Dog owners primp for Best in Show

Kathleen and David with their prize-winning pair.

Best paw forward, no drooling on the judges and don't forget to wag your tail. No, it's not Invercargill Mayor Tim Shadbolt in Dancing with the Stars, but time for the doggy show-stoppers to enter in the ring in a new entertainment series, Best in Show (TV One, 7.30pm).

Don't confuse this show, either, with the movie of the same name. This 10-part series is not a mockumentary. The excitement, the sequins, hours of grooming, the obsessive love between human and hound are all too real.

Best in Show is an affectionate, respectful look at those who have a passion for pedigree canines. "It's light-hearted and warm entertainment, looking at people who are showdog people," says producer Libby Young.

The search for talent started at Ardmore, home of the New Zealand Kennel Club, and the programme-makers quickly discovered that serious dog people are not nearly as rare a breed as they expected. "The first day we turned up to look for [talent], we were spoiled for riches," says Young.

For example, in tonight's first episode of the Jump Productions show, we meet Elsie, a bichon frise breeder and owner whose passion extends to every nook and cranny of the house.

There is but one theme for her interiors: cushions, walls, knick-knacks and Elsie's wardrobe are all covered in fluffy white dog motifs. "I don't think there is much in my house that isn't in the shape of a bichon," she says.

Young says, "From my experience nearly every person who shows dogs is just doggy-mad. Obsessed? Yes, but in a lovely way. We heard the [dog show scene] was terribly bitchy. Tensions do run high but that is not important - people are focused on their obsession, how their dog looks in the ring."

Documentary-makers often have to go to great lengths to find people who are enthusiastic and willing to appear on television, says Young. But dog people are different. Like their pets, they seem to possess a natural sense of showmanship. In this world, great characters abound and shrinking violets are thin on the ground.

Best in Show the movie was wrongly classified as "mockumentary", says Young. It could have been documentary pure and simple. And life has imitated art. Young says one man in the programme, a shi tzu owner, recognised himself immediately in the mockumentary. He went out and had the same blue and gold suit made as his fictional counterpart wore in the movie.

Dog show people know they are obsessed and are proud of it. Young quotes one, defending her passion: "A lot of people spend their weekend on the golf course trying to get a little white ball into a hole ... " Point taken.

Though competition is intense in the ring, there's no rivalry between this show and that other canine telly offering, Wonder Dogs, says Young. "Wonder Dogs is a completely different kind of show. It's about dogs performing."

Best in Show focuses more on the human interest, a fact well understood by the participants. "Of course, it's not about dogs, it's about us," one told Young.

The show is about a pastime which Young describes as "like a foreign country" to her at first, but it's for general viewing, not aimed at experts. The intricacies of showing dogs, the rules, the classifications and the breeds are explained.

This is a dog-friendly show and a counterbalance to all those bad news stories about the species. In tonight's episode, for example, we see a different side of a breed with a fearsome reputation.

Members of the Catholic Church, disturbed by that description of their new leader as a rottweiler, might be relieved to learn the breed has its goofy, cuddly side.

"Best in Show is a vote of confidence for the canines," says Young.

"They've had a lot of bad press of late."