1877
The First Annual New York Bench Show of Dogs , given under the auspices of the Westminster Kennel Club , is held in the Hippodrome at Gilmore ’ s Garden ( the forerunner to Madison Square Garden ) in New York City , drawing an entry of 1,201 dogs .
The show is such a hit that it is extended to four days to accommodate the overwhelming public interest . The gate for the first day of the show is estimated as high as 8,000 . On the second day , 20,000 spectators attended , a number matched on the third day and providing the impetus to add a fourth day .
The proceeds from that fourth day were donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( ASPCA ) to open a home for stray and disabled dogs .
Among the entries listed in the first show : two Staghounds from the late General George Custer ’ s pack , and two Deerhounds that had been bred by the Queen of England .
1884
Members of The Westminster Kennel Club and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia meet to establish a national governing body for dog registrations and dog shows : The American Kennel Club .
1888
With her assignment of 117 St . Bernards at Westminster , Anna Whitney becomes the first woman to judge at a dog show in the U . S . She judges every year for the next seven years , but it would be 1901 before another woman judges any dog show in the U . S .
1893
Philanthropist J . P . Morgan makes the first of his many appearances at Westminster with his Collies .