The 'Rescue Dog Only' Dog Show Judges Dogs on Personality Instead of Breed, and It Is the Best Idea Ever
Dog shows usually reward polished pedigrees, perfect grooming, and a long list of breed standards. That leaves plenty of lovable rescue dogs on the sidelines, even when they have all the charm in the world.
Now a new competition is flipping that script. The American Rescue Dog Show is putting rescued pups front and center, with judges looking at personality instead of pedigree and celebrity hosts helping bring the fun to TV.
Dogs in dog shows have historically been judged on their breed and breed standards, but not anymore.
The American Rescue Dog Show will judge dogs based on their personality traits, and the only requirement is that all competing dogs must be rescues.
This dog show will showcase the dogs’ best traits across 10 categories!
Featuring hosts Rebecca Romijn and Rich Eisen, as well as other celebrity judges, the personality-packed pups compete for the following titles:
Best Couch Potato, Best in Fetching, Best in Kissing, Best in Listening, Best in Senior Dog, Best in Snoring, Best in Special Needs, Best in Talking, Best in Under-bite, and Best in Wiggle Butt!
The celebrity judges are already having fun with it.
It’s the same kind of rescue win as the group that freed 250 cats and dogs from a cruel testing facility.
Celebrity judge Ross Matthews loves the idea. He says:
I love special needs dogs. I love an under-bite and a crooked tooth. That is just how I roll.
But wait, there's more!
That's not all that's different about this competition! The Petco Foundation is providing $75,000 in non-profit grants to the winners!
Rebecca Romijn told People:
It’s such an incredible idea for a show. It’s a chance to encourage people to ‘adopt, not shop,’ to showcase these unbelievable creatures, and to help end the epidemic of animal homelessness. A lot of people may not understand that there are so many beautiful dogs, both purebreds and mixed breeds, who need to be rescued.
It is truly one of the most heartwarming ideas to hit the competition scene, and when the goal is to raise awareness for homeless pets and dogs in need, you really cannot find anything to complain about!
Tune in February 2019 to see what the second annual competition has to offer the world! We certainly cannot contain our excitement!
This show is basically a victory lap for rescue dogs.
Want the tears-and-meet-cute moment? Read about a couple adopting a rescue dog.
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