Today (Monday) my wife Jo Anne and I are visiting Madison Square Garden, NYC for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show watching some excellent examples of man’s best friend.  You might be surprised to learn the dog show itself has a long pedigree – stretching way back to May 1877.  Dogs are judged against their breed standards, to see how close each dog matches the standard, which is a written description of the ideal specimen of that breed. Standards may include references relating form to function in the performance of the job that the dog was bred for, and may also include items that seem somewhat arbitrary such as color, eye shape, tail carriage and more. While many breeds no longer need to perform their original jobs and are bred mostly for companionship, they should still have the innate ability and physical makeup to perform those jobs, and this is what the judge looks for.  Our companion at home, Bella, is a personality-rich Bichon Frise.