pet sitters / walkers that are within several miles of your home!

Sitter City is a free service that helps you find the perfect dog sitter or dog walker for you. But, I was skeptical, after all, these things usually work best in big cities, but for me, in the middle of rural PA, I didn’t think I’d find much of a selection of dog walkers.

My request of 10 miles within my zip code provided me with 25 dog sitters / dog walkers! I was surprised! Each dog sitter was listed with references and reviews, work experiences, skills and certifications and job preferences!

Some of the sitters have provided a background check that verifies legal name, current address, social security number, aliases, and previous addresses. It also provides a check for criminal records. With all this information, you can feel secure about your new pet sitter / walker!

There are also links to child care, senior care, home care and tutoring.