International Kennel Club Of Chicago – Announces The Chicago Dog Of The Year Challenge, An Additional Weekend And Brand New Venue

The International Kennel Club of Chicago (IKC), whose iconic Chicago Dog Show is already scheduled to return to McCormick Place in August 2023, has announced an additional winter weekend in January at a brand new venue. The new weekend will allow for an unprecedented invitational event spanning both IKC show weekends and culminating in the crowning of Chicago’s Dog of the Year.

The winter Windy City Cluster will be held at the prestigious 150,000 square-foot Schaumburg Convention Center,  a ground-breaking showpiece for conventions and trade shows just outside of Chicago. This is in addition to the August show at McCormick Place in Chicago. Both summer and winter shows will be flanked by two other all-breed shows, creating three-day cluster weekends:  the Windy City Cluster in January and the Chicago Dog Show Cluster in August.

The addition of the winter shows allows IKC to host a first-of-its-kind event in which all group winners—regular and NOHS—at the winter show will be invited to compete in a unique format at the summer IKC show. The ultimate winner will receive a large cash prize and be crowned Chicago’s Dog of the Year. The competition culminates on the evening of Saturday, August 26, 2023, just before regular group and Best in Show judging, which will be held in Chicago’s historic Arie Crown Theater.  This is the first time in history that group and Best in Show judging will take place on stage in an amphitheater.

“We wanted to give a nod to our roots by returning to the two-weekend-a-year show format Chicago historically maintained,” says IKC President Scott Pfeil, who, with Erika Wyatt, form the ownership team of IKC. “But we also wanted to add something to make it even bigger and better. IKC has always been an innovator in the world of dog shows, and the Dog of the Year competition continues the tradition. Bigger and better!”

“Scott and I are committed to creating shows that return the glory of the Chicago dog shows of the past but are also geared toward dog lovers outside of the fancy, “ says Erika Wyatt, IKC’s Chief Financial Officer.  “Our shows will feature experiences to attract people who may not have considered making purpose-bred dogs part of their families.”

The new Windy City Cluster will take place January 6-8, 2023. The Chicago Dog Show Cluster will take place August 25-27, 2023.  More details about the Chicago Dog of the Year Challenge will be forthcoming as they are finalized.

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