The yearly parade of canine excellence and exuberance that is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show wrapped up on Tuesday evening when a Doberman pinscher was named best in show.
As ever, the final round of judging was an exercise in eclecticism. The seven dogs competing for best in show, who were selected to represent their respective groups, looked about as different as creatures can look while still belonging to the same species. Thankfully, the judge, David Fitzpatrick, was measuring each dog against its American Kennel Club-endorsed breed standard, not its fellow competitors.
Over the course of two frenzied days of ring trotting, the original field of 2,500 aspirants — good boys and girls, one and all — were whittled down to these best in group winners. Here’s how each one managed to make an impression.
Penny: Most High Alert!
The Doberman pinscher, this year’s best in show winner, had an impossibly sleek coat, irresistible over-eye markings — a breed standard — and a stature that rivaled that of a Marine. But for all of Penny’s obvious discipline, it was her TV-antenna ears that were most noticeably standing at attention.
Cota: Most Prize-Hungry!
Brown in the way that a cowboy boot is brown (which is to say, perfectly), the Chesapeake Bay retriever was named reserve best in show — Westminster-speak for runner-up. When Cota, the paragon of the sporting group, was presented with his purple-and-yellow dinner plate of a ribbon, he promptly snatched it in his jaws and bounded off. It is his, after all.
Zaida: Most ’70s Supermodel!
The Afghan hound and winner of the hound group did not so much run as sashay through the show ring. With each step, her floor-length molten-silver coat swirled around her legs as if stirred by an invisible wind machine. It was the second year that Zaida made it to the Westminster finals without winning the top prize. But you could say that she lost in style.
Cookie: Most Meringue!
Cookie, a Maltese who won the toy group, was the size of a Bundt cake and the color of powdered sugar. For the best in show competition, she accessorized her coat with two teensy black barrettes that glittered as she moved, and she carried herself with the hauteur of a dog who knew she was flawless (probably because her handler told her so).
JJ: Most Sloth!
With his pepper-and-mostly-salt hair that was parted neatly down the middle, the Lhasa apso and winner of the non-sporting group brought a dignified presence to the best in show ring. And it would be understandable if, at a glance, JJ was mistaken for a slow-moving rainforest creature.
Graham: Most Giant Teddy Bear!
Enveloped in a cloud of hair that looked as if it had been frizzed up and teased by a giant egg whisk, the Old English sheepdog, who won the herding group, was the floofiest and goofiest of the seven Westminster finalists. Graham also seemed to have a ready sense of humor, a heartwarming trait that would make most anyone want to take him home. Perhaps to snuggle with?
Wager: Most Smooth Operator!
The Westminster Kennel Club identifies Wager’s breed as the smooth fox terrier. The adjective is meant to distinguish the breed from its coarse-coated cousin, the wire fox terrier. But it could just as easily apply to the way this charmer, the youngest dog in the finals, won the terrier group at Westminster.
Sarah Lyall, Callie Holtermann and Louis Lucero II contributed reporting.
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