An Icelandic sheepdog, the Leonberger, the Boykin spaniel, the cane corso, the bluetick coonhound and the redbone coonhound were officially introduced Thursday in a New York hotel penthouse, right across the street from where they'll compete this week at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden. There are 179 breeds and varieties entered in America's most prestigious canine competition and several million pet lovers are expected to catch the coverage on USA Network and CNBC. One of the new breeds, the bluetick coonhound, is very familiar to college football and basketball fans as the longtime mascot for the University of Tennessee. Ironically, ring steward Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine (whose grandfather Arthur Turnbull was the first Packers team president) was one of 400 ticketholders turned away from Super Bowl XLV when temporary seating at Cowboys Stadium was declared unsafe. She watched from a stadium bar as Green Bay beat Pittsburgh 31-25. No doubt she'll be in the front row for the upcoming "super bowl" of dog shows.
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