China represented in NYC dog show

China will be represented when the 139th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show begins on Monday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Chai Lu from Xi An in Shan Xi province will be guiding Lei Li (Topstar Blue Sanctuary), a Rough collie in what many consider one of the premiere canine competitions in the United States, if not the world. A total of 2,711 dogs will be in the two-day show.

Lu is not only the owner of Lei Li but also a professional dog handler in China. She is a member of the National General Kennel Club in Tianjin. Founded in 2005, the club registers dogs according to breed requirements and also focuses on high-level dog shows in China.

Lu discovered dog shows in China after talking with friends. She purchases and trains collies that meet the breed requirements to participate in NGKC sponsored shows.

Lei Li is "cute, clever and always listens to my words. All the dogs I feed and train are on a high level and I care for them as if I were raising children," she told China Daily.

Bringing Lei Li to New York for the Westminster show will fulfill a vow Lu made several years ago.

"I bring Lei Li to New York because I made a promise to Lei Li's father - my first show dog who won many prizes and still holds records among Rough Collies in China. I made a promise to his father that I would bring him to the US to become the champion one day. However, since the economy does not allow for this the dream it never came true. Now, Lei Li inherits this dream and his father is now retired as a pet in our family," she said.

Dogs like Lei Li that travel overseas must meet certain requirements from the country it is visiting. Many countries require certain vaccinations and some require quarantine periods. "I arrived in New York on Feb 14. The formalities for dogs before going abroad are in the international quarantine certificate and we've gone through the quarantine procedure."

Because Lei Li is a champion of the National General Kennel Club in Tianjin, it will cover the entry fee for Westminster. Lu must pay all other costs.

As for the Westminster show, she said she appreciates the history and magnitude of competing in it.

"I feel honored for just attending it. No matter the final results, it's a great boost for professional collie-raising in China. I feel honored as the first Chinese bringing the collie for the show," she said.

The first Westminster show was held in 1877. Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb, the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, manned air flight and the establishment of baseball's World Series.

In 2008 the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the club in China entered into a cooperation agreement, making it an exclusive client in China for the AKC Global Service Program. In 2012 the AKC added the Chinese club to the list of registries with pedigrees accepted for AKC registration. All dogs born in China must be registered first by the Chinese club before being eligible for entry in AKC shows or applying for AKC registration.

Hillary Prim, public relations director for the AKC, said the Golden Retriever was the most popular breed in China in 2014 and has been the most popular for the last 10 years.

In 2005, the club in China held its first national show, called the Golden Necklace. More than 500 dogs from around the world competed in the show.

"I judged some dog shows in China a few years ago and spoke at an accompanying conference about the role of dogs in society," David Frei, who co-hosts the Westminster show on television, said in an e-mail.

The best in show winner will be picked Tuesday night on the USA Network. CNBC televises the group judging on Monday night.

Contact the writer at paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com