'It's the prestige': Calgary dog owners prepare for Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

To attend the 147th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show hosted in New York City, dogs must qualify.

Out of close to 3,000 entries, only 63 are from Canada.

Two are from Calgary.

Gail Forsythe has been a passionate owner, exhibitor and breeder of Chow Chows since 1975.

She's bringing her dog Mars to the show in May.

"Oh, Westminster is going to be fun," she said.

"It's considered probably the most prestigious show in North America. The dogs that are permitted to compete must already be American champions, you're not allowed to just sort of show up and compete as you might with a local show."

Forsythe says Mars started competing when he was eight months old and turns two in May.

She says 12 Chows will be showing in New York City.

"This is a very ancient breed. There's DNA evidence that shows this breed goes back about 13,000 years, which is astonishing," she said.

"They were actually bred in northern China for hunting, guard, sometimes also for herding and they're pretty versatile. They could even do sledding."

This will be Forsythe's first time showing at Westminster and she says it's rare for the owner and breeder to show their dog at this level.

Many owners choose to have their pets handled by professionals.

"He was No. 1 in Canada last year for his breed so we're representing Canadian Chows," she said.

"It's a way to test your work of art because breeding a healthy companion dog is a work of art and that's what we're trying to showcase. If I was Michelangelo, this would be my David."

Sheila McAvoy is bringing her four-and-a-half-year-old Boxer, Doc, to Westminster for the first time.

She's attended as a spectator and will now take to the show ring.

"There are 16 Boxers there this year and they're the top in the country," she said.

"When Doc was about six months, we started showing and we went to the Canadian National more to just to take him out. I flew out to Ontario with him with no expectations and he won the whole national."

McAvoy has been raising boxers for 35 years.

Like Forsythe, she also is the owner, breeder and will show her dog in New York City.

"Doc's got a beautiful structure and that gives him the athletic ability to do what he does with ease," McAvoy said.

"But he's also got a wonderful temperament. He's got a very pretty head for a boxer."

McAvoy is excited about being part of the event even though there is no prize money for taking home first place.

"Lots of people from around the world come to Westminster. It's the prestige. It's televised, there are so many people, it's like THE event to attend," she said.

"It's prestige and that thrill of winning."

Both McAvoy and Forsythe say they'll be happy if their dogs place in the top four of their breed.

"When a dog walks in the ring, you want to assess does its appearance match the ideal for that breed," Forsythe said.

"Because the purpose of the dog show is to select breeding stock, it's not a beauty contest, it's to see which dog most closely matches the breed standard."

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation dog show held in New York City annually since 1877.

It runs May 6, 8, and 9.