At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last month all eyes and cameras were glued to the top dogs vying for the coveted Best in Show award, but behind the scenes, thousands of dogs competed and won other prizes, aspiring to one day make it to Madison Square Garden for the televised event.

Among those lesser-known winners is local German shepherd puppy Jovi, who received the Winners Dog award.

Sarver resident Lena “Tina” Bogdanich, Jovi’s owner, said that she is very proud of her puppy. “Jovi has proved to be a star in his short show career thus far,” she said.

And while he did not compete in the televised event, it is a promising start to his young career.

Dogs compete in their classes, with the top Champion class dogs getting time on television. Jovi competed in the Bred-By class, and the day after his first birthday, he was awarded Winners Dog.

This goes to the best male dog in the class.

Jovi, whose American Kennel Club registered name is “Class Act’s Shot Through The Heart v Windfall,” also won Best Puppy at the 2016 German Shepherd Dog Club of America National.

“He is the sweetest German shepherd who gives kisses to everyone he meets, including the judges,” Bogdanich said. “They just eat that up.”

With a good start at a young age, Bogdanich said that she has high hopes for her dog, who has already surpassed his father, a show-dog in his own right, at one of the competitions they entered in Ohio.

Jovi’s handler is Jeff Pyle, who met Bogdanich at a national competition.

Every dog needs a handler and, while owners have the option to do it themselves, many prefer to work with professionals.

With these wins, Jovi is on his way to earning enough points to advance his ranking, giving him a better position to compete at next year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

Points are earned throughout the year at dog shows around the country. Each of these smaller events are opportunities for dogs to score points. These points are tallied throughout the year and determine a dog’s ranking.

“He could become a champion,” Bogdanich said.

Jovi needs to score only seven more points to advance.

Before that, he will be breeding.

Dogs like Jovi are considered fine specimens and are sought-after in the hopes that they can parent more show dogs.

“We have five people lined up to breed,” Bogdanich said.

Show dogs can compete as long as they stay spry, and older dogs can compete in veterans leagues. So, Jovi has many years of shows ahead of him.

Bogdanich said at first she didn’t set out to show dogs.

“We got into it because my husband likes German shepherds,” she said.

She got their first German shepherd as a wedding gift for her husband, John.

“The puppy that chose me showed quality,” she said. After some encouragement, she decided to try entering their dog at shows, and they’ve been in it ever since.

This year, Rumor, the dog named 2017’s “Best in Show,” also was a German shepherd. It was the first time since 1987 that a German shepherd won the title.