It's not quite dog-eat-dog, but competition will be fierce as the Prince George Kennel Club's annual dog show kicks off today.
The long-running conformation show - which Kennel Club president Paulette Blinch describes as the "dog show equivalent of a beauty pageant" - begins this morning at 8 a.m. at the Oriental Wellness Centre at 5100 North Nechako Rd.
A total of six all-breed championship conformation shows will take place (rain or shine) over the course of three days along with baby puppy classes, puppy and veteran sweepstakes, two rally-obedience sanction matches. There will also be a Friday night session of Canine Good Neighbour testing and two days of junior handling competitions.
Dog shows have a nearly 30-year history in Prince George and draw some canine superstars.
"It's not a big show but we do get some really top quality animals here," said Blinch, including two of the top three dogs in the country. "They've come up here to butt heads and they're pushing to be the top dog in Canada."
The competition will be vetted by judges from Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta as well as B.C.
Those coming to the show as spectators are asked to leave their own animals at home, but kennel club members will be on hand to answer any questions about conformation and other training activities.
For more information, visit www.princegeorgekennelclub.com.
