One of America's most prestigious dog shows is at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana State Fairgrounds West Pavilion has literally gone to the dogs.

Thousands of dogs from across the country arrived in Indianapolis for the Indy Winter Classic. The event will help select contestants for the much larger Westminster Dog Show.

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"This event is 101 years old," said Rick Crouch of the Hoosier Kennel Club, which organizes the Indy Winter Classic. "Next to the 500, we're probably one of the oldest events in Indiana."

The Hoosier Kennel Club said more than 9,000 dogs representing about 200 breeds will participate in the Indy Winter Classic. The event started Wednesday and will last through the weekend.

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That roster includes John Fabelo of Cincinnati and his English setter, Mango.

"Indy is a great show, we've been coming here for many years," Fabelo said. "The quality of this building and the light makes it fun to be in here. You have natural light, you don't have the fluorescent lights flickering. It's just a good building to be in."

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Heidi Bell brought her poodles from Alberta, Canada for the competition.

"When I told my husband I'd like to do a dog show in Indianapolis, he said, 'What?'" Bell said. "It's obviously bigger than a lot of the shows in Canada."

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Crouch said the Indianapolis show has enough prestige to compete for a major award from the American Kennel Club.

"We're nominated for the top cluster of the year," Crouch said. "There's another large show going on right now in Atlanta, Georgia. We had people from Atlanta who came here instead of going to their local show."

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The Indy Winter Classic is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the weekend, with hours extended to 7 p.m. on Saturday. It will cost you $10 to park at the fairgrounds.