She jogs nearly every day, on the road or on a treadmill. Her food is measured and her weight is monitored.

Her dark red hair is kept sleek and shiny by regular baths and brushings.

Nobody said it was easy being the No. 1 Doberman pinscher in America.

C.J. has earned the title from the American Kennel Club.

By the group's point system rankings, she's also the No.1 working dog in the country, a category that encompasses 28 breeds.

And she's the No. 2 dog in the all-breed category -- that's over 150 breeds.

Now, the Cary canine will be seen by 20 million people on television Thanksgiving Day, right after the Macy's parade.

Three-year old C.J. competed in The National Dog Show earlier this month in Philadelphia. The two-hour, canine-filled nail-biter airs Thursday on NBC.

Show representatives would not say how C.J. fared until after the event aired.

But she's gotta be a contender. "She's actually had 46 best in shows this year so far," said owner Julie Porter.

That includes a show Thursday in Massachusetts, which was part of a year-long tour with that ends in February with the The Westminster Kennel Club's 134th Annual Dog Show, a name that has become synonymous with canine excellence.

Porter and Sanford breeder Carmen Pitts, who takes C.J. to all the shows in a van with her daughter and dog handler Carissa DeMilta Shimpeno, knew from the start that C.J. was special.

"By the time she was seven months old, we thought she had potential," Pitts said from the road, where she's been traveling with C.J. on and off since January. "[Since then] she's always won."

C.J., a red female, began earning her AKC champion status at six months old.

It's the starting point for most show dogs -- they travel to different AKC-sanctioned shows and earn points.

Once a certain amount are earned, the dog can get a champion title in front of itsfull registered name.

In C.J.'s case, it's Ch. Allure Blazing Star Alisaton. But since that's quite a mouthful, her friends just call her C.J.

And it takes a lot of friends to organize and fund a successful show-dog career.

C.J. has at least four: Porter, her owner, who raised her and houses her whenever she's not touring.

Pitts and Shimpeno, who take time away from their day jobs to train, travel and show her around the country. And a woman named Nancy Bosley, who's listed as C.J.'s first owner on her official papers.

So, who's Nancy?

"She's part of what we call team C.J.," Porter said. Bosley knows C.J.'s breeder and donates money toward her show costs, which include advertising, travel, entry fees and professional photographs.

While genetically gifted, C.J.'s status is also helped by her personality.

"I think their charisma and the 'it' factor play into it," Porter said.

Pitts hopes C.J.'s flair will take her far at Westminster.

"She has an excellent chance," Pitts said. "She's had a great year. Definitely everyone's going to be watching her."