2011 Westminster Dog Show's Little Known Facts Along with Date, Channel, and Time

The USA Network and CNBC are the two channels airing the Westminster Dog Show, which has been a dog lovers tradition for almost a century and a half. The show starts on the USA Network at 8pm EST both nights. The Empire State Building will be Purple and Gold on February 15, honoring the over a century old canine tradition.

Some interesting facts:

Only once in the 134 years has the offspring of a "Best in Show" dog duplicated that honor. In 2000, the English Springer Spaniel, Ch. Salilyn N' Erin's Shameless repeated the 1993 BIS accomplishment of her sire, Ch. Salilyn's Condor.

The oldest dog to ever capture "Best in Show" was over 10 years old. In 2009, 10 year old, Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, a Sussex Spaniel, took home "Best in Show."

The youngest dog to ever capture "Best in Show" was Rough Collie, Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven. He was only 9 months old at the time he took home "Best in Show."

The Westminster Dog Show is America's first champions only dog show and it is limited to only 2,500 dogs.

Founded in 1877, the "The Westminster Dog Club" is America's oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs," according to their website.

The Westminster Dog Show was going on before the invention of the light bulb or automobile.

The first televised version of the Westminster Dog Show was three years before "I Love Lucy" aired, back in 1948.

In the 134 shows that the Westminster Kennel Club has hosted, 299,024 dogs were entered over the years.

The Empire State Building will honor the tradition of the Westminster Dog Show by lighting up in the traditional colors of the Westminster Dog Kennel Club, it did this once before in 2004. The colors are purple and gold.

Reference: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show