By Aarav SapraÂ
An elegant miniature poodle, Sage, emerged victorious Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Sage, the great-granddaughter of a former champion, succeeded over six additional group winners to claim the best in the show. Her handler, Kaz Hosaka, who has committed 45 years to competing at the US’s most prestigious canine event, plans to retire. This win marks the 11th triumph for poodles of various sizes at Westminster. Sage’s triumph was hard-fought, defeating six other finalists, including Mercedes, a German shepherd, Comet, a shih tzu who won the big American Kennel Club National Championship last year, Monty, a giant schnauzer who was a Westminster finalist the previous year, Louis, an Afghan hound, Micah, a black cocker spaniel, and Frankie, a bull terrier. In order for a dog to win, they must first compete against others of their breed. Then, the winner of each breed goes up against others in its group. The seven group winners meet in the final round. The best-in-show winner gets a trophy and a place in dog-world history, but no reward like a cash prize.
Furthermore, many individuals continued to express gratitude for the event and commented on its entertainment. Judge Rosalind Kramer described the final lineup as outstanding. Katie Bernardin, Monty’s handler, stated, “Just to be in the ring with everyone else is an honor. We all love our dogs, and we’re trying our best” after Monty’s semifinal win. In addition to the winners, other dogs captivated the crowd. For example, a Lagotto Romagnolo named Harry delighted the audience by sitting up and begging for a treat from his handler, while a vizsla named Fletcher amazed spectators by jumping up on its handler after completing a spin around the ring. Stache, a Sealyham terrier, was among the dogs that competed but did not make it to the finals. Stache won the National Dog Show televised on Thanksgiving and took the top prize at a significant terrier show in Pennsylvania last fall. Stache was particularly noteworthy because he represented a rare breed considered vulnerable to extinction, even in its native Britain.
The Westminster Dog Show, a tradition dating back to 1877, is known for its focus on purebred judging that culminates in the best-in-show prize. However, the event has evolved over the years to embrace diversity. The club has introduced agility and obedience events open to mixed-breed dogs in the past decade. This year, the agility competition saw its first non-purebred winner, a border collie-papillon mix, Nimble. The show’s best show judge, Kramer, also took a moment to acknowledge the contribution of every dog.
