About five-dozen dog lovers from across the country gathered Saturday at the Jefferson City Jaycees Fairgrounds to determine the best dog in show.
Organizers of the seventh annual Mid-Mo American Pit Bull Terrier Club's pit bull dog show hoped the event can decrease the stigma surrounding pit bulls.
Brian Willibrand, with the Mid-Mo APBT Club, said the pit bull dog show works just like any other dog show throughout the country - dogs are judged based on a host of characteristics including the angle of joints, hips and bones. The best dogs tend to look "square," he said.
"The biggest thing is the dog should be as tall as it is long," Willibrand said.
In past years, the event attracted more than 100 dog owners from across the country, Willibrand said. Last year, attendance was around 90.
This year, he said, attendance declined slightly because of competing dog shows being held in Louisiana and New Jersey.
The event packs three dog shows into Saturday and today. Each show has various categories, including divisions for puppies. The seven or so members of the Mid-Mo APBT Club advocate against breed specific bans, like a pit bull ban Springfield residents voted down in August.
Willibrand said the group likes to get children involved in divisions with puppies in the hopes of proving pit bulls can be as nice as any other breed of dog.
"It's just to get them to like showing dogs, like we do also," Willibrand said. "We love our dogs just like everybody else does."
Saturday afternoon, Anthony Johnson, of Columbia, sat in the shade with his dog, Bogart. Patches of tuxedo-shaded black and white fur cover Bogart; he entered the show ring for the male-dog division's elusive Champion class.
Johnson, 32, found pit bulls around age 8 and has always loved the breed. About 12 years ago, he said he found other people like pit bulls just as much.
Bogart panted in the shade as the pair waited to enter the ring. Training for the event mostly comprises obedience training and things to build muscle tone, Johnson said.
"Just keep him healthy and happy."
As Johnson and Bogart competed, Demario Gray, of Coleman, Texas; and his female pit bull, Pyra, waited in the shade for the female division of the Champion class. Gray began showing dogs in 2006 and has attended dog shows in Las Vegas, Florida and North Carolina, among other places. This marked the latest of several times he's come to Jefferson City, Gray said.
He hoped Pyra would do well.
"You can't do nothing but hope," he said.
During the show, Bogart stood calmly as a judge studied him closely. Before the event, Johnson said he'd be happy just to place. In the end, Bogart placed second in the Champion class.
"It's hard to place in the Champion class," Johnson said. "So second is pretty good."