NEW YORK — Rufus leaned in for a better look at the other dogs. Suddenly, the colored bull terrier with the football-sized noggin pitched forward, falling off his tabletop and tumbling to the ground.

The popular Westminster winner was OK, with only a scuffed-up paw to show from his 3½-foot slip over the weekend. Barking, he was soon sipping water from a champagne glass across the street from Madison Square Garden, promoting America's No. 1 dog show.

"He's got a great life," said owner Barbara Bishop, in whose bed Rufus sleeps. "He wakes up around 11, gets a couple of cookies and goes with me to the grocery store. Everywhere we go, people want to pet him."

Nearly 8 now, the 2006 champ is long retired from the show ring. Starting tomorrow morning, another 2,627 dogs will try to follow Rufus' path to the prize silver bowl.

Among the leading candidates — for once — is a beagle.

The best in show award has been presented 100 times at Westminster and a beagle has never won. Part of the problem is the breed's playful, friendly nature.

"Great show dogs often have an air about them. It's like this is their world and we're just living in it," Westminster TV host David Frei said. "But beagles want to be in our world."

They also have another disadvantage: They're far from the fancy-cut, froufrou dogs that often win.

"To some, a beagle may not look as spectacular as the Afghan hound, flying around the ring with all that hair," Frei said.

Uno, almost 3 with pleading eyes and plenty of tail-wagging personality, could break out of the Westminster doghouse. He might follow the lead of Underdog, the Disney movie last year based on the old cartoon — no beagle has even reached the seven-dog best in show ring since 1939.

"To have the general public see an average dog going and competing and actually winning would send a signal that everyone can do it," said Eddie Dziuk, one of Uno's co-owners.

Either way, Uno will make some noise.

"He has the bark. You will hear him baying at Westminster," handler Aaron Wilkerson promised.

Uno will come with his favorite stuffed frog toy and the fluffy pillow he sleeps on, the one with a Hollywood star. His official name is Park Me in First, and he'll get an early chance to make his mark, as judging in the 15-inch beagle category begins Monday morning.

Beagles also come in the 13-inch variety, though both types can come from the same litter. In show parlance, Uno is a "big beagle."

Judge J. Donald Jones, former a dean at Emory University, will point to his choice as the champion right before 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Uno already has earned 32 best in show titles, and finished 2007 as the sixth-ranked show dog in the country. He took the hound group at the AKC/Eukanuba show in December.

A Sealyham terrier with a gray splotch over his left eye won that big competition in Long Beach, Calif., and will be on the green carpet of the Garden. Called Charmin, he wound up as the No. 4 dog last year.

Also in contention will be a perfectly primped white toy poodle born in Japan. Vikki has won 83 best in show ribbons and enters as the nation's top dog.

An Akita that reached the best in show ring last year in New York will return. Missing will be James, an English springer spaniel who retired after winning last February.

There will be 169 breeds and varieties of dogs at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club event. Among them will be four newly sanctioned entries — the Tibetan mastiff, Beauceron, Swedish vallhund and Plott.

USA Network and CNBC will split the coverage the first night, with USA doing the second night alone. Frei was hesitant to pick a favorite, though he did offer a prediction.

"What better choice could there be to win America's dog show than an all-American dog?" he said. "A beagle winning would bring down the house."