On a not-quite-typical day at the office, Brian Collins, DVM \u201994<\/a>, made some new friends. There was Ava, who adores hugs. And Hugh, who loves nothing more than doing cannonballs into the water. And then there was a part-time actor and model named … Lord Queso von Taco?<\/p>\n\n\n\n An extension veterinarian with Cornell’s Riney Canine Health Center<\/a>, Collins was part of a team of Big Red DVMs and other staffers who provided care at the 2024 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show<\/a>, held at the National Tennis Center in Queens, NY, in mid-May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (And for the record: Hugh is a chocolate Lab, Ava is a great Dane, and his lordship is a Boston terrier.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n For four delightful days, the Cornell team served as Westminster’s official vets\u2014working with doggies of all shapes and sizes who were competing in the show’s various events, which include not just conformation but agility, obedience, and dock diving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For four delightful days, the Cornell team served as Westminster\u2019s official vets\u2014working with doggies of all shapes and sizes.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n It is, in short, a ruff<\/em> job\u2014but somebody’s gotta do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And the Big Red has filled the role since 2019, in a collaboration by the Riney Center, Cornell University Hospital for Animals<\/a>, and Cornell University Veterinary Specialists<\/a>. (The first two are based in Ithaca and the latter in Stamford, CT.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/2024_Westminster_SatAfternoon-100-A-1024x576.jpg\")