Prettiest pups were on display at annual AKC show in Marion

For more than 60 years, the Crab Orchard Kennel Club has been holding an American Kennel Club-sanctioned dog show in southern Illinois, attracting owners, trainers, groomers, show judges and spectators to the two-day event.

This past weekend actually marked their 64th such show, according to Cheri White, Crab Orchard Kennel Club president.

In recent years, the show has been held at the user-friendly Pavilion in Marion, a site which many attendees seem to favor.

"I've been coming here for over 20 years.," said Kristie Miller of Strafford, Missouri. "It's a great show and I love the area."

For Miller it's a five-hour drive to participate, but there are plenty of local dog owners as well. Claire Stretch, of Goreville, brought her Basset Fauve de Bretagne, a rare breed with only 150 of them registered in the U.S. In addition, she says the dog is extremely fast for its size. "He can run about 21 miles an hour!"

The two-day show featured nearly 500 dogs competing each day for ribbons and bragging rights. In addition to the competition, dog owners had a wide variety of vendors on hand selling all manner of dog toys and treats.