PHILADELPHIA — The 24^th annual National Dog Show, presented by Purina, will be broadcast on November 27, Thanksgiving Day, on television network NBC, following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and as part of a slate of special holiday programming on NBC.

A yearly tradition for dog lovers who will be getting ready for afternoon feasts and football games, The National was actually already held on November 14-16 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and pre-recorded for broadcast on the Thursday. Longtime hosts John O’Hurley, David Frei and Mary Carillo will provide expert commentary.

This year, more than 2,000 dogs registered to the American Kennel Club from all over the country competed in 205 breed and variety categories for trophies in “best of Breed, First in Group and the coveted title of Best in Show.”

Groups that will be shown during tv broadcast include terrier, toy, working, sporting, hound, non-sporting and herding. Current reigning top dog, Vito, the Pug, represented the Toy Group in 2024 to take Best in Show. Toy breeds have existed for centuries, consisting of dogs that serve mostly as human companions due to their petite size.

Pugs, like Vito’s ancestors, date from 400 B.C. and originated in China where they were prized by monks and emperors. They came to Europe in the 16^th Century with Dutch traders who brought them from Asia and they soon became status symbols for royalty, including Napoleon — which surprises no pug owner who has ever been blessed with the presence of the “pugnacious” breed.

The National Dog Show starts at 12:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, on NBC and Peacock.

Photo by Melissa Keizer on Unsplash.