The Super Bowl for the canine world took place earlier this week, when the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show returned to Madison Square Garden in New York for its 149th anniversary.

On Tuesday night, the coveted Best of Show was awarded to Monty, a Giant Schnauzer representing the Working Group. It was Monty’s third time making it to the final round. Monty’s win was the first time since 2004 that a member of the Working Group claimed the top award. In the end, Monty bested 2,500 dogs across 200 categories.

That’s a lot of dogs to wrangle and it made me think of the times we’ve worked with dogs for one of LCM’s covers. Each time we did so, the saying, which is accredited to W.C. Fields – “Never work with kids or dogs” – came to mind. The saying has two trains of thought: either the human will play second banana to an adorable pup (or tot), or the four-legged actor (or child) will have a mind of its own and disrupt the set.

We came to learn that you need to give a dog time and space to get accustomed to having strange people on their turf. The same philosophy applies to having a dog come to your turf.  We found that Goldens are, well, kind of goofy and will need to de-energize before posing for a camera. (They are also the ultimate love bugs!) I have to say, the only real problem we encountered was our first dog cover in 1995 (holy moly, that was 30 years ago!). Members of the Lancaster Kennel Club arrived with the dogs at Allan Holm’s studio, and he went about designing the shot. The problem arose when a huge Great Dane arrived. He took up the entire set. He was also not fond of sitting. Then he became very restless. It marked the first and only time someone had to be dismissed from the set. We felt terrible, but the “show” had to go on!

Here’s a gallery of past covers that included dogs:

The “Love Bug” Wedding, January 2019: Amanda Lewis and Dave Pedersen were wed at Drumore Estate, with the “Love Bug” litter from Susquehanna Service Dogs in attendance.

Delaware Valley Golden Retriever Rescue, August 2010: Founder Robin Adams posed with Noah and Woody on the grounds of the Denver-based rescue.

Pet Treats With a Cause, September 2007: Morgan Beaver and Oliver posed for the camera.

Pet Therapy, February 2021: KPETS founder, Karen Gerth, posed with her pack, Kylee, Kody and Zeke.

Go Red for Women, February 2015: Artist Hawa Lassanah and Mulan supported the cause for women’s heart health.

Home Renovation, September 2014: Melody McFarland and Hans posed for the cover in their new kitchen.

Go Outdoors, June 2020: Soren West and Theo supplied photos of their Appalachian Trail adventure.

Best of Lancaster, November 2016: Everyone’s favorite rescue dog, Libre, posed like a pro.

Home Away From Home, June 2023: We traveled to Playful Pups Retreat in Elizabethtown, where founder, Laurie Yost, was photographed playing with some of her guests.

Lancaster Kennel Club, May 1995. Club president, Ethel Hillard, posed with some of the club’s canine members in support of the LKC’s 50th annual Red Rose Classic Dog Show.

Beau’s Dream Park, August 2013: Thanks to Angela Bauman and her dog, Beau, Buchanan Park is home to a much-appreciated dog park.

Take Your Dog to Work Day, June 2016: Kathy Frey and her pups, Millie and Turk, posed at Festoon, the shop Kathy owned for 19 years and which welcomed canine visitors.

Outdoor Living, July 2010: Dwight Graybill,  the owner of Cocalico Builders, based the color of his outdoor kitchen on the coat of his dog, Boris.