Poop City

Poop-O-Rama: V.D./Westminster Afterglow Edition

- As expected, no ink was spared in promoting the Westminster spectacle. As of this writing, Bill Cosby's terrier Harry led for Top Word Count, while poor Vivi maintained a close second. Rather than linking to every single repetitious article, this seemed more useful - for those who are into that sort of thing.

- Back in the real world, AMNY follows up on a story from last week with news that Gonzalo Montesdeoca of East Haven, CT, was charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty after authorities rescued as many pit bulls from the alleged abuser's property. The dogs were left outside in the cold, many stacked in cages. Montesdeoca is free on $100,000 bond and is due in court February 21.

- Leaving no stone unturned, Eli Lilly has gained FDA approval for Reconcile, a new canine anti-depressant. We can just see the commercials now.

- Also on the medical front, vets are set to gather in Las Vegas this week for the 79th Annual Western Veterinary Conference. Among the topics to be discussed: using forensics to detect and report animal abuse. With a possible TV show in the offing, the obligatory "CSI" reference isn't that far fetched.

In other news, V.D. style:
- "I Love NYC Pets" month gets love from Gothamist. [Gothamist]
- Pedicabs get no love from the city (and why you should care). [Gothamist]
- CLister wants love from teacher. [TGL]
- The editor gets name-check love from SuperVegan, but nada from Amy Sedaris. [SuperVegan]

Photo: Isadore ("Izzy") and Bingo.

Where's Fred Willard when we need him?

Today's the big day: the kick-off of the 131st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, right here in the Big Apple. Yes, the Super Bowl of canine competitions will blah blah Madison Square Garden blah blah live coverage on USA Network blah blah BLAH.

So why make fun of animal lovers celebrating their dogs - other than Westminster's easy target quotient? Well, natch: it ain't the dogs they're celebrating. Dogs don't care about purity of breed or winning contests. However, as fans of dog show satire know, people do. As the "BiS" tagline declares, in the minds of doggie show biz folk, "Some pets deserve a little more respect than others." And many "others" will be euthanized during the two days Westminster breeders spend sniffing each others' butts in the Garden.

By the by, for those who might understandably dismiss "BiS" as over the top, check out this excerpt from the official Westminster Blog:

I am not being able to decide what to wear Monday and Tuesday, something light but then also - maybe something warm pink colored?! Decisions!

Oh, and Pedigree is pairing its breeder-fest corporate sponsorship with an adoption drive, complete with heart-rending voiceover from David Duchovny. Talk about adding insult to irony.

In other Westminster hype:
- Breeder judge knows what's wrong with your dog. [NYDN]
- Vivi's "owner" won't be there. [NYDN]
- Neither will Bill Cosby, though he's sending Harry. [1010 WINS]

Photo: Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge and either Desi or Porsche, from "Best in Show"