FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: October 15, 2015
The 2016 Event Promises to be “Bigger and Better”
New York, NY – The Westminster Kennel Club and American Kennel Club (AKC®) present Meet & Compete, featuring the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and AKC Meet the Breeds®, brought to you by Purina® Pro Plan®. This exciting joint event takes place on Saturday, February 13th at Piers 92 and 94 in New York City, and gives dog lovers the unique opportunity to meet and play with hundreds of adorable dogs at AKC Meet the Breeds® while learning about responsible dog ownership, as well as see the nation’s top canine competitors race against the clock at the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship.
“We’re excited to be partnering again with the Westminster Kennel Club to bring the public Meet & Compete,” said AKC Vice President Gina DiNardo. “We will have a fantastic variety of breeds at AKC Meet the Breeds® for attendees to meet and learn about straight from the experts.”
“We are combining and expanding two exciting events for Westminster Week 2016, and the dog-loving public is the winner,” said Seán W McCarthy, President of the Westminster Kennel Club. “We have more space for AKC Meet the Breeds® and more access for all to the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. We are pleased once again to be partnering with the AKC to make it happen.”
The 2016 event marks the seventh AKC Meet the Breeds® and the second year the event joins the thrilling Westminster Week roster. This year, one daytime event ticket will grant event-goers access to both AKC Meet the Breeds® and the Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. The venue expansion will be enhanced by the addition of a newly-constructed interior staircase that will connect Piers 92 and Pier 94 for all events of Westminster Week. Attendees will have more room to interact with over 150 breeds in elaborately decorated booths that depict fun elements from the breed’s history and talk to experts about each dog, as well as see the exciting Agility competition taking place in Pier 94.
The agility competition takes place all day (8 a.m. – 4 p.m.) in Pier 94, with the finals being televised live on FOX Sports 1 from 8-10 p.m. ET. AKC Meet the Breeds® will take place in Piers 92 & 94 from 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
In addition to the Westminster Kennel Club and American Kennel Club present Meet & Compete on Saturday, February 13th, Westminster Week events include the iconic 140th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Monday and Tuesday, February 15-16 and the brand new Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster on Monday, February 15. All events are presented by Purina® Pro Plan®, which is dedicated to helping dogs of all activity levels excel through performance nutrition and expert resources.
To purchase tickets for Meet & Compete and find additional information about the event, visit www.westminsterkennelclub.org.
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About AKC Meet the Breeds – From Akitas to Xoloitzcuintlis and everything in between, AKC Meet the Breeds is brought to you by exclusive pet care sponsor Purina Pro Plan. The seventh annual event gives dog lovers the unique opportunity to meet and play with more than 100 different breeds in booths individually decorated to depict each breed’s country of origin, historical purpose/function, and attributes as a family pet, all while learning about responsible dog ownership and which breeds may be right for them. Event sponsors include PetPartners, AKCSM Visa® Card, Motel 6, and Ameriprise. For more information, visit www.akc.org/meetthebreeds.
About The Westminster Kennel Club – Established in 1877, The Westminster Kennel Club (www.westminsterkennelclub.org) is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs. Its world-famous benched dog show is America’s second-longest continuously-held sporting event in America, behind only the Kentucky Derby.
About Purina Pro Plan:
Purina Pro Plan is proud to be the food of choice for the past nine Westminster Best in Show winners and 94 of the top 100 AKC All-Breed Champions.* With more than 400 on staff scientists, veterinarians and nutritionists, it’s our goal to provide a dog with the nutrition he needs to be his absolute best, to help keep him energetic and resilient, and to maintain an ideal body condition, healthy skin and a stunning coat. Consumers can learn more about our 80+ formulas and discover the right diet to meet the needs of any dog, from competitive canine athletes, to dogs living the life of leisure, by visiting www.proplan.com or following @ProPlan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. *The handler or owner of these champions may have received Pro Plan dog food as Purina ambassadors.”
The American Kennel Club, founded in 1884, is a not-for-profit organization which maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world and oversees the sport of purebred dogs in the United States. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Along with its more than 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. More than 22,000 competitions for AKC-registered purebred dogs are held under AKC rules and regulations each year including conformation, agility, obedience, rally, tracking, herding, lure coursing, coonhound events, hunt tests, field and earthdog tests. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Reunite and the AKC Museum of the Dog. For more information, visit www.akc.org.
AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.
To become a fan of the AKC on Facebook, go to http://www.facebook.com/americankennelclub. To follow the AKC on Twitter, go to http://www.twitter.com/akcdoglovers.
MEDIA CONTACT
Brandi Hunter Publicity
American Kennel Club Westminster Kennel Club
212-696-8220 212-213-3212
Bth@akc.org PRNews@westminsterkennelclub.org
This exciting joint event gives dog lovers the unique opportunity to meet and play with hundreds of adorable dogs at AKC Meet the Breeds® while learning about responsible dog ownership, as well as see the nations top canine competitors race against the clock at the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship.