A doe-eyed 12-year-old girl, all of 60 pounds, was pushed around one day by some big adults and their big dogs.

But it only took once.

The next time, she pushed back.

Little dog handler Jocelyn Brody, of Phoenix, who has competed at the Westminster Dog Show and other major shows - and Friday won championship points at Bismarck's dog show - often competes against adult dog handlers. She related the first and last time she allowed pushy war tactics to happen to her.

She had walked into the Arizona dog show ring with a dog bigger than she is - a Rhodesian Ridgeback weighing maybe 90 pounds - along with other handlers, all adults holding their own Ridgebacks, when the tactics started.

The group of adults all moved their dogs in front of hers, putting themselves between the judge and her - blocking the judge's view completely of her dog, said her dad, Joel Brody, an eyewitness.

When she walked out of the ring, her dad asked if she saw what the other handlers had done. She had.

So, the next time in the ring, she picked her spot and planted herself. Another dog handler purposely pushed her and her dog out of the spot, trying to take ownership of it. But Jocelyn Brody pushed right back and stayed. Joel Brody said it only took once. "She's considered an equal now. … They've never done it again," he said.

Joel Brody said the dog show community is a wholesome atmosphere. But it's also serious business and has been a good life lesson for his daughter in how to deal with competition. "You can't wait for people to give you something. You've got to do it yourself. … It's like business, it's cut-throat."

Bismarck's first American Kennel Club dog show, put on by the Bismarck Kennel Club, is a three-day event that continues today and Sunday at the Bismarck Civic Center. It has attracted dogs from 41 states and from Canada and other countries.

The dogs that aren't champions are here to earn points needed toward that goal. The dogs that are champions are here to rack up more best of breed and best of group honors, said Sharon Turner, a show organizer. The seven groups are:sporting dogs, hounds, working dogs, terriers, toys, nonsporting dogs and herding dogs.

Suncrest I'm the Man,from Mexico City, was outside getting some fresh air Friday.

"He's the No. 1 boxer in the country right now," said his handler, Gary Steele, of California.

The dog, who has won numerous best of show titles throughout the country, would fetch $125,000 or more in Japan, where there are many buyers who will pay top dollar for top dogs.

Doc (that's the champ's nickname) gets to sleep in the same bed with Steele. He doesn't get to chew on bones.

"It would make his face too cheeky, too muscular,"Steele said. "It would ruin his face."

The dog will live with Steele until May 2008, until after the national boxer show, and then will return home to resume life as a house pet. His owner, a woman of incredible wealth, is doing this strictly so she can say she has the top dog in the country, not because she wants to make money with a breeding program or anything, he said.

Other champions at the show, included Bugaboo's Big Resolution,also known as Smokin. He is an Old English sheepdog that last year was the nation's No. 1 herding dog, said his handler, Colton Johnson, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

Celebrities in human form include star dog handler Clint Livingston, a man in a fine suit whose pockets are almost always full of loose pieces of unwrapped cooked liver and chicken.

Livingston - who, among other career highlights, has won group honors four times at the Westminster Dog Show in New York - has a team of four assistants to help him.

Livingston, who has two homes, one in Colorado and one in Texas, said handlers can make between $150,000 to $300,000 net a year. But there's much road traveling to accomplish that, about 150 to 180 shows a year, and driving all night, sometimes, to get to the next one.

Judges tell him that what makes him great is he has "great hands on the dogs," said Livingston, 36, who grew up in the business and started showing at age 8.

At the end of Friday's show, the dog that came out winner of the best of show competition was a King Charles Cavalier spaniel from Texas.

"He was the epitome of the what the breed should be," said iudge Bill Bergum, who has judged dogs for 47 years, at Westminster and other major shows. "He had a beautiful head, he was a great size, his coat was to perfection and he showed and he wanted to be best dog in show … he exuded that feeling."

Bergum praised the new Bismarck show's organizers for putting on a good show.

"They're doing something for the community,"he said. "They get to see purebred dogs at their best."

Today's show starts at 9 a.m. Judges from all over the country are here, including Bergum and Dany Canino, who was a consultant for the movie "Best of Show." There are about 130 breeds represented, some competing in confirmation classes, which are beauty events, and others in obedience trials.

Bill Nieland, Bismarck Kennel Club's president, said organizers were hoping for a few more dog entries. Today, there are 764 dogs competing. He said other established shows in the region - Fargo and South Dakota - have seen a drop in entry numbers, and they're guessing it has to do with high gas prices. Many on the circuit drive recreational vehicles.

The show is located at the Bismarck Civic Center's exhibit hall. To get there, go to the lower level west door next to Parking Lot A.

Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 12 and under.

For more information, call 224-6467.

(Reach reporter Virginia Grantier at 250-8254 or at virginia.grantier@;bismarcktribune.com.)