Westminster Dog Show waises the woof
It was a furry affair when 3,000 dogs - and their human companions - descended upon New York City’s Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 147th Westminster Dog Show, with their eyes set on one prize: the coveted title of Best in Show.
The Westminster show, often dubbed the ‘Super Bowl of Dogs’ by its fans and supporters, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious dog events. With categories ranging from hound group to herding group, sporting, toy, and beyond, anything is paws-ible and the competition is fierce - and you’d be barking mad to think a win comes easy.
The winner of each group advances through to the Best Show category, the final event of the entire weekend, and the prize that every pooch and partner hopes to take home.
In 2022, a bloodhound named Trumpet seized victory, and put his name in the history books as the first bloodhound to win the competition.
In 2023, Buddy Holly the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen (PBGV) followed suit, emerging victorious as the only PBGV to have claimed the title of Best in Show.
The winning moment for the Best in Show Winner, Buddy Holly, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen! 💜✨#WestminsterDogShow pic.twitter.com/jzOVYmmtNL
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) May 10, 2023
And it was celebration all around, with Buddy’s owner and trainer Janice Hayes telling Fox Sports that her canine companion is “the epitome of a show dog” as nothing bothers him, and that she had been dreaming of the win since she was just 9 years old.
Rummie the Pekingese took out the runner-up position, earning the honour of Reserve Best in Show. Rummie also came in at the top of the pack for the Toy Group.
As for how the show’s judges made their difficult selection, Ann Ingram explained, “like all things, beauty is subjective. A dog’s attitude in the ring can help.
“If the dog loves itself, you can tell. He kind of has that attitude of, you know, ‘I’m a winner’.”
Other winners included Cider the English Setter in the Sporting Group, Lepshi the Bracco Italiano for his breed’s debut, fan favourite Winston the French Bulldog in the Non-sporting Group, Monty the Giant Schnauzer in the Working Group, Ribbon the Aussie Shepherd in the Herding Group, and Trouble the American Staffordshire Terrier in the Terrier Group.
“With breeds like Frenchies and bulldogs, where there are health concerns with the breathing, you want to see them be able to move without any signs of distress," Ingram noted.
And when it came to her feelings towards the show and its many determined entrants as a whole, she added that “there’s bigger shows numerically, but the fact that you’re actually getting the absolute cream of the cream ... is quite exciting.
“The whole razzmatazz of Westminster is very special.”
Images: Getty