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MEET & COMPETE The Westminster Kennel Club and American Kennel Club are partnering to bring a fun-filled, action-packed day for dog lovers -- and cat lovers too -- during Westminster Week 2017. Meet & Compete, featuring the 4th Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster and AKC Meet the Breeds®, presented by Purina Pro Plan, returns to Manhattan on Saturday, February 11th at Piers 92 and 94. Cats make their triumphant return to AKC Meet the Breeds® with The International Cat Association’s (TICA) participation, bringing more than 200 dog and cat breeds to New York City this year. Masters Agility Championship at Westminster The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster will once again feature some of the country’s greatest canine athletes and their handlers as they face a challenging obstacle course of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and more, in entertaining races against the clock. The entry is limited to 330 dogs that have attained Master agility titles (MX and MXJ, or MXP and MJP) at the time of entry, virtually guaranteeing a top-performing field. The Agility competition is divided into five height classes - 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 inches, which refer to the height of the jumps in that class. Dogs compete in the class appropriate for their size. At Westminster, each dog will compete in two qualifying rounds – a Standard Agility course and a Jumpers with Weaves course. Scoring for eligibility to the Championship round will be the combined actual running time of both runs, plus any faults (refusal/run-out, wrong course, table fault, failure) and course time faults. Dogs will be placed in order of the lowest combined score within their true AKC jump height. The ten dogs from each height class with the lowest combined scores will move on to the televised Championship round Saturday evening, creating a field of 50 finalists competing for the coveted title of Westminster Kennel Club Masters Agility Champion. The championship course will be a hybrid of the qualifying rounds and will be run as a ‘time to beat’ course, where the first dog will set the baseline time for the subsequent competitors. The Masters Agility Championship at Westminster will include AKC-registered purebred dogs, mixed breeds enrolled in the AKC’s Canine Partners program, Miscellaneous breeds not yet eligible for conformation competition, Foundation Stock Service recorded breeds, and Purebred Alternative Listing dogs (purebred dogs that cannot be fully AKC registered). Agility judges for 2017 are Mr. Paul Moore of Welford, Northamptonshire, United Kingdom and Ms. Anne Riba of Old Mill Creek, IL.

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AKC Meet the Breeds® AKC Meet the Breeds® is a great partner for the Agility Championship. At this family friendly event, dog and cat lovers will have a unique opportunity to meet and visit with hundreds of adorable dogs and cats while learning about responsible pet ownership and finding out what breed of dog might be right for their lifestyle. Elaborately decorated booths depict fun elements of each breed’s history. Attendees can learn about each breed from experts like breeders, enthusiasts, trainers, and groomers. 2017 marks the eighth AKC Meet the Breeds® and the third year that the event joins the excitement of Westminster Week. This year, one daytime event ticket will grant spectators access to both AKC Meet the Breeds® and the Master Agility Championship at Westminster on Saturday, February 11th. The agility competition takes place all day (8 am – 4 pm) in Pier 94 with the finals being televised on Fox Sports 1, Sunday, February 12, 2017 from 8 – 10 pm ET. AKC Meet the Breeds® will take place in Piers 92 & 94 from 10 am – 5 pm.