“Francesca,” a six-month-old long-haired Chihuahua, was one of several dogs to answer a casting call for a fashion show that will be part of the Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show on Dec. 6 at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

PROVIDENCE — Forget the mints on the pillows. These guests prefer dog biscuits.

Thousands of dogs (along with their owners, of course) from around the country are expected to arrive in the city for Providence’s Bay Colony Cluster Dog Show, which runs Dec. 3 to 6 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Among the largest American Kennel Club shows in the country, the Bay Colony show is coming to Providence after 100 years in Boston.

“We’ve blocked about 600 rooms” at hotels in Providence for judges, show committee members and other vendors, said Julie Dennehy, a spokeswoman for Providence’s Bay Colony Dog Show. “People who are competing — they call them exhibitors — they book their own rooms.”

The Westin Providence already has reservations for just over 100 rooms (401 “room nights”) for the show, with special rates and amenities for four-legged guests. “The Heavenly Dog” bed is offered in sizes medium and large, plus a doggie gift bag with toys and treats, said Joann Algasso, the hotel’s reservation group coordinator. Special room rates for dog show attendees run $149 per night for a standard room (or $119 with no dog). The regular room rate, she said, is $219 per night.

The hotel also takes a $100 non-refundable cleaning fee, she said.

Some rules apply: No leaving your dog alone in the room. And no dogs allowed over 50 pounds.

Slightly heftier dogs (up to 75 pounds) are welcome at The Hilton Providence, said the hotel’s convention service manager Pedro Diaz. The Hilton offers doggy beds along with water and food bowls.

It’s unclear how many of the hotel guests, however, will bring their dogs.

“A lot of people stay in an RV and park somewhere,” Dennehy said, “because they’ve got 12 dogs.”

Nor is there a precise count of how many dogs will compete in the show, since the show only tracks entries (more than 5,700 last year) and one dog may have multiple contest entries.

On Saturday and Sunday, the show will feature a “Meet the Breed” sessions featuring “Famous Dogs in the White House and on TV, Film and in Advertising.” Breeders will be on hand to talk about their dogs and characteristics of the different breeds. Attendees also are welcome to roam the show’s grooming areas, where there will be more than 150 varieties of purebred dogs, and talk with the groomers, handlers and owners.

This year’s show also features family-friendly dog demonstrations, a children’s play area and a shopping area dubbed “Bark Avenue.”

The show is run by three American Kennel Clubs: Eastern Dog Club, Ladies’ Dog Club and Middlesex County Kennel Club.

Providence landed the four-day event, formerly held in the Bayside Expo Center in Boston, in December 2008, just months before the Boston Expo Center was scheduled to close.

larditi@projo.com