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You know it’s the start of Drake Relays week when the pugnacious pretties known as bulldogs take center stage. A record 40 dogs were selected to compete this year in the Beautiful Bulldog Contest to be the mascot for the relays. That wasn’t the only record. About 2,000 people packed the Knapp Center to watch the contest. Bulldogs from all over the country – including Minnesota, Illinois and Colorado – came to Des Moines to compete. “People just love seeing the bulldogs just walk across and do their tricks,” said Niki Smith, director of the Beautiful Bulldog Contest. “Their names, their costumes, involved with the pageant portion puts a big smile on everybody’s faces and gets everybody in a great mood for Drake Relays week.” This year's champion, "Bow-Z," hails from nearby Pella. She was set to be put down as a puppy because of various physical ailments but was re-routed to a no-kill shelter instead.Bow-Z beat a field of 40 slobbering bulldogs -- most of which were decked out in outlandish costumes -- with names like Rocky, Tucker and Beau.Drake’s official live bulldog mascot, Griff, held a third-annual Griff Gives Back pet food drive in conjunction with the contest. The initiative raised more than 8,500 pounds of adult dog and cat food for Pet Project Midwest, a central Iowa nonprofit organization that helps keep pets out of shelters.The Drake Relays begin in earnest on Thursday and wrap up on Saturday.The Associated Press contributed to this report.