OGDEN, Utah - Dogs claim the title of man's best friend. It turns out they may also be man's favorite art subject.

"Best in Show," an exhibit of dog-themed art, is open at the Kimball Art Center in Park City.

With works by nationally known artists William Wegman, David Gilhooly and Karen Willenbrink-Johnsen, "Best in Show" is expected to be one of the best-attended exhibits ever at the art center.

"I'm just happy for all of the Utah dog-lovers, that we were able to crate up this art and get it here," said Susan Thomas, public relations director for the Kimball Art Center.

"Best of Show" was organized and originally shown by the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash.

"When the Museum of Glass put the show together, they knew it would be popular," said Thomas. "They knew dog-lovers would think it was the best art exhibit ever, and they knew showing William Wegman photos was going to be a big hit - but they were still surprised and amazed at how popular it was, how word spread, and that people were driving two hours to get to it. It was by far, hands down, the most popular exhibit they ever showcased."

Gilhooly, of Newport, Ore., isn't surprised that people love the show, because most people have a strong connection to dogs.

"There are cat people, and there are dog people, but cats have never really been part of human civilization - they come and go as they will - but dogs are an intimate part of human civilization," he said during a phone interview. "People respond to dogs in a way that they don't respond to cats or other animals."

Gilhooly says one of his first ceramic dog sculptures was of a puppy on its back, playing.

"People would lean down to scratch its tummy, even though it was made of clay," he said.

In addition to ceramic dogs, Gilhooly is showing drawings, prints and works made from plexiglass.

"I found the perfect silhouette of a dog - I call it 'My Dog Spot' or 'Jackson Pollock's Dog,"' Gilhooly said. "Once I found that perfect silhouette of a dog sitting, I used that over and over again. I've tried to use other dog silhouettes, but I always came back to that. It's perfect because it says 'dog,' no matter what colors I use or what things are happening in the body."

And there's often a lot happening in the body. One of his pieces, "My Dog Spot's Favorite Bowling Shirt," is a yellow and black outline of a shirt, made from plexiglass. Clear cutouts in the shirt are shaped like Spot and bones, and filled with unusual objects - unusual for art, anyway.

"'My Dog Spot's Favorite Bowling Shirt' has dry dog food in it," said Gilhooly. "It used to be semisoft dog food, but someone pointed out that, after about 10 years, it had gone moldy, so I took it apart and replaced it with dry food."

"My Dog Spot's Halloween Costume" was made with Cheetos.

"I don't think anything's ever going to happen to the Cheetos - they've got too much sugar or something in them," he said with a laugh.

Gilhooly also created a series of assemblages using Spot, called "Stations of the Cross."

"It's all about the good things about dogs, and the bad things about dogs," he said. Bad things include heartworms, and good things are puppies and a "Heart As Light As Butterflies."

Being lighthearted is one of the things Willenbrink-Johnsen loves about dogs.

"Dogs are fun. They aren't like super-proud animals," she said. "For the most part, I don't think they take themselves too seriously, compared to cats."

Willenbrink-Johnsen, who lives in Mount Vernon, Wash., with her Leonberger dog named Kea, makes dog art from glass.

Making glass dogs is a complicated process, she says. More complicated pieces take as long as five days, with the glass constantly being reheated.

"I use little tools, like tweezers, to help shape the form. … It takes a few hours just to sculpt, getting areas hot enough to pull out a leg or arm. Then there are the finishing touches - everything from a little boutonniere, to a corsage or hair ribbons. To me, it's not done until it's overdone," she said.

"I've heard a lot of people say they think it's spray-painted, but it's all done hot, with pulverized glass for color."

Two of Willenbrink-Johnsen's favorite pieces in the show are "Puppy Love," with a bunch of poodles lounging on a couch, and "K-9 Conga," featuring a line of dancing dogs and drummers.

"They're just meant to share a little humor and joy," she said. "I'm a happy human, and hope it really shows in these pieces."

Wegman, of New York City and Rangeley, Maine, is known for taking photos of his Weimaraners, Man Ran, Fay Ray, Battina del Ray and their offspring.

Sometimes, Wegman's images are classic portraits. Other times, the dogs are dressed in costume and posed in fairy-tale settings.

Wegman's work has been collected by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., He was not available for an interview.

"I can see why he is so well-known and so popular. His photos are truly adorable and endearing," said Thomas. "How he gets dogs and puppies to do what he wants them to do amazes me. Or maybe they just do these things automatically, and he's such a master that he can capture the perfect split second when all faces are turned just the right way. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he does - he's a genius."

The Kimball Art Center is hosting other exhibits and events in connection with "Best in Show." Dog art by Park City artists will hang in the center's Badami gallery in December, and the center's annual glass ornament sale will include dog art.