Purina's groundbreaking ceremony for the Purina Event Center May 10 showed Purina PetCare's latest effort to appeal to dog breeders, according to an article from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch .

Purina is trying to attract an estimated 1.8 million breeders and dog enthusiasts in the US by building the new US$10 million facility to host dog shows and competitions.

The company already hosts shows at its Gray Summit farm, about 40 miles southwest of St. Louis, Mo., USA, but the new facility will allow dog shows to move indoors in order to avoid rain and heat.