Hundreds of carefully coiffed beauties hit the catwalk on February 9 before an adoring crowd in New York — and did their very best not to urinate or growl.
The Westminster Kennel Club show, the Olympics of dog beauty contests, got underway in Madison Square Garden with Bull Terriers, French Bulldogs and enormous Irish Wolf Hounds strutting their stuff.
About 2,500 dogs from some 170 breeds were competing in the two-day event culminating with the Best in Show competition late February 10.
In addition to the sell-out crowd of 20,000 at the Garden, millions are expected to watch on television and the Internet, with portions of the show broadcast live on US television.
Although the dog show has a carefully maintained veneer of old-world civility, the competition is fierce and both owners and dogs showed signs of nervousness.
Spencer, a two-year-old Bedlington Terrier about to go before the judges, quivered as his backstage handler applied last minute touches to his fleecy white coat.
"He's kind of nervous. He's quite a house pet so this is a culture shock," Megan Hof, 24, said.
Hof said the pooch, with his perfectly trimmed hair, shaven ears, and long legs, was a serious contender. "He's very white. He has to look like a lamb, which he does."
Out in the arena area of the Garden — one of the world's top venues for boxing, ice hockey and other less genteel events — judges maintained iron discipline.
"Males to the front, bitches to the back," one judge instructed as a new batch of contestants entered the pen.
The dogs were on their best behaviour, with virtually no barking, let alone any rogue cocking of hind legs.
The human element is trickier, some owners say.
"This can be a bit political to be honest," a disappointed Bill Peacy, 69, said after his friend's Irish Wolfhound Quest was beaten to the breed title.
"Just you watch the rear end on the one who did win. Just watch," Quest's owner Alic Kneavel, 61, said with a knowing wink.
Quest, who won the consolation Award of Merit, seemed oblivious to the machinations of the Irish Wolfhound world.
He folded his giant limbs, lay down, and licked thoughtfully at his paws. Maybe he was thinking of his lunch.
"He eats four to five cups of dog food, a whole can, and I give him little treats," Kneavel said. "If there's a turkey on the table, he doesn't walk away."
The Westminster dog show first took place in 1877 and attracts worldwide interest.
Judges are searching for a successor to last year's popular Best in Show winner Uno, a Beagle who became something of a celebrity with a visit to the White House, talk show appearances, and his own Facebook page.
Uno, making a star guest appearance at the New York show, is on the cusp of a potentially lucrative career.
"He's going to be put out to stud. But first he needs to settle down because when they're on the road the dogs get so stressed," said Dan Huebner, who owns the Texas ranch where Uno now lives.
