BREED RESCUE AWARDS
Through Westminster’ s Breed Rescue Awards, the club annually donates $ 5,000 to three AKC-recognized national breed clubs to help offset rescue-related expenses such as transportation, veterinary care, grooming, boarding, feeding, and training. In addition, these funds will assist the clubs in educating new owners about the joy of owning these dogs, while finding them suitable new homes. For 2026, these clubs are: the Bichon Frisé Club of America, the Dalmatian Club of America Foundation, and the United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club.
CANINE COMPANIONSHIP
Canine companionship is at the heart of the special bond between dogs and people. This bond can be felt in the many ways dogs and people interact with each other, as pets and K-9 officers, or working to help and heal humans. Since the 1940s, Westminster has supported working dogs, military dogs, therapy dogs, and service dogs.
DOG SPORTS SUPPORT
Dog sports participation keeps the tradition of dog shows, agility trials, and obedience competitions thriving in a contemporary world. These events are many things— family-friendly sports, athletic canine competitions, a deepening of the canine-human bond— but historically dog shows began, and continue to this day, to help support our sport. Introducing and keeping people involved in the sport creates more charitable giving opportunities.
THE LEASH CONNECTION
In the spring of 1925, John Bates, Hubert Brown, and Stanley Halle met for lunch to brainstorm different ways to engage with the American Kennel Club and help further its efforts in a positive way. They gathered a short list of gentlemen with a high interest in the breeding and exhibition of purebred dogs, and on June 3, 1925, The Leash was born at a maisonette on 143 East 52nd Street in New York City.
After World War II, the Clubhouse relocated to 41 East 63rd Street, where it has remained ever since as an exclusive place for gentlemen with sporting hobbies to gather. The Leash has navigated the decades, through thick and thin, with the help of several extraordinary presidents, some of whom were also members of The Westminster Kennel Club.
The club’ s members share a common fondness for fine food and drink, genial companions, good fun, hunting, fly-fishing, and dogs. The members are passionate about field sports and conservation— pursuits they bond over.
Today, there are still Westminster members who are also members of The Leash. The two clubs’ long histories and traditions remain intertwined with a bi-annual Joint Outing event. This event tradition that began in 1971 is a garden party with an informal dog show for members of both clubs, their families, and guests.
In 2021, the 31st match was celebrated and instituted the inaugural Bishop Memorial Cup. The perpetual trophy commemorates Louis F.“ Jerry” Bishop and his wife, Alexandra“ Sandy” Bishop. They epitomized the rich traditions of both clubs as Jerry served on the Boards of both The Westminster Kennel Club and The Leash and was a former President of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals( ASPCA). Jerry’ s wife, Sandy, played a pivotal role in supporting the Joint Outing for over four decades.
46 THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB 2026