Dog o' Day
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David Frei on his journey with dogs and dog show insights

By Wesley Coburn

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 15: Director of Communications, David Frei poses with a new breed dog Rat Terrier 'Obie' at the 138th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show press conference at Madison Square Garden on January 15, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 15: Director of Communications, David Frei poses with a new breed dog Rat Terrier 'Obie' at the 138th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show press conference at Madison Square Garden on January 15, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Desiree Navarro/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 26: David Frei, Westminister Kennel Club director of communications, stands with Hickory, the Scottish Deerhound who won Best in Show last year, during the 136th annual Westinster Kennel Club Dog Show preview on January 26, 2012 in New York City. The show, which runs February 13-14, previewed six new breeds who will compete in the show for the first time. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 26: David Frei, Westminister Kennel Club director of communications, stands with Hickory, the Scottish Deerhound who won Best in Show last year, during the 136th annual Westinster Kennel Club Dog Show preview on January 26, 2012 in New York City. The show, which runs February 13-14, previewed six new breeds who will compete in the show for the first time. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) /

As part of our interview with David Frei, he shares some of his favorite writers and predicts some of the popular dog breeds of the future.

Dog O’Day: Do you keep up with other canine-related TV like dog sports or National Geographic/Animal Planet shows? 

David Frei: Sure, I watch as many shows as I can. There are a lot of very smart people in my world, it is fun to see them doing their thing. It’s fun also to hear someone drop in a quote that I have used forever; I smile and take it as a compliment.

Dog O’Day: As a member of the Dog Writers Association of America’s Hall of Fame, who are some of your favorite authors when it comes to writing about dogs?

David Frei: OMG. There are so many talented and knowledgeable writers, and I like to think that they are all my friends from all of my time in this dog world, even though I may not have met them all in person. But no matter what I come up with here, I am going to probably leave someone out, everyone please forgive me as I try.

“VETERANS”, people who have been around a while and write (or wrote) often, stuff that I never miss: Ranny Green, Steve Dale, Marty Becker, Brian Kilcommons, Kim Thornton, the late Mordecai Siegel.
“CURRENTLY VERY ACTIVE” and I try to read everything they do: Alexandra Horowitz, Patricia McConnell, Bruce Cameron, Maria Goodavage, Laura Coffey, Elaine Gewirtz, Mara Bovsun, Sassafrass Lowery, Joanne Anderson, Carol Bryant.
“OTHERS”, not necessarily dog writers but great writers and media talent whose topics and philosophy and tone often apply to my world: Terry Frei (my brother), Mitch Albom, John O’Hurley, Ben Walker, Rich Sandomir, Cooper Lawrence.
MAGAZINES: Bark Magazine, the AKC Gazette.
ONLINE: @TheDogist, @TheNewBarker, @DogingtonPost, @Dogster, @PureDogTalk, @ModernDogMag. This list is endless.
BY TOPIC: Anything that has do with therapy dogs, service dogs, working dogs, and wounded warriors.

The list goes on and on. I can’t keep up with all of them, but I try.

Dog O’Day: Who do you think might be the frontrunners to become the 2019 National Dog Show Champion? 

David Frei: Lots of great dogs out there in the dog show world right now. As I like to say, it’s not always the dog that you come to see, it’s the dog you’re talking about when you leave. That’s the great thing about the sport, every day is a new day and as the old saying goes, “every dog has its day.” I am excited to see which dog will have its moment of divine inspiration in front of the judges at the National Dog Show this year.

Dog O’Day: Since some breeds’ popularity rises and fades over time, which breeds do you think could become more popular over the next decade?   

David Frei: Some of them are already popular and the popularity will continue to grow; some of these breeds are my personal favorites and may not have statistics to back up my positive feelings about them, but here you go:  Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers, Havanese, Miniature American Shepherds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, German Shepherds, Shiba Inu, Poodles, Papillons, Boston Terriers, Pembroke Welsh Corgis, and Bernese Mountain Dogs.

Dog O’Day: Any other general background information you think readers should know?

David Frei: I want our viewers to think about the National Dog Show as a celebration of the dogs in our lives. Enjoy the entertainment of seeing 196 different breeds and varieties, enjoy the competition, root for your favorites. It can be what I call “the alma mater factor”: if you have a Brittany, root for the Brittany. Watch the dog show with your dog at your feet or on the couch next to you. And when it is all over, no matter who wins on TV, hug your dog because your dog is the real Best In Show dog. And thank them for letting you be the person on the other end of their leash.

Next. The most popular breeds of 2018. dark

The National Dog Show presented by Purina will air on NBC at noon across all time zones on Thursday, November 28. Whiskey the Whippet is the defending winner.

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