Looking this good doesn’t come easy.
Kennedy Green is like a lot of other 10-year-olds, keeping busy with homework and friends. But when it comes to afterschool activities, she’s got one very hairy, utterly adorable demand on her time — her prize-winning Pekingese showdog, Lincoln, who will compete at this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City.
Grooming, bathing, training, exercising, feeding him his expensive meals and supplements — it all takes time. On some days, the SoCal-based private schooler will spend well over two hours tending to Lincoln’s needs.
This comes at the expense of her social and own extracurricular life, doing everything from cleaning her charge’s nose rolls to prepping high-end, freeze-dried raw meals complete with fresh proteins and a series of supplements.
“There are a lot of times when my friends are doing stuff over the weekend, but I can’t go, because I’m going to the dog shows, or I have to wash my dog,” Green sweetly and shyly explained to The Post.
“Pekingese are structurally bred to sit on pillows in palaces — you can’t put them on a treadmill. Kennedy has to be very creative in ways to get her dog to exercise that are unique and out and the box,” added mom Shannon, who regularly drives the duo hundreds of miles round-trip to dog shows near their home, and shepherds the pair cross-country on regular, pricey trips.
For their Big Apple adventure and appearance at Westminster, held at the Javits Center (Jan. 31 for breed judging and agility contests) and Madison Square Garden (Feb. 2 and 3 for the group finals and the coveted Best in Show), the trio will ride together — Lincoln in his little carrier under the seat, resting on a block of ice to keep him from overheating, a common issue with the breed.
While pre-tween Kennedy sits ringside at her little pop-up desk keeping up on coursework, Lincoln will strut his stuff with scores of other four-legged and furry hopefuls, loving the cameras and hopefully racking up ribbons as the event, America’s oldest and most prestigious canine competition, celebrates its 150th anniversary.
And while New Yorkers James Morrissey and his wife, Chanthee Keokhaw, don’t have to travel far to show their two Finnish Lapphunds — Wyatt, a 4-year-old black-and-tan charmer, and Logan, a 3-year-old golden fluffball — the returning Westminster competitors keep busy schedules of daily activities ranging from grueling to glamorous, all to help them keep up with the canine Kardashians.
Most mornings start early, with their days beginning with long hikes through Inwood Hill Park before Keokhaw logs on to work from home — the lengthy jaunt helps keep the dogs from pestering her while she’s on the clock.
Like the Greens, Morrissey and Keokhaw have made meaningful lifestyle adjustments — and significant tweaks to their budget — to put their dogs first.
“Before we got the guys, we traveled a lot,” he said, explaining that since welcoming Wyatt and Logan, “we try to travel to places where we can take them with us – mostly places we can drive to.”
One unexpected shift? Bringing meat into their home — and preparing it — despite being vegetarians themselves, all to meet their pets’ dietary needs.
“The dogs absolutely increase the cost of our weekly food bill. At a time when everything is more expensive, we try to prioritize their needs,” Morrissey explained, noting that the dogs enjoy a “mixture of cooked lean meat, low mercury fish and/or eggs and some kibble,” which can cost up to $59 a bag for the brands that they favor.
In terms of how the couple maintains their dogs’ health beyond diet and exercise, the dogs “both have regular veterinary health exams” and “annual vaccinations.” They also brush Wyatt and Logan’s teeth every night, before they go to bed.
Wyatt and Logan’s grooming routine, which includes monthly baths and regular brushings, also comes at a premium. The dogs sport thick double coats — a coarse outer layer over a dense, plush undercoat — which calls for specialized grooming products that don’t come cheap, with shampoos costing more than $40 per bottle in some cases, and a lot of expensive brushes and combs, the couple said.
Raising dogs in Manhattan has its unique challenges, as well.
“Toilet training [here] is very different from toilet training in the ‘burbs,” Morrissey revealed. “When you live seven floors up, you learn that the elevator takes 34 seconds to come each way.”
Both Wyatt and Logan began showing as young dogs, and Morrissey said competing taught the couple how to properly care for their famously thick coats — without turning grooming into a full-time job.
All that hard work has paid off — both Wyatt and Logan are American Kennel Club Grand Champions. Wyatt ranked 12th in the country for Finnish Lapphunds in 2024, while Logan earned a “Select” honor at a regional specialty last year.
Some owners opt for a slightly more laid-back pace on the path to stardom. Upper East Sider Natalie Moutoussis, whose 4-year-old Rhodesian Ridgeback named Kai is making his Westminster debut this year, said that despite his regal looks, her pet’s daily routine is surprisingly low-key.
“Kai is a pretty mellow dog — he’s very lazy in the mornings,” Moutoussis told The Post.
His ideal start to the day? Breakfast, then burrowing back under the covers before eventually heading out for a long Central Park loop, where he greets neighborhood dog friends and logs up to an hour of off-leash play.
After clocking nearly three hours outside, Kai naps at home before squeezing in runs a few times a week — sometimes clocking half-marathon distances when the weather cooperates — then winding down with dinner and snuggles.
Though Rhodesian Ridgebacks were originally bred to track lions in Africa, Moutoussis said Kai’s killer instinct mostly applies to squeaky toy squirrels and elaborate strategy games — not the real ones darting through the park.
“He never actually grabs them,” she laughed. “He just likes to stalk them.”
At mealtimes, Kai feasts on human-grade meals that Moutoussis cooks for him from scratch — beef being a favorite.
“He eats fresh food with human-grade ingredients twice a day,” she said. “I also will give him dog-appropriate fruits and veggies if I happen to be eating them.”
Kai gets bathed about once every two weeks, with Moutoussis handling all of his grooming herself.
“It’s really just about the cost of the shampoo,” she said, noting it’s far cheaper than grooming her former Cavalier King Charles Spaniel — which cost her $150 per session.
Unlike Wyatt and Logan, Kai has a much shorter coat — making the grooming and cleaning that much simpler. “Kai is truly a low-maintenance dog,” Moutoussis said.
In their tony, 38-story apartment building, Kai is a hit with everyone — from neighbors to doormen — and Moutoussis says she’s never faced criticism for raising a show dog in the city.
“People find it very unique,” she said. “When I mention Westminster, New Yorkers get really excited. He’s going to have a whole crew watching him and cheering him on this year. It’s the biggest show he’s ever done.”
Kai’s path to Westminster began during the pandemic, when Moutoussis finally had the time to pursue the Ridgeback breed she’d admired for years while attending the show at Madison Square Garden.
His breeder suggested she try showing him — and Kai took to it immediately, earning Best in Show at his first puppy competition. He usually shows 8-10 times per year.
Now, as a first-time Westminster competitor during the event’s 150th anniversary, the proud dog mom says she’s most excited for one quiet moment in the ring.
“I love when he finishes that diagonal, sticks his stance and looks up at the judge,” she said. “I’m excited to see the look he gives.”
Off the leash, though, Kai’s priorities are far simpler — snuggling with his parent on the couch.
“I swear he is human,” Moutoussis said. “He thinks he’s about 10 pounds — but he’s 85. He’s my partner in life.”
Tickets for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show are available via Ticketmaster.
Prices range from $58 to $90.