2015 Westminster Dog Show: Day 2 TV Coverage and Live Stream Schedule
Only hours remain before one lucky dog will earn the title of Best in Show.
The 2015 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show officially kicked off inside Madison Square Garden last night, with the victors in four different groups—hound, toy, non-sporting and herding—moving on to compete for the title.
The final three—sporting, working and terrier—will be revealed tonight before the judge determines the dog that is Best in Show.
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When: Tuesday, Feb. 17, from 8-11 p.m. ET
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York City
Watch: USA Network
Live Stream: WKC Live
Day 1 Results
| Hound | Beagle | Ch Tashtins Lookin For Trouble | Eddie Dziuk, Lori Crandlemire and Kaitlyn Crandlemire |
| Toy | Shih Tzu | GCH Hallmark Jolei Rocket Power | Patricia Hearst Shaw and Luke and Diane Ehricht |
| Non-Sporting | Poodle (Standard) | GCH Dawin Hearts On Fire | Linda C. Campbell |
| Herding | Old English Sheepdog | GCH Bugaboo's Picture Perfect | Ron Scott, Debbie Burke, and Colton and Heather Johnson |
Day 2 Preview
Looking at the more recent Best in Show winners, there isn't an overarching trend or a run of dominance by one group that would make you sure one breed or group is destined for success tonight.
Historically, the terrier group reigns supreme. Its 46 victories, including last year's win, are 27 more than the next-closest group—sporting. However, in the last 10 editions, four different groups have won the title of Best in Show, and no one group has more than three wins.
With that said, the terriers do tend to draw the most attention—the Westminster Kennel Club saves the best for last.
According to Susan Stapleton of the Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas listed the Skye terrier as one of the favorites to win at 8-1 odds. The Welsh terrier comes in with strong 16-1 odds.
After all, a terrier, Charlie, did take home the 2014 AKC/Eukanuba national title:
"We have felt so proud of him since he was a puppy," said Charlie's handler, Larry Cornelius, in December, per People's Michelle Tauber. "I had the highest of hopes for him."
If Charlie can make it out of the difficult terrier group, which is a gauntlet of sorts by itself, he'll be among the best bets to prevail in NYC.
Most eyes, however, will be on Matisse, a three-year-old Portuguese water dog.
The breed is notable for the fact that President Barack Obama owns two, Bo and Sally:
According to Adam Edelman of the New York Daily News, Matisse has genetic ties to Sally:
"The pair of puppies share a grandfather — Carlo the Portuguese water dog — but have different grandmothers and different parents, making them first-cousins, explained Milan Lint, who owns Matisse along with his business partner Peggy Helming.
Lint and Helming owned the mother and the sire of Sunny, and personally adopted him to a representative for the First Family. But Lint and Helming owned just the sire of Matisse, whose full name is actually Claircreek Impresion de Matisse.
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It's not every day the Westminster Dog Show features a participant with that kind of connection.
Even without that minor subplot, Matisse is one of the most decorated dogs in New York City. According to Lint, he's won 396 times in the breed round in 399 shows and owns 332 wins in group competition.
That's an obscene winning/advancement percentage. It's almost to the point that you have to wonder if the other dogs are beaten before this thing even begins—like when guys were petrified of Mike Tyson in the 1980s before they entered the ring.
The aura of invincibility surrounding Matisse is hard to ignore.
"There are certainly characteristics of the individual exhibit that have driven him to this degree of winning," Lint said, per The Associated Press' Ben Walker, via ABCNews.com. "It doesn't defy the imagination or explanation, but those are very impressive totals."
At this point, the title of Best in Show for 2015 is Matisse's to lose.
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