A Shih Tzu competes in the Toy Group at the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York on Feb. 11, 2019.
The Westminster Kennel Club held its first official dog show in 1877, and it’s been a spectacle for dog lovers around the country ever since. Arcane breeds fill New York’s Madison Square Garden as more than 3,000 dogs from around the world gather to compete for Best in Show.
Westminster Dog Show lovers are used to seeing triumphs from rarefied canines that have been groomed, pampered, and prepared by their owners. The underdogs of the show—the ones that have never won Best in Show—tend to be the dogs you’re most likely to see in the park every day. You may even have one in your own yard. Here’s a look at those perennially overlooked pups.