NEW YORK– A Doberman pinscher named Penny won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night, earning the most coveted prize for American show dogs.
Penny beat six other finalists at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Each dog is judged based on how closely it matches the ideal for its breed.
The winner came out on top after two days: 2,500 dogs and more than 200 breeds competing at the Westminster Kennel Club. It came down to just seven canines competing for the prize.
In addition to a trophy, ribbons and bragging rights, Penny will also receive the award this year for winning the milestone 150th annual Westminster show.
The finalists included an Afghan hound named Zaida, a Lhasa apso named JJ, a Maltese named Cookie and an old English sheepdog named Graham. Also in the running were a Chesapeake Bay named Cota and a smooth fox terrier named Wager.
Many others scored memorable moments or cheered up the crowd even if they didn’t make it to the final.
Over two nights of semifinals, spectators cheered extra loudly for a Xoloitzcuintli named Calaco, a hairless dog who walked around the ring as if he had nothing to prove. A vizsla named Beamer charmed the crowd by jumping into a box set up for his handler’s tools, and Storm the Newfoundland laughed when he jumped on his handler and was almost as tall as she was. Spectators cheered so loudly for a golden retriever named Oliver that they heard the arena announcer and chants of “Lumpy! Lumpy!” sounded as Lumpy the Pekingese strolled in front of the judge.
One dog that made history in the semi-finals was Millie, a Danish-Swedish farm dog. The small, spry breed just qualified for the Westminster show this year, and Millie beat about 10 other farm dogs to reach the evening round on Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s been a very exciting journey” to establish the breed in the U.S., said Brita Lemmon, who got her first farm dog in 2000 and competed Tuesday with a dog named Coyote.
Westminster wins often go to puppies with professional handlers or owners with decades or even generations of experience behind them. But reaching the elite, champion-only ranks is a major achievement in dogdom, especially for beginners like Joseph Carrero and his Neapolitan mastiff, Dezi.
After lusting after a Neo since his teens, Carrero finally got one when he was 35. He was a heavy equipment operator from Indian Springs, Nevada and started showing the dog only because the breeder wanted him to. Now Carrero breeds and cares for his Neos in the ring himself, while also working full-time and then some.
“It’s really hard for us to do this, but we enjoy it, and he enjoys it,” Carrero said as visitors gathered to greet the cheeky 190-pound dog.
Boerboels, formidable guard dogs native to South Africa, played an important role in how Natalee Ridenhour met her late husband and why she eventually left metropolitan life for a farm in Royse City, Texas.
On Tuesday, Ridenhour and a Boerboel named Invictus did something else she once never imagined: competing in the Westminster show.
The dog did not get further than the first round. But as a visitor excitedly petted the 300-pound animal, Ridenhour said, “Honestly, the big win is you’re about the 50th person who has gotten in his face and loved him.”
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