(COLORADO SPRINGS) — We are Southern Colorado, and some of our furry friends had great success at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City, at Madison Square Garden.

The family that owns Under the Sun Dog Training and Daycare in Colorado Springs, has been showing dogs for three generations. They brought home some first-place awards at this year’s show.

While their dogs might look a little bit like stuffed animals (all cute and fluffy), they’re more like professional athletes.

“So Westminster Kennel Club is the second oldest sporting event in the country, behind the Kentucky Derby. In my opinion, [it’s] the most prestigious dog show in the world,” said Colton Johnson, the dogs’ breeder, owner, & handler. Johnson also owns and operates Under the Sun, with his wife Heather Johnson.

With the help of three-year-old Graham and four-year-old Sven, the Johnson family won Breeder of the Year, as well as Best of Breed for their Old English Sheep Dog Graham.

“He’s a goofball, he’s a clown, he’s really sweet. There’s not a dog or a human that he doesn’t love,” said Johnson, “How an Old English Sheepdog should be. They should be happy, social, and confident, and both of these boys fit all those characteristics.”

Truly a sheepdog at heart, Graham was also runner-up in the Herding Category. His parents did well in that same category at Westminster, with his dad winning it all together.

“The bathing, the drying, keeping them white… that’s its own beast in itself,” said Johnson, “but then you have physical conditioning and training, chiropractic care, massage care…”

However, their most coveted award from the show, was their 17-year-old daughter Taylor Johnson, winning Best Junior Handler for her showmanship skills.

“They’re looking at teamwork, your connection with the dog, and your knowledge about that breed and that dog,” she said, “[It’s a] dream come true, for sure. When I started Juniors, that’s something that I wanted to achieve. So, for that to be our last time in the [Juniors] ring and achieve that, was awesome.”

They estimate they spend about 10-15 hours a week training and grooming among other things. They also say dog shows are almost every weekend, all year long.

“Taylor winning was a little bit more of our highlight, because we bred the dog and the handler, so it was really cool,” said Johnson as he laughed.

It’s a family business going back three generations, and that all started because grandma wanted “a big fluffy dog”.

“It’s special. It’s really unique,” said Johnson, “and to have my teenage daughters want to hang out with mom and dad on the weekends is definitely a plus.”

Taylor Johnson said she wouldn’t have it any other way.

As an added bonus, she won a hefty $10,000 scholarship for her success at the show. Her dad and grandpa say this brings her dog show scholarship total to around $40,000.

While they’re not in the ring competing, you can find their dogs relaxing at home or helping out at Under the Sun. Word on the street is they’re really good at training puppies.