Westminster and work: Some show dogs serve, search or soothe
From the silky strut of Afghan hounds to poodles with coats sculpted like confections, the Westminster Kennel Club's green carpet spotlights manicured, pedigreed canines vying to be deemed top dog. But they aren't just for show.
Ghost, a Norwegian buhund that competed Sunday a t the nation's premier canine event, makes weekly rounds as a therapy dog at a Delaware hospital and serves as a nonjudgmental listener for schoolkids learning to read. Lacey, a Labrador retriever that was entered in Westminster's agility contest Saturday, puts in 50-hour weeks comforting patients at her owner's child and adolescent psychiatry practice in California.
