Sandy Robins • E-mail

NEW YORK - The idea for the Westminster Dog Show may have been born and bred in the bar of the Westminster Hotel in Manhattan 130 years ago, but it is the Hotel Pennsylvania on Seventh Avenue that is known the world over as the host hotel catering to VIPs — Very Important Pooches — that check in from all over the United States and internationally to take part in this celebrated canine event.

For days preceding the show, the foyer of the hotel can best be described as a huge meet-and-greet arena as dogs of all shapes and sizes sum each other up and sniff each other out, making new acquaintances and finding old friends.

This is the fifth successive year that Jerry Grymek has been on duty as the official Doggie Concierge. Armed with a lint roller to ensure his stylish GQ appearance at all times, he attends to every canine quirk and bends over backward to deal with every doggie demand.

“I already know that when a owner calls down asking for an extra cot and blankets to be brought up to the room for their dog that in actual fact it’s for themselves because their pooch has taken over the bed,” Grymek said. “There are a lot of owners camping on the floor so that their dog can get a good night’s rest.”

“We believe it’s as important to cater to our four-legged guests as well as our two-legged ones. No request is ever turned down,” Grymek said.

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Even the raging blizzard the city is currently experiencing is no deterrent for Grymek to fulfill special doggy food requests.

“One owner called down for seven McDonalds cheeseburgers for her dog. The owner explained that cheeseburgers make her dog’s coat manageable and shiny,” said Grymek, who says there is also a high demand for pizza. “Plain cheese and tomato is a popular order and so is chicken. Owners eat the toppings and give the crust to their dog.”

Grymek also has had owners call in advance requesting the red carpet be rolled out for their pooch on arrival.

“I was asked to put on the star treatment for a pug that had recently won a show in its hometown,” Grymek said. “The owners were arriving in a Hummer and also wanted the Pupperazzi on hand with flashing cameras for the dog’s grand entrance.”

Grymek’s other duties include being on hand in the foyer and other public areas of the hotel to ensure there are no “little accidents.”

“I call housekeeping immediately to come and mop up. You know, it’s like you hear in a supermarket. ‘Clean up on aisle five!’ ” he said.

A huge attraction at the hotel is the doggy spaw set up in the hotel to cater to all doggie needs.

“Every year, we convert the ballroom into what must be the largest doggie green room in the world,” Grymek said.

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