The Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show is a pinnacle event for the pet products industry, and the venerable club has named St. Louis-based Nestlé Purina PetCare as the show's official pet food sponsor.

The sponsorship is a coup for Nestlé Purina, which has invested heavily in marketing to dog show participant owners as a way to grow its customer base for its dog foods brands, primarily Purina Pro Plan.

The Westminster Kennel Club announced Tuesday that it signed a multi-year sponsorship deal with Nestlé Purina to sponsor the club's All Breed Dog Show, which will be held at Madison Square Garden in New York from February 13 to 14 next year. In 2012, it will be the 136th anniversary of the event.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Pedigree dog food brand, which is owned by candy maker Mars Inc., previously was the pet food sponsor for more than two decades.

"It is a marquee dog show and it's known around the world," Candy Caciolo, Nestlé Purina's portfolio director of specialty, breeder and pet acquisition, said of the annual purebred dog show.

The sponsorship follows other efforts by Nestle Purina's to boost its participation in dog show events, including building a new $15 million facility last year in Gray Summit, Mo., for dog show events.

David Frei, a spokesman for the Westminster Kennel Club and co-host of the purebred dog show, said Nestlé Purina was selected due to its stature in the pet industry and visibility at dog shows.

"Purina will be a very active partner, not just during the dog show, but year-round," Frei said.

Lisa Campbell, senior brand manager for dog food at Pedigree, said the dog show was a major piece of its marketing and the company is disappointed that Westminster chose to change sponsors.

"It's been a platform for us to launch new products," she said. "It's a great time to reach pet owners."

After being dumped as a sponsor, Pedigree immediately responded by touting itself as a champion of all dogs, not just purebred dogs.

"We are disappointed to learn that Westminster Kennel Club is ending our 24 year partnership in favor of a new partner, so that they can more completely focus on pure-bred dogs," the company said in a Facebook post.

Responding to Pedigree's Facebook post, Frei disputed the assertion, saying the Westminster's dog show has universal appeal.

"Westminster Kennel Club's dog show is not just a celebration of purebred dogs, it's a celebration of all the dogs in our lives," he said.