--- description: From TIME's coverage of the venerable competition title: Westminster Dog Show: 5 Beautiful Descriptions of Vintage Show Dogs image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f2ca0451d48a2f8/69877e56428a9e2f0fcc70bb/bulldogs.jpeg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [language](/tag/language/) ## language Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The 5 Woofiest Descriptions of Westminster Dog Show Competitors  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 16, 2015 4:00 PM CUT  Three English bulldogs at the 61st annual show of the Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1937 Three English bulldogs at the 61st annual show of the Westminster Kennel Club at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1937Underwood Archives / Getty Images  by [Lily Rothman](/author/lily-rothman/)  ## Lily Rothman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Rothman is managing editor at TIME. Feb 16, 2015 4:00 PM CUT This year’s Westminster Dog Show, which takes place on Feb. 16 and 17, will be the 139th such show in the Kennel Club’s history, making it one of the oldest competitions in the United States. (The Kentucky Derby is older.) And, though recent media coverage of Westminster has tended to focus more on numbers and trends — the way a Westminster winner can set off a puppy-buying spree within a breed, for example — it used to be that the annual event was an occasion for a writer to show off a way with woofs. Here are five of the most drooling drops of wordcraft about Westminster competitors from the history of TIME magazine: A [1926](http://time.com/vault/issue/1926-02-22/page/28 "undefined") description of Signal Circuit, a wire-haired fox terrier: “His long squared muzzle and flat ears, splashed with tan, his tapering middle-piece, his front legs straight as the legs of a stool, his back-legs taut as triggers, showed him at once to be a prince. When the judges bent above him, probing with wise fingers the fabric on his bones, he stood very still; his garnet eyes were palled with a smoky sorrow.” A [1928](http://time.com/vault/issue/1928-02-27/page/26 "undefined") description of Bogota Firebug, a pomeranian: “Like a mosquito who has been crawling in the fluffy dust under a boarding house bed, he stood, looking up at the crowd with startled, pert malignance.” A [1937](http://time.com/vault/issue/1937-02-22/page/65 "undefined") description of Flornell Spicypiece of Halleston, a wire-haired terrier: “\[She\] twinkled around the ring, dark eyes snapping, white coat curried and brushed to a glistening alabaster…” A [1953](http://time.com/vault/issue/1953-02-23/page/67 "undefined") description of Rancho Dobe’s Storm, a Doberman pinscher: “Storm was matched against a Skye terrier which looked like a dust mop, a prissy poodle, a sad-eyed bloodhound, a self-conscious Irish setter and a pudgy pug. It was hardly a contest. Storm, sleek and cocky, paraded around with the aplomb of a high-fashion model.” A [1957](http://time.com/vault/issue/1957-02-25/page/73 "undefined") description of Shirkhan of Grandeur, an Afghan hound: “…the long-haired, silver-blue Afghan stayed cool and aloof, a champion without pause.” Whichever dog takes home the blue ribbon this year, he or she will surely be a prose-worthy pooch. ### Westminster Dog Show: Photos of Champs and Also-Rans, 1950s and 1960s  Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth (a.k.a. "Ricky"), a Whippet chosen Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, New York City, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Skye Terrier, Jacinthe de Ricelaine, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Skye Terrier, Jacinthe de Ricelaine, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Maltese, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Maltese, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Vincenzo Calveresi with is four Maltese, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Ignoring a kick, a team of Maltese dogs stands motionless as owner Vincenzo Calversi tests their obedience, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Billy, a Miniature Poodle, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Chow, Ah Sid's the Dilettante, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Doberman in training runs behind automobile near Roslyn, NY, as handler Peter Knoop rides. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Boxer, Treceder's Painted Lady, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Brussels Griffon, Barmere's Mighty Man, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Westminster Dog Show, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Wire Fox Terrier, Travella Superman of Harham, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Wire Fox Terrier, Travella Superman of Harham, 1955. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Whippet, Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth, Best in Show, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Whippet, Courtenay Fleetfoot of Pennyworth, Best in Show, 1964. Nina Leen—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3701918/westminster-writing/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3701918/westminster-writing/"},"headline":"The 5 Woofiest Descriptions of Westminster Dog Show Competitors","datePublished":"2015-02-16T16:00:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:05:45.410Z","description":"From nearly a century of TIME's coverage of the venerable dog show","url":"https://time.com/3701918/westminster-writing/","keywords":["language","Dogs"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f2ca0451d48a2f8/69877e56428a9e2f0fcc70bb/bulldogs.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lily Rothman","jobTitle":"Rothman is managing editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/lily-rothman/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7f2ca0451d48a2f8/69877e56428a9e2f0fcc70bb/bulldogs.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Three English Bulldogs","caption":"Three English Bulldogs","creditText":"Underwood Archives / Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/history/","name":"History"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/language/","name":"language"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3701918/westminster-writing/","name":"The 5 Woofiest Descriptions of Westminster Dog Show Competitors"}}]}] ```