A Doberman pinscher named Penny won best in show Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, earning the most coveted prize in U.S. show dog competition.
Penny topped six other finalists at Madison Square Garden in New York. Judges evaluate each dog on how closely it matches the ideal standard for its breed.
The win came after two days of competition involving about 2,500 dogs representing more than 200 breeds. Only seven dogs advanced to the final round. Along with a trophy and ribbons, Penny earned bragging rights and the distinction of winning the milestone 150th annual Westminster show.
Finalists included an Afghan hound named Zaida, a Lhasa apso called JJ, a Maltese named Cookie and an Old English sheepdog named Graham. Also competing were a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Cota and a smooth fox terrier named Wager.
Other dogs delighted the crowd with memorable moments even if they did not reach the finals.
During two nights of semifinals, spectators cheered loudly for a Xoloitzcuintli named Calaco, a hairless dog who strode confidently around the ring. A vizsla named Beamer charmed the audience by hopping into a toolbox set out for his handler, while Storm the Newfoundland drew laughs by jumping up on his handler, nearly matching her height. Cheers for a golden retriever named Oliver were so loud they drowned out the announcer, and chants of “Lumpy! Lumpy!” echoed as Lumpy the Pekingese strutted before a judge.
One historic moment came in the semifinals when Millie, a Danish-Swedish farmdog, advanced after defeating about 10 others of the same breed. The breed became eligible for Westminster competition for the first time this year.
“It’s been a very exciting journey” to establish the breed in the United States, said Brita Lemmon, who got her first farmdog in 2000 and competed Tuesday with one named Coyote.
While Westminster winners often have professional handlers or owners with decades of experience, simply qualifying for the champions-only show is a major achievement, particularly for first-time competitors such as Joseph Carrero and his Neapolitan mastiff, Dezi.
Carrero, a heavy equipment operator from Indian Springs, Nevada, said he had wanted a Neapolitan mastiff since his teenage years and finally got one at age 35. He began showing the dog at the breeder’s request and now breeds and handles his own dogs while working full time.
“It’s really hard for us to do this, but we enjoy it, and he enjoys it,” Carrero said as visitors gathered around the jowly, 190-pound mastiff.
Boerboels, large guard dogs originally from South Africa, also had a presence at the show. Natalee Ridenhour competed Tuesday with a Boerboel named Invictus, an experience she said she never imagined before moving from city life to a farm in Royse City, Texas.
Invictus did not advance past the first round. Still, as a visitor petted the 170-pound dog, Ridenhour smiled. “Honestly, the big win is that you’re about the 50th person who’s gotten down in his face and loved on him,” she said.