Who will be the top dog at this year's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York? The competition is tough. Now in its 140th year, the prestigious contest draws thousands of dogs from around the US. This year's show features 199 breeds, including seven new ones: the Bergamasco, Berger Picard, Boerboel, Cirneco dell'Etna, Lagotto Romagnolo, Miniature American Shepherd and Spanish Water Dog.
Westminster is the second-longest continuously running sporting event in the United States behind the Kentucky Derby. The first show was held in 1877.
Judges select the best of each breed and group, divided into seven categories – hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier. The seven dogs selected as the best in their groups compete for the ultimate Best In Show prize. The winner gets a trophy and embarks on a media tour. In last year's show, a beagle named Miss P won Best In Show.
Before the dogs can be judged, they undergo a great deal of grooming. IBTimes UK takes you backstage at Madison Square Garden as pampered prima donnas are given a last-minute cut and blow-dry before they walk the runway.
Skip, a Yorkshire terrier, is groomed in the benching areaMike Segar/ReutersFrench bulldog Watson is wheeled into the ring for judgingMike Segar/ReutersA handler prepares an Old English sheepdog for competitionStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesA woman carries a Bichon frise into the judging areaTimothy A Clary/AFPA Bichon Frise waits in the grooming areaTimothy A Clary/AFPHeart the labrador puts on a winning performance in the obedience categoryMatthew Eisman/Getty ImagesA dog in a bag is seen in the grooming area during the first day of competitionMatthew Eisman/Getty ImagesA French bulldog sits in a Louis Vuitton bagTimothy A Clary/AFPA standard poodle is prepared for its appearance in the judging ringTimothy A Clary/AFPA standard poodle undergoes a complicated grooming procedureTimothy A Clary/AFPA Bergamasco, one of the seven new breeds being judged at the 2016 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, rests before judging startsMike Segar/ReutersJudging the Bichon frise finalistsTimothy A Clary/AFPSpectators watch from the sidelines during the annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square GardenStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesHandlers and their French bulldogs wait to go into the ringTimothy A Clary/AFPA handler carries a French bulldogTimothy A Clary/AFPA handler wearing a dalmatian jacket waits with a dogMatthew Eisman/Getty ImagesTwo Yorkshire terriers wait in the grooming areaMatthew Eisman/Getty ImagesA woman sits with her Yorkshire terrierStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesAn owner looks at her standard poodleStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesAn owner grooms his beagleStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesViggo, a Bergamasco named best of breed, sits at Madison Square GardenStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesA Shetland sheepdog is ready for its close-upStephanie Keith/Getty ImagesA Maltese is seen in the competition areaTimothy A Clary/AFPA standard poodle, ready for to be judgedTimothy A Clary/AFPA Lhasa Apso waits in the grooming areaTimothy A Clary/AFPA Bichon frise is groomed before the showTimothy A Clary/AFPA Yorkshire terrier is groomed backstageTimothy A Clary/AFPA handler rests with her dog in the grooming areaTimothy A Clary/AFPA Löwchen or Little Lion Dog attends the Meet The Breeds event before the showTimothy A Clary/AFP
