<p>NEW YORK — Show dogs will have their day in Madison Square Garden again when the Westminster Kennel Club show returns in January after coronavirus precautions prompted a shift to the suburbs this spring. </p>
<p>The club announced Thursday that next year’s final rounds will be held as usual at the famous arena — though earlier than normal, on Jan. 25-26. Preliminary rounds will be at a venue to be announced and start Jan. 24, after a Jan. 22 agility championship at the same place. </p>
<p>Meanwhile, Westminster is preparing for a very different show this year. </p>
<p>
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-new-york-health-manhattan-dogs-dc3a272cf52fa7ef9f83785b92dc84c6">It will be outdoors at a riverfront estate </a> about 25 miles (40 km) north of Manhattan in Tarrytown, on June 12-13 instead of in February — and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-new-york-city-coronavirus-pandemic-manhattan-dog-shows-eb64e2f3a825ed2a72f1ca1961fecb66">without spectators</a>, apparently for the first time. The multi-day event usually draws 35,000 to 40,000 people in all, according to the club. </p>
<p>This year will mark the first time in the show’s 144-year history that it won’t be somewhere in Manhattan, and the first time in over a century that the best in show prize won’t be awarded at the Garden. </p>
<p>Fans can watch the final rounds on Fox channels. Preliminary rounds, including the agility competition’s early stages June 11, and an obedience competition will be streamed on Westminster’s website.</p>
