""I don't think that bitch looks fit," a woman next to me murmurs. She's carrying a Louis Vuitton bag, wearing Hermes riding boots, and speaking, of course, about one of the three female Cane Corsos still in the ring. It's not exactly an unwarranted thing for her to say; she does have a dog in this fight. Two, to be precise. The two fitter bitches both belong to her."
""Like many of the women around me, the Cane Corso owner is wearing a tweed suit. As I've learned from many handlers over the course of two days, those suits speak to the prestige, perfectionism, and traditionalism of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. It matters if the bitch is fit because that's the name of the game. Sure, many of these dogs are born perfect; high-level breeders can often tell from puppyhood if a dog has potential to become showready.""
""At any given moment hundreds of dogs are being prepped in the backstage benching area. The grooming never stops. Between barks and the occasional howl, there are suits being steamed, fur being straightened, black noses being buffed. This is the pinnacle of human obsession with the pursuit of aesthetics, channeled through man's best friend. Dog shows are simultaneously about individuality and conformity. Breeds are trying to meet written aesthetic standards, but they are also trying to be singular.""
At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, handlers and breeders meticulously prepare purebred dogs to meet rigid breed standards and gain competitive advantage. Handlers coordinate appearance and strategy, including clothing choices, to present dogs optimally for judges. Judges physically sort fields, influencing which animals win Best of Breed and Best of Opposite. Backstage benching areas bustle with constant grooming: coats washed and maintained, suits steamed, fur straightened, and noses buffed. The environment blends prestige, perfectionism, and traditionalism, and channels intense human focus on aesthetics through canine presentation. The shows balance demands for conformity to standards with efforts to make each dog stand out.
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