The National Dog Show Is The Best Thing About Thanksgiving
When you think Thanksgiving and appointment television for the whole family, chances are the first thing that pops into your head and is part of an annual tradition is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with its floats, balloons, performances, special guests, and, of course, Santa Claus at the end. But I’m here to try to change that because sure, it’s great, but there’s something even better on right after it on NBC every year: The National Dog Show. There’s nothing like it!
After all, I don’t know about you, but most of my morning, while the Parade is on, is spent cooking — getting the turkey in the oven, figuring out the sides, trying to time it all out (and inevitably failing) — so that I can sit down to watch every minute of the Dog Show. And sure, I never go online to watch the presentations of all the dogs (even though I plan to every year), but it’s still a joy to see the ones that do make it onto the broadcast. Even though it’s a truncated show, it doesn’t feel like I’m missing out.
The same cannot be said with the Parade. It can just get repetitive year after year, with the same balloons and floats (with a few new additions), its snippets of performances (both from the singers on the floats and the Broadway stars offering just a morsel from a musical), lip syncing (not the performers’ faults, but due to the nature of the event), too quick conversations with celebrities about their holidays (information we can now easily get on social media), and too brief looks at balloons and floats (just due to what there’s time for on the telecast).
The Dog Show is great family viewing, at least in my experience. Everyone has their favorite category and dog. Chances are not everyone (if anyone) will agree with the judges’ decisions (and you’ll still be talking about it two categories later). And if you’re me, you still think the golden retriever needs to walk away the winner at least once sometime soon because it’s so darn cute. (You will not be able to change my mind about that.) But even if people disagree, it shouldn’t make things tense at the dinner table. After all, no one is going to feel as strongly about who wins and loses here like they do football, which dominates TV later on Turkey Day.
And hosts John O’Hurley and David Frei, along with Mary Carillo providing commentary, tend to turn the show into a sport, perfect for those who don’t want to watch — or pretend to watch (that Friends episode, too, is an annual tradition) — football. They’re also the ones who turn this into a bit of a learning experience, with fun facts about the different breeds and a few specific dogs, over the course of the two hours of the most well-behaved dogs you’ll see anywhere. It’s great for dog owners and non-dog owners alike (and hey, maybe by the end of it, someone in the latter category will join the former).
In short, The National Dog Show is a purely fluffy show full of adorable fur. How can you not love it? Go ahead, try to Change My Mind.
