The Westminster Six: The Newest Dog Breeds of 2011


This week's dog appreciation series can't be complete without welcoming the newest breeds introduced during the 135th Westminster Dog Show held last February 14-15, 2011 in New York City.

If you missed the show two months ago, you can find some of the highlights over at Boston.com's Big Picture


The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was first held in 1877 and is considered to be the second longest continuously held sporting event in the US, the Kentucky Derby being the first.

Entry into the Show is governed by the American Kennel Club, and is based on exacting criteria including a certain population level in the country, geographic distribution and the existence of a parent club to watch over their breed. With these six new additions, a total of 179 breeds were represented at this year's Show. 


These photographs were taken by Juliana Sohn and are more evocative than objective, but they give you an enigmatic and awe-inspiring feeling that you just can't find in the usual pictures on the Internet today.  The beautiful portraits are truly a testament of the skill of Ms. Sohn, as well as the training evident in these dogs and their handlers.

Of course, these images wouldn't be complete without a little description of these fine four-legged subjects, so continue reading below to get an idea of what these new breeds are like.


The Bluetick Coonhound pictured above is an athletic and compact hound. The breed is a tracker, hunting down raccoon and other small game. Its name comes from the dark blue speckled or tickling pattern on its body.


The Boykin Spaniel belongs to sporting group. This compact all-around hunter was developed in the early part of the 20th century for retrieving waterfowl. As such, it is known for being a steady dog that doesn't rock the boat, so to speak. It is now the official state dog of South Carolina.


The Cane Corso is an old Italian breed, but was only introduced into the United States in the late 1980s. It belongs to the working group and was bred to protect livestock on farm properties. That heritage is evident in its name which can be translated from its Latin origins as guardian or protector. Despite its powerful build, it is very friendly among family and friends.


The Icelandic Sheepdog is a popular breed in its native country. This herder is a lively and friendly dog, known to greet and play with strangers. Any other description you find online will include the words alert, inquisitive, cheerful, enthusiastic and the like. Definitely a boon for anyone who comes home from a long and tiring day.


Another entry into the working group is the Leonberger. A large and impressive looking breed, they are surprisingly quite graceful. The males can be easily identified by their lion-like mane, possibly giving rise to their name. They were first kept as watchdogs on farms in Germany and are now known to be good family dogs.


Rounding off the list is the Redbone Coonhound. Another versatile hunter, the breed was developed to handle small and big game as well as possess a beautiful mahogany-like coat. It has been known to chase larger mammals such as mountain lions and bears.

All of these striking portraits were taken by Ms. Sohn for Time magazine during the 135th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. You can find the original photographs of these six new breeds over at the Time website.

Comments

  1. very interesting choice of exposure, i like the style

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  2. I think its so weird how we create all these weird hybrids. my mom has some weird pekingese, which was bred to look cute but I would hardly consider it a dog.

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  3. It's interesting how many different breeds of dogs are out there O:

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  4. Love how the pictures of the dogs were taken. Reminds me of secret character portraits used in various fighting games! A challenger appears!

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  5. I like the spaniel and the sheepdog. The sheepdog reminds my of the Norwegian Elkhound I had growing up. Also, I have definitely noticed more Cane Corsos recently.

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  6. The sheepdog is my favorite. Cool looking and sure to impress the ladies.

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  7. Beautiful animals, I really love dogs but sometime not the lengths owners go to to ensure their dogs win at shows.

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  8. Yay, dogs! Pretty amazing photo style, too.

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  9. cute doggies :) that cane corso is my fav

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  10. Beautiful dogs mate, Iv always wanted one!

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  11. I never cared much for dogs, but I'm loving these pictures!

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  12. all are nice...
    dog is ma favourite animal

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  13. Didn't know it was considered a sporting event tbh. These pictures are strangely mesmerizing.

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  14. The icelandic sheepdog is my favourite i think.

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  15. The use of light here is outstanding, I love it.

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  16. its funny to me when at the shows they always put their hands on the dogs buttholes like its ok. i could never do that, but i will take a dog if they give one to me

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  17. The picture of the icelandic sheepdog has to be my favorite! Reminds me a bit of my dog :D

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  18. Great post,
    Ill give you a cheezburger friend.
    Hope everyone supports this blog as well.

    Jake

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  19. Great portraits, you always seem to find amazing collections.

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  20. Omg my friend went to the Wesminister Dog Show. And those dogs look pretty amazing.

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  21. Dogggggggss. I prefer cats myself.

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  22. beautiful animals....to bad I'm super allergic to them =/

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  23. You need to be blasting "I'm a Dog" Gucci mane in the back of this post :)

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  24. great photo collection. I always wanted a Cane Corso

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  25. I little too much silhouette for me, but a good find nonetheless. I'm aspiring to take some better photos of my cat, wish I could snag some exif data out of these photos.

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  26. What beautiful dark brown coats they have.

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  27. I like the style of the photos! ;)

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  28. They're all so pretty and cute when they take the photos like that :) Even though animals are so adorable anyways

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  29. Those were some amazing and adorable dogs!

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  30. would like to pet the corso as long as it doesnt eat my hand

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  31. I can't say I'm a big fan of any of the breeds, although the photographer did a magnificent job here.

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  32. yep its an authentic poncho made in mexico

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  33. its sooo fluffy I wanna die! At least the one is. ^^
    Lovely shots!

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  34. I love dogs! what a great photo's! =D

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  35. Interesting photos. I haven't seen such technique.

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  36. Big dogs are awesome, love the leo picture.
    I had a Pyreneian mastiff when I was a kid. Most awesome dog ever.

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  37. The photos are good, but they appear a little dark to me. I guess that was intended. They look like good breeds tho. Good post.

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  38. highly interesting and really good photos,

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  39. Hm, these are pretty good picture, but I'd find them better if there were a bit more color.

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  40. ... oh dogs... so many dogs.. missed your posts for awhile. FML, thx for sharing. Very nice shots

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  41. These pics are great. A good blog this.

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  42. I like the look of the Icelandic sheepdog, nice silhouette

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  43. Leonberger. Now that there looks like a handsome profile of a dog.

    NEW WEEK = CATS

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  44. Great post,
    you should check out my latest post, there is some great info that my blog likes to cover,
    I think you'll like it

    Jake

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  45. Still loving this :>

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  46. Great photo's, love the image of the silluet of every dog!

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  47. Nice photos, I like animal photography.

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  48. Cool pics, they are really nice photos and unique for dog pics. Kinda remind me of a mugshot style pic. :)

    Have a good weekend

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  49. The Icelandic Sheepdog is a beauty! My mate's got one and he's so smart and energetic

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  50. Awesome pictures! I like the Cane Corso. Looks great! :)

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  51. Thank you so much for sharing such a nice post. You provide users with great information about different good dog breeds, especially Boykin Spaniel.

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