Westminster confidential: sequins, spectacle and the smell of 2,500 dogs

A night behind the velvet ropes at the Super Bowl of canines, America's oldest continuously held sporting event, was enough to change even the staunchest skeptic

I'm not afraid to say it: dogs are in their flop era. Or maybe, just their owners are. The ones who bring a Great Dane into the grocery store, or hole up in a cocktail bar with a giant Saint Bernard at their feet. Dog people used to symbolize sensitivity, or a down-to-earth vibe. Now, they're synonymous with white-collar entitlement.

But I kept those feelings to myself during the Westminster Dog Show, lest they take me out back to get mauled by a pack of Belgian Malinios.