As dogs barked and hair dryers whined, young Ashley Perreira clutched her small dog in the crook of her arm, waiting for her turn yesterday to run the ramp before the judge at the Hawaiian Kennel Club Inc.'s dog show.

Her small brown and white papillon shivered with fright from the din, but nonetheless took first place in her class of toy dogs.

Clasping the blue ribbon, Perreira, a 16-year-old Mid Pacific Institute student, was bursting with pride. While her friends were busy with boys and beaches and shopping, she spent the weekend at the two-day Hawaiian Kennel Club Inc. 158th All-Breed Dog Show at the Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.

"I was born and raised at dog shows," Perreira said. "I was exposed to it for a long time. I like it. Sometimes I want to go out with my friends, but I don't mind."

Yesterday, 350 dogs of all breeds were primped and preen-ed by their handlers like a girl with her dolls. Three rings operated with different categories and groups of dogs being run through their paces, led on light leashes by their handlers. It was one of the 12 all-breed shows held nationwide each year.

Dogs like Leo, an English springer spaniel, stood on his grooming table with turquoise bandages wrapped around his long, furry ears. The wrap was there to keep his ear hair from curling up. He was doing his thing in just 45 minutes. Before he neared the ring, his owner, Sharleen Perreira, Ashley's mom, planned to whip off his wraps.

While they waited, she fed him salmon brownies and combed his hair. She said the 2-year-old dog is happy to be combed, brushed and petted.

"He's sitting there saying, 'yes, I'm beautiful; take my picture,' " Sharleen Perreira said. "He's very happy."

The dog show, sometimes called Hawai'i's answer to the famous Westminster show in New York City, is a place to see and be seen.

With a photo album picturing some of her 19 canines, Dawn Wung wandered around scoping out the competition. A dog-show enthusiast from Clarkston, Mich., Wung was in town vacationing with family.

A dog show was high on her list of must-dos.

"When you're involved with dog shows, you go to them on your vacation," Wung said. "Every year I go to 40 to 50 dog shows."

At home, Wung has nine golden retrievers, one toy poodle that her daughter shows and one great Dane, among others. That's in addition to six cats.

Showing their Samoyeds were Dave and Patty Osaki. Their white, fluffy Molly and Abby are pampered pooches, Patty Osaki said, but they do volunteer work at nursing homes and care homes.

"I get a lot of pleasure out of going to the care homes with the dogs," said Patty Osaki, wiping a string of drool off Molly. "These guys are pets first, therapy dogs second and show dogs third."