A Standard Poodle stands next to a dog-grooming blow dryer in the staging area of the Westminster Kennel Club Annual Dog Show on February 13, 2012. The show, which has taken place annually since 1877, is the second-longest running American sporting event, behind the Kentucky Derby.
The nation’s second-longest running sporting event will judge 2,000 canine competitors in its 136th annual event. A look at the preparations—and the playing around—backstage at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
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