Exclusive | Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 2026: Behind the scenes with the glammest dogs

Looking this good is not easy.

Kennedy Green is like many other 10-year-olds, busy with homework and friends. But when it comes to extracurricular activities, she has one very furry and utterly adorable request: her award-winning Pekingese show dog, Lincoln, who will be competing in this year’s Westminster Kennel Club dog show in New York.

Grooming him, bathing him, training him, exercising him, giving him his expensive meals and supplements – it all takes time. Some days, the SoCal-based private student will spend more than two hours tending to Lincoln’s needs.

This comes at the expense of his social and extracurricular life, doing everything from cleaning his charge’s nose rolls to preparing premium freeze-dried raw meals, complete with fresh proteins and a series of supplements.

“A lot of times my friends do things on the weekend, but I can’t go because I’m going to dog shows or I have to wash my dog,” Green kindly and shyly told the Post.

“Pekingese are structurally bred to sit on pillows in palaces – you can’t put them on a treadmill. Kennedy has to be very creative to get her dog to exercise in unique and original ways,” added mom Shannon, who regularly drives the duo hundreds of miles round trip to dog shows near their home, and guides the couple around the country on regular, expensive trips.

For their Big Apple adventure and Westminster appearance, held at the Javits Center (January 31 for breed judging and agility competitions) and Madison Square Garden (February 2-3 for group finals and the coveted Best in Show), the trio will ride together – Lincoln in his little under-seat carrier, resting on a block of ice to keep him from overheating, a common problem with the breed.

While pre-teen Kennedy sits ringside at her little pop-up office taking her classes, Lincoln will strut around with dozens of other four-legged and furry hopefuls, loving the cameras and hopefully racking up ribbons as the event, America’s oldest and most prestigious dog competition, celebrates its 150th anniversary.

And while New Yorkers James Morrissey and his wife, Chanthee Keokhaw, don’t have to go far to show off their two Finnish Lapland dogs — Wyatt, a 4-year-old black-and-tan charmer, and Logan, a 3-year-old golden ball of fluff — the returning Westminster contestants have busy schedules of daily activities ranging from exhausting to glamorous, all to help them keep up with the Kardashian canines.

Most mornings start early, with the day starting with long hikes in Inwood Hill Park before Keokhaw logs in to work from home — this long getaway helps keep dogs from harassing her while she’s at work.

Like the Greens, Morrissey and Keokhaw have made significant adjustments to their lifestyle – and significant adjustments to their budget – to put their dogs first.

“Before we had the guys, we traveled a lot,” he said, explaining that since welcoming Wyatt and Logan, “we try to travel to places where we can take them with us — mostly places where we can drive.”

An unexpected change? Bringing meat into their home – and preparing it – even though they are vegetarians themselves, all to meet the dietary needs of their pets.

“Dogs absolutely add to the cost of our weekly food bill. In an age where everything is more expensive, we try to prioritize their needs,” Morrissey explained, noting that dogs enjoy a “mixture of cooked lean meat, low-mercury fish and/or eggs, and some kibble,” which can cost up to $59 a bag for the brands they prefer.

As for how the couple maintains their dogs’ health beyond diet and exercise, the dogs both “undergo regular veterinary health exams” and “annual vaccinations.” They also brush Wyatt and Logan’s teeth every night before bed.

Wyatt and Logan’s grooming routine, which includes monthly baths and regular brushings, also comes at a cost. The dogs sport a thick double coat — a coarse outer coat over a dense, fluffy undercoat — which requires specialized grooming products that don’t come cheap, with shampoos costing more than $40 a bottle in some cases, and many expensive brushes and combs, the couple said.

Raising dogs in Manhattan also presents unique challenges.

“Cleanliness training [here] It’s very different from potty training in the suburbs,” Morrissey revealed. “When you live seven stories up, you learn that the elevator takes 34 seconds to go each way.”

Both Wyatt and Logan began showing as young dogs, and Morrissey said the competition taught the couple how to care for their famously thick coats, without turning grooming into a full-time job.

All that hard work has paid off: Wyatt and Logan are both major champions of the American Kennel Club. Wyatt ranked 12th in the nation for Finnish Lapland Dogs in 2024, while Logan earned a “Select” honor in a regional specialty last year.

Some owners opt for a slightly more relaxed pace on the path to stardom. Upper East Side native Natalie Moutoussis, whose 4-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Kai is making his Westminster debut this year, said that despite his regal appearance, her pet’s daily routine is surprisingly low-key.

“Kai is a pretty sweet dog — he’s very lazy in the morning,” Moutoussis told the Post.

His ideal start to the day? Breakfast, then burrowing under the covers before finally heading for a long loop of Central Park, where he greets neighborhood dog friends and logs up to an hour of off-leash play.

After spending nearly three hours outside, Kai takes a nap at home before running several times a week – sometimes running half-marathon distances when the weather permits – then relaxing with dinner and cuddles.

Although Rhodesian Ridgebacks were originally bred to stalk lions in Africa, Moutoussis said Kai’s killer instinct applies primarily to squeaky toy squirrels and elaborate strategy games — not real ones scurrying around the park.

“He never catches them,” she laughed. “He just likes to stalk them.”

At meal times, Kai feasts on human-grade dishes that Moutoussis prepares for him from scratch, beef being his favorite.

“He eats fresh food with human-grade ingredients twice a day,” she said. “I will also give him dog-friendly fruits and vegetables if I eat them.”

Kai bathes about once every two weeks, with Moutoussis taking care of all her washing herself.

“It’s really just a matter of the cost of the shampoo,” she said, noting that it’s much cheaper than grooming her former Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which cost her $150 per session.

Unlike Wyatt and Logan, Kai has a much shorter coat, making grooming and cleaning even simpler. “Kai is truly a low-maintenance dog,” Moutoussis said.

In their 38-story luxury building, Kai is a hit with everyone – from neighbors to doormen – and Moutoussis says she has never been criticized for breeding a show dog in the city.

“People find it very unique,” ​​she said. “When I mention Westminster, New Yorkers get really excited. There will be a whole crew watching and cheering for him this year. It’s the biggest show he’s ever done.”

Kai’s path to Westminster began during the pandemic, when Moutoussis finally had time to pursue the Ridgeback breed she had admired for years while attending the show at Madison Square Garden.

His breeder suggested he try showing him – and Kai took to him immediately, winning Best in Show at his first puppy show. It usually occurs 8 to 10 times a year.

Now, as a first-time competitor at Westminster during the event’s 150th anniversary, the proud dog mom says she’s most excited for a quiet moment in the ring.

“I love it when he finishes that diagonal, maintains his position and looks up at the judge,” she said. “I’m excited to see the look he gives.”

However, off-leash, Kai’s priorities are much simpler: snuggling with his parents on the couch.

“I swear he’s human,” Moutoussis said. “He thinks he weighs about 10 pounds, but he’s 85. He’s my partner in life.”

Tickets for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show are available through Ticketmaster.

Prices range from $58 to $90.