AKC Championships bring a Canine Extravaganza to Orlando's Orange County Convention Center

For some of us, Christopher Guest’s canine mockumentary Best in Show or SNL’s oddball-supreme recurring sketch “Dog Show” are what comes to mind at the thought of the annual AKC National Championship. But for more than 5,000 very good boys and their handlers, the Canine Extravaganza that takes over 1,000,000 square feet of the Orange County Convention Center, it’s Miss America, the Super Bowl and high-school graduation all rolled into one. In addition to the handling, breed, agility and diving (yes!) competitions, there’s a “meet the breeds” showcase, a visit from the Beagle Brigade, trick dog displays and a doggie boutique. (You’ll have to buy your own pupper a treat and bring it home, because he or she isn’t allowed to attend, sorry.) If you can’t make it to the show, live coverage of the competitions will be streaming on akc.tv each day, so you can get as loud as you wanna cheering on the wire fox terrier. (Go, Asta!)

8 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 14-15 | Orange County Convention Center, 9899 International Drive | akc.org | $10

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