Meet Romulus, the local dog about to make it big in New York City. On February 15, the cane corso will be making his debut at the famed Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden.

Nearly six years old, Romulus is three-to-four years older than most of the cane corsos he will face. Still, Nick Jeppi, owner of Rumulus and of Main Street restaurant Piper Beau's, insists the dog is a favorite to win.

"He is an exceptionally loving dog that thrives on being around people," Jeppi said. "And he loves being in the spotlight."

During the past five years Romulus has become the most decorated cane corso in America, Jeppi said. Romulus comes from one of the strongest breeding bloodlines America, and has won "Best in Show" at various competitions 23 times. Both of his parents were Grand Champions.

But, Westminster is Romulus' biggest competition yet.

For the past five months, Romulus and his handler, Shawne Imler, have been preparing and training just to get an invite to the biggest dog show in the world.

"Only a certain number of dogs ranked in the country are brought in to the show," explained Jeppi. "When we got the letter, it was a celebration."

Romulus will show at 10:15 a.m. on Tuesday, February 15 for the show’s Breed Class round. If he wins that, he will then move onto the Working Group portion of the competition. That segment will be broadcasted on live TV the same night.

If Romulus makes it through to the Working Group round, you can expect a big event at Piper Beau's.

For more information and pictures of Romulus, visit www.championcorso.com.