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They faced months and months of intense training before the “big game” — like top-tier pro athletes preparing to play in a championship game and existing on a lean diet.
But forget Super Bowl LX — these are the true top dogs of the week.
More than 3,000 champion pups from around the world pranced, performed tricks and showed off their poofy coifs to a panel of judges at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
The three-day extravaganza — equal parts a red carpet gala, sporting event and fashion show — culminated late Tuesday night with the awarding of the coveted Best in Show, which went to a statuesque, 4-year-old Doberman pinscher named Penny.
After breed judging and agility contests Saturday at Javits Center, the event moved to Madison Square Garden on Monday and Tuesday, where the show dogs — and their handlers — appeared cool, calm and collected in front of judges and a crowd of 50,000.
But behind the scenes, it was all nerves and frantic last-minute touch-ups.
The Post was granted backstage access to day two of the prestigious show, where four-legged competitors like Angus, a 1½-year-old Bichon Frise, were getting ready to compete for the very first time.
The way Patriots’ wide receiver Stefon Diggs will prepare — both mentally and physically — to play at his peak during this Sunday’s Super Bowl, Angus was doing the same for his big day.
Early Monday morning, before showtime, Angus spent “two to three hours, with breaks in between, socializing and all that — you build it all in,” his handler, Boston native Eric Chassey, 41, explained to The Post. He oversaw the primped pooch getting bathed and trimmed to look his absolute best in front of the judges.
“You want their eyes to be open because they have big, round eyes. You also want a plume on the tail, the cavy body, the round head,” Cassey said, noting that to stand out among the thousands of competing glamorous dogs, Angus was specifically prepped to “accentuate” the strengths of his breed.
Despite Angus’s intense lead-up, Chassey confessed he loves the “extra bonding time” he gets with his show dog.
“He’s my best friend,” the smiling New Englander declared.
Also backstage was seasoned pro Lucy, a 5-year-old Coonhound, whose handler was full of nerves.
“She loves to show,” Laura Evaristo, 49, from Glen Elder, Kansas, told The Post about her star of a pup, who was competing at Westminster for the third time. “She knows that when she goes into the ring, that’s her job — and she just shines.”
Strutting in front of judges since she was 4 months old, it was clear Lucy was a competitive canine. According to Evaristo, whenever a travel bag comes out at home, “she’s at the door” and ready to flaunt her stuff for all to see.
“I think that she sees this as her job. But she loves it, and she loves to watch the dogs and the people — she’s a people-watcher,” her owner explained. “She’s excited to go.”
Evaristo admitted that she had “butterflies in her stomach,” even though it wasn’t the duo’s first competing rodeo.
“This is the biggest and most prestigious dog show in the entire world. So, yeah, I had better place,” Evaristo said, hopefully eyeing a prize. Alas, they didn’t place in the terrier group.
Elijah, a 3-year-old Yorkshire terrier, didn’t walk out of Madison Square Garden a winner, but his owner, Florida-based Zoey Porter, 23, still planned to display his show collar: this year’s event would final, segueing into his “retirement,” she told The Post.
“This is like our Super Bowl!” Porter told The Post, noting that her pup had been competing since he was just 6 months old.
It took the Floridian two to three hours the night before the event to wash, dry and straighten Elijah’s hair — yes, using a human-hair straightener — followed by another 90 minutes of touch-ups right before showtime.
“We just want a straight, silky coat. Yorkies tend to have a top knot in the hair, which we did,” Porter said of the styling routine. “And we put in a red bow … it’s what we like.”
But post-competition, it will be time for a change.
“He grew all his hair out, and now he can cut it all off,” she said.
The experience of showing the dog strengthened the bond between the two, Porter said, after years of training.
“It’s always cool for us to do it from start to finish and just have that connection with the dogs,” she said.
What’s next for Elijah once his show dog career comes to an end? “To become a dad,” Porter joked.
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