Pure Dog Talk

Westminster KC Treasure Trove: The VOICE of MSG and Yukon Vet Michael LaFave, Westminster Kennel Club Announcer “May we have the hound group please” may be the most thrilling line in dogdom. Westminster Kennel Club announcer Michael LaFave has been the announcer voice at Madison Square Garden for 18 years. Host Laura Reeves caught up with LaFave and Yukon Vet Dr. Michelle Oakley in New York City earlier this month. LaFave was a Basset Hound fancier and president of Eastern Dog Club in Boston when the revered Roger Caras fell ill before the 2001 Westminster dog show. That last minute “fill in” assignment launched nearly two decades associated with his deep, powerful voice describing each dog being judged on the green carpet. Intense moments and gorgeous dogs mark his tenure speaking to the thousands of fans filling the seats at the famed Manhattan venue. His favorite winner? Uno, the Beagle. His most memorable moment? The presentation to the Search and Rescue dogs who worked 9/11, just months after the tra