By Amy Sacks
Special to DNAinfo
MANHATTAN — Professional dog groomer Valerie Durante treats every dog like a champion at her Chelsea storefront, but there will only be room for one pup in her life when she enters the ring at the Westminster Dog Show this week.
Durante’s 3-year-old long-haired Chihuahua, named “Champion Yococo’s Hot Fuzz,” but affectionately known as “Lincoln,” will make his debut as one of 2,500 top dogs from around the nation vying for Best in Show at the 134th annual competition at Madison Square Garden.
“If he wins or loses I still love him the same,” said Durante, 27, a groomer at Chelsea dog shop, Downtown Doghouse.
The perky pooch will compete against 24 long-haired Chihuahuas for the title of Best in Breed. The winner will go on to compete in the Toy group, and then for top prize. The dog show begins Monday.
At home, Lincoln acts like a regular pup just hanging out with his sister, Emma, Durante said. But in the ring, Lincoln is quite the performer, turning up his saucy side to dazzle the judges, she said.
Lincoln has plenty of experience in the spotlight, competing in more than 30 shows across the country, Durante said.
Durante plans to put her grooming skills to good use in preparation for the judges, starting her regimen backstage an hour before show time.
Surrounded by a frenzy of preparations, Durante will wash, trim, and fluff Lincoln’s pouf of orange and white hair.
And her friends and boss will be there to cheer her on.
“They deserve to win,” said Downtown Doghouse owner Nancy Chinchar.
