Dog Show a Snap for Beagle

Vegas sets lines for fun, but insiders say it may be beagle's year

(NEWSER) - Remy, the winner of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show's nonsporting group, may have tonight's Best in Show honors within reach of her poofy poodle paws. Vegas oddsmakers think so, anyway: One puts the odds of a standard poodle victory at 25-1, reports the New York Times. But Remy's handler says, “I think the beagle and the German shepherd should be the favorites." More»

Westminster Kennel Club show empties out as economy goes to the dogs

(NEWSER) - America's top dog will be crowned at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Manhattan tonight but the rough economy has thinned out the pack, reports AP. At $75 per entry, the event fell 14 pooches short of its usual 2,500 competitors. Human onlookers were also fewer than usual, with Madison Square Garden only two-thirds full. More»

Beefy canine was last on list in 1935; lab is tops for 17th consecutive year

(NEWSER) - The bulldog has returned to the American Kennel Club's list of top 10 most popular American dog breeds for the first time since 1935, the AP reports. The Labrador retriever held on to #1—it’s been top dog for the past 17 years. Check out the other popular pooches:

1. Labrador retriever
2. Yorkshire terrier
3. German sheperd

They're allowed to compete in 'skill-based' events, but not beauty contests

(NEWSER) - The purebred Labradors, spaniels and collies of the dog-show world have a new rival: mutts. The American Kennel Club has changed its rules after 125 years to allow mixed breeds to compete in some events for the first time ever. At a dog show in Virginia this weekend, Otis, the product of an "illicit tryst between a purebred husky and a rakish Lab-chow neighbor dog," took third place in a "Rally" obedience event, the Washington Post reports. More»

Abandoned dogs hunt in packs, frightening people and pets

(NEWSER) - Residents of eastern Long Island must be asking what they could have done to deserve a plague of rogue Snoopys. Feral beagles, abandoned for poor performance by hunters who used them to seek rabbits, have become a serious problem this winter. The animals have grouped into packs to seek food and locals have reported terrifying encounters with crazed, hungry beagles. More»