EVERY DOG'S DAY; CONEJO KENNEL CLUB HOLDS 38TH ANNUAL CANINE COMPETITION.

Byline: Don Holland Staff Writer

On two legs and four, they came to meet and compete and maybe even to show off just a little.

From proud poodles to dignified Dobermans, nearly 1,300 canines and their owners turned out over the weekend for the Conejo Valley Kennel Club's 38th annual dog show.

There were ornate trophies and ribbons for the champions of this aristocratic lot of the dog world.

Hank, a 16-month-old French bulldog with bulging eyes and an adorably smushed-in face, went home without the bragging rights of a championship pooch.

``We're not happy when we lose, but he's part of the family,'' said Hank's owner and best friend, Phoebe Peterson. ``It's like having a little, hairy kid. He doesn't know if he wins or loses. And he doesn't care.''

The excitement builds for little Hank as Peterson, who participates in up to 20 dog shows a year, prepares him for show time.

``When I trim his nails and brush his teeth, he knows he's going to show,'' Peterson said. ``He loves it.''

Mari Lewis-Villapando brought her greyhound, Abbie, all the way from Fontana for the two-day event. Dog shows, she said, offer a good chance to spend time with friends - both human and canine - and meet people with a love for dogs.

Nearly two dozen members of the local kennel club volunteered to work the show. Club members are not allowed to compete in events they host.

But behind the canine competitions operates a small industry dedicated to the show dog circuit.

Judges licensed by the American Kennel Club flew in for the competition from as far away as Florida, Pennsylvania and Montana. Each is paid a judging fee and provided hotel accommodations.

``I don't think there's a vacant hotel room to be had in Newbury Park this weekend,'' said Ron Mattson, who for the past 12 years has served as president of the Conejo Valley Kennel Club.

Held at Newbury Park High School, the weekend event drew an estimated 2,500 people. The club pays fees to the school district for the use of the grounds and donates $700 to the school's football booster club. Lodging, restaurant and gasoline sales by event participants and visitors easily topped $50,000 a day, according to Mattson, who has trained and shown dogs for others since losing his job as an aerospace engineer eight years ago.

``It started out as a hobby,'' said Mattson, a Newbury Park resident who travels the country with his wife showing their clients' dogs. ``And we just built it into a full-time business. There's money to be made in anything if you want to do it.''