St. Cloud Hosts Annual Dog Show This Weekend [VIDEO]

ST. CLOUD -- The Granite City Kennel Club is holding its annual dog show this weekend at the River's Edge Convention Center.

Over 700 dogs are taking part in the two-day competition of Best in Show.

One of the competition's judges, Beverly Capstick, has been coming to the Granite City Kennel Club Dog Show for years.

"I've been involved since...1969 [and] I've been up to this club since that period of time," Capstick says.

"It started out as an obedience club and it developed from there."

Capstick has noticed generations of families getting involved in the competition, with many kids participating in junior showmanship.

Capstick says the dog show has become a diverse event, with competitors from all over the world.

"We have dogs...from Spain and everywhere [so] it's an international sport."

The dog show judges choose winners from each breed, eventually trimming the competition down to seven dogs who compete for Best in Show.

"It's like a round-robin tournament - you play until you're beaten and then you're done," Capstick says.

Capstick says that along with the dog show, the Granite City Kennel Club does a lot for the community.

"[The Granite City Kennel Club] supports the Search and Rescue group of Minnesota [and] they've given money to a lot of different events to help out," Capstick says.

Instead of an admission fee, those who attend only need to bring a food item to donate to the food shelf to get in and Capstick encourages all dog lovers to come out for the event.

"Everyone should come to a dog show at least once - especially if you're thinking about getting a dog, this is the place to be," Capstick says.

"You'll see all the different breeds and you can figure out whether that's the type of dog you really want in your family."