SUMMIT TWP — Bonnie and Mike Ferianc just returned from a trip to New York City, but they weren’t ordinary tourists in the Big Apple.

The Summit Township couple were at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show showing their 6-year-old Alaskan Malamute, Soko.

“We show all the time, but this is the first time we came up here,” Bonnie Ferianc said.

The Feriancs have been showing dogs for nearly 40 years, but they just competed for the first time in the Westminster Dog Show in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

“There are so many people here,” she said. “There’s just tons of spectators.”

The Westminster Dog Show had about 2,500 entries.

The Feriancs have been to bigger shows, such as the Eukanuba Classic in Orlando, Fla., with about 5,000 entries, but that doesn’t have as big of an audience as the Westminster show has.

Soko’s full show name is American/Polish Champion Sokanon RedRain Illa Kuvianartok. The Feriancs had Soko imported from Poland a little over a year ago.

Soko became a champion dog at the Butler County Kennel Club Dog Show in September, and took Best of Breed over four other championship dogs.

Alaskan Malamutes are in the working class dog category. A professional dog handler showed the dog Tuesday at Westminster.

Soko got an Award of Merit; the only Malamute to get it, but did not advance to subsequent rounds.