United States: At the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, Monty the Giant Schnauzer secured the best in the show title after appearing three times consecutively in the competition’s final round in the United States’ most distinguished dog show.
Victorious Against Tough Competition
Five-year-old Monty from the giant schnauzer breed won the best-in-show competition against more than 2,500 dogs from the entire United States who competed in the 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club event in New York City, as reported by Reuters.
Each of the 200 breeds has its top winner advance through rounds to fight for seven group championship titles, which decide entry into the final showcase. Monty had secured the working group title in both previous years, although he had only won the grand prize in this competition.
Emotional Victory for Monty and Handler
At the televised live stream from Madison Square Garden, Katie Bernardin could barely contain her emotions as she proclaimed, “That puppy made it work.”
Bourbon claimed runner-up status by winning reserve best in the show during his third appearance at the competition when he returned after retirement from the competition.
The dog show competition featured five additional contenders, including Comet the shih tzu representing the toy group and non-sporting group champion Neal the bichon frisé together with Freddie the English springer spaniel from the sporting group along with Archer the Skye terrier of the terrier group and Mercedes the German shepherd from the herding group.
Judging and Final Moments
Judge Paula Nykiel picked the best in a show at Westminster before she began participating in preliminary events throughout the three-day competition. Nykiel owns more than 50 pointer champions as a breeder and owner-handler.
During the evaluation, judges use their hands to feel the dogs’ bodies while checking their mouths before noticing their physical running abilities, as reported by Reuters.
Nykiel asked the handlers to pause, breathe deeply, and enjoy their moment of glory before allowing them to take their dogs on a last circuit at a pace suitable for their breed.