Often imitated but never replicated, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, in its 149th year, is racing toward its conclusion. A group of New York Times journalists will be providing up-to-the-minute live analysis of the competition, in which seven group winners will face off at Madison Square Garden in hopes of capturing best in show.

Washington Post reporter Maura Judkis sought out some of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show's rarest four-legged friends.