BLOOMINGTON - Competition is intense at the Heart of Illinois Cluster Dog Show. But when the dogs and owners exit the ring, the mood changes.

"We fight and fight to win inside the ring," said Karan Kilgus, co-chair of the event. "But then afterwards it's like, 'Let's go out to breakfast.' The camaraderie is great."

Kilgus and her husband, Rudy, entered their bull dog, Joy, in the four-day show, held at the Interstate Center through Monday.

The dog show is more than 50 years old and is sponsored by the Illinois Valley Kennel Club of Peoria and the Corn Belt Kennel Club, said show chairman Kelley Boylan-Ensminger.

There were 1,900 entries, the highest to date.

Boylan-Ensminger said she thinks dog shows are growing in popularity because it is an activity the whole family can enjoy.

"For kids especially, what a great hobby," she said. "It teaches them responsibility - they have to train the dog and show the dog. It's fun."

The Kilguses, who live in Congerville, have been showing dogs for 27 years. They are American Kennel Club judges and members of the Corn Belt Kennel Club. The couple also breeds and raises bulldogs.

"When we got a dog for our children, we knew we wanted to start showing dogs," said Karan Kilgus. "We got hooked. If you're a competitive person, this is the place to be."

Matt Howard and Julia Wolfe, both of Bloomington were taking a break from the show in the lobby.

Howard said he has two Labrador retrievers named Sonny and Cher, but he came to the show to see the many different breeds of dogs.

"You get to see all sorts of breeds you've only heard of," he said. "And most owners are happy to answer any questions you might have."

Wolfe agreed. "There's just beautiful, beautiful dogs out there. They're just stunning," she said. Wolfe owns a German shorthaired pointer named Crusher, after the Star Trek character Dr. Beverly Crusher.

"You can really tell that some dogs out there in the ring just love what they're doing," she said. "Crusher is old and I don't think she would like this. But she is the most gentle dog on the planet."

Wolfe said it's important for people to realize that dogs are not well-behaved on their own.

"These dogs are trained to act this way," she said. "They do not behave like this normally." Howard said his dogs are in obedience school right now.

"You have to teach them; otherwise they're just like a bunch of wild children," he said.