Persians and Bassets and Beagles! Oh My!

New York, NY- In honor of Meet the Breeds™ presented by PetPartners, Inc., the American Kennel Club® (AKC) and Cat Fanciers' Association® (CFA) will release packs of  pet impersonators – people donning life-like dog and cat masks – on to New York City streets on Wednesday, October 14th.  Dressed as dog breeds like the Pug, Beagle and Great Pyrenees, and cat breeds such as the Siamese, Egyptian Mau and Persian, the teams will take off from a press event at the Affinia Hotel and hoof it to both human hot spots and doggie havens such as Grand Central, Times Square, Central Park and area dog runs.

With the event running just one weekend, the five teams of three will be making sure that every feline fan and doggie-devotee in the five boroughs and beyond knows about the world's largest dog and cat breed showcase happening at the Javits Center on October 17th & 18th. The masked marauders – with real live canines at their side – will hand out free photo-frame magnets and introduce the public to just some of the pooches they'll encounter at the Meet the Breeds event itself.

“While the masked teams will be quite a sight, it's always the real dogs that steal the show,” said Gina DiNardo, spokeswoman for Meet the Breeds. “With breeds such as the Ibizan Hound, Tibetan Mastiff and Spinone Italiano on hand, I expect that we are going to slow down more than a few commuters who can't resist meeting these unusual and beautiful dogs!”

The Meet the Breeds press preview at the Affinia Manhattan Hotel (31st and 7th Avenue) is from 10 am – Noon on Wednesday, October 14th and will include numerous photo opportunities and highlights of the activities that will take place at Meet the Breeds.  Following the preview, a Bloodhound will sniff out the route from Penn Station to the Javits Center, as he searches for a venue large enough to hold the world's largest showcase of cats and dogs.

For more information on Meet the Breeds or to purchase tickets, visit www.meetthebreeds.com . Purchase your tickets now to ensure the pre-event price of $10 for adults and $6 for children 12 and under.

You can also follow the street teams and all Meet the Breeds news online at Facebook , Twitter and MySpace .

AKC Contact:
Daisy Okas                           
(212) 696-8343                                                        

CFA Contact:
Peter Collins
(908) 499-1200