Top dogs dazzle crowds at Kennel Club of Philadelphia's National Dog Show
OAKS, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- "I have 23 dogs now, most I've rescued or adopted from all around the country and they're my family," said Gail Mirabella.
Mirabella grew up in Hatboro, Pennsylvania, and now travels the country as a trainer and performer with the Purina Pro Plan Performance Team. She and her dogs visited the National Dog Show this weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, where they performed several shows per day.
"A lot of them came from bad situations," she said about her dogs. "I gave them a good job, gave them a good life, and they just work their hearts out for me. They have so much fun doing what we're doing that it's really not work anymore."
Crowds were dazzled by the performances at the annual event, which is hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. The tradition dates back more than a century.
"Kennel Club has been around since 1884, actually," said current President Wayne Ferguson. "It all started at the Philadelphia Exhibition and three years later, we had our first dog show. And we've been having them annually ever since."
One of the 1,800+ participants in the show, Beverly Conroy, is from Newtown, Pennsylvania. She acquired her first dog from the Netherlands and is now three generations deep with breeding her furry friends.
"At the end of the day, regardless of what they do in the dog ring, they're a pet," said Conroy. "You know, they're somebody that you love for the rest of your life."
This year's event concluded on Sunday, November 20. To learn more about the Kennel Club of Philadelphia or the National Dog Show, visit their websites.
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