I watched the National Dog Show Presented by Purina the same way for the first twenty years of my life. Now, I never will again.
Growing up, Thanksgiving Day was always spent at my grandparents’ house on Long Island. My family made the trip up from our home in Philadelphia, and my uncle’s family met us there, too. We would always arrive on Wednesday night, excited to spend the day all together on Thursday.
One thing about me is that I am a notoriously late sleeper. On a day off from school, when I don’t have to wake up at 7 a.m., the chances of anyone seeing me before 11 were miniscule. Because of this, I almost never got to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning with my family. However, I was always awake by noon, just in time to watch the National Dog Show Presented by Purina.
The couches in the living room would inevitably be taken up by the rest of my family by the time I got there, so I would go and sit in the kitchen with my grandmother while she stuffed and prepped the turkey for dinner. Unlike my house, my grandparents had a TV in their kitchen. As the rest of the family turned on football in the other room, my grandmother, who I called “Sasa,” and I watched the National Dog Show instead.
Sasa and I had an extremely close relationship, despite living hours away from each other. My dad’s parents both passed away from cancer before I was born, so she and my grandfather, who I called “Baba,” were all I had. I am also the first-born grandchild, so we had quite a special bond.
Sasa loved Oreos and had a glass jar of them in her kitchen that was shaped like a house, with the “roof” of the house as the lid. I was a very picky eater until around the age of 12, notorious for only eating the mac and cheese at Thanksgiving dinner. So, while we sat in the kitchen, watching the National Dog Show, she would slip me Oreos when my mother wasn’t looking. For years, it was our little secret, one my mother never knew about until now (sorry Mom!). It was especially funny to Sasa when a black and white dog was on the screen, resembling the very cookie I was munching on.
For years, the two of us would gaze at the screen, enthralled by the seemingly perfect canines trotting across the stage, not a hair out of place or a step out of line. Big dogs, small dogs, furry dogs, short-hair dogs. The National Dog Show had every type, but the one thing they all had in common was the precision and athleticism in their performances. It was incredible to experience, especially with my grandmother and me spilling crumbs while cooking, getting messy, and feeding pieces of food to our own dogs.
Lola, my dog, was a Labradoodle. My grandparents had a Bernedoodle named Trixie, and my uncle’s family had Maisy, a Cockapoo. The three of them together was chaotic, but my grandparents had a huge backyard for them to run around while the rest of us watched from the window laughing.
This summer, I’ve had the great privilege to actually work on the National Dog Show weekend as part of my internship with Vizion Group. It is truly amazing to feel so connected to the work that I’m doing, and have it be something I’ve spent so many days of my life already interested in. It is especially meaningful this year, seeing as my grandmother passed away a year and a half ago. Thanksgiving last year was difficult, the first one without her, but now having the chance to work on an event that was the centerpiece of so many days we spent together feels like fate.
This year, I’ll be smiling as I watch the National Dog Show Presented by Purina, knowing my grandmother is proud of me, and is somewhere watching with a smile as well, Oreo in hand. It will air on TV on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 27, from noon to 2 p.m. in all time zones. For those interested in attending the weekend in person, it takes place Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16, at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. Tickets are on sale now at nds.nationalshow.com. We hope to see you there.