The new breeds of dogs making their Westminister debuts this year, are the Plott, a hunting hound originally bred by two German immigrant brothers in North Carolina; the Tibetan Mastiff, once described by Marco Polo as "tall as a donkey with a voice as powerful as that of a lion."; the Beauceron, a herding dog originally bred to herd flocks of sheep in France, later used to sniff out landmines and send messages during the World Wars; and the Swedish Vallhund, a breed dating back to the time of the Vikings, used on farms to catch vermin, herd cattle, and as a guard dog, noted for it's double coat and harness markings.

This brings the number of unique breeds competing in the famous dog show to 169.

The Plott, the Beauceron, and the Vallhund were shown on Monday. The Tibetan Mastiff will be shown tonight as part of the Working Group.

Sources

Wikinews

Denise Flaim "4 new breeds take the Westminster stage". Newsday, February 10, 2007

Rebecca Haughn "Time to Welcome a Few New Breeds of Dogs". Associated Content, January 28, 2008

Ben Walker "Uno the beagle steps out at Westminster". Stamford Advocate, February 11, 2008

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