Last night marked the culmination of one of the largest events in dog-dom: the 138th Westminster Dog Show. Well-trained and well-primped dogs, hand selected for their exemplary representation of the characteristics of their breed, competed to take home the prized “Best in Show” trophy.
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For the spectator, the Dog Show is also a chance to see some of the rarest and most exotic-looking breeds on earth. Right alongside the Terriers, Retrievers, and Spaniels, trotted many breeds you will not likely see anywhere else, like the Tibetan Mastiff or the Komondor.
Here are some of the show's highlights.
The 138th Best in Show: Sky the Wire Fox Terrier
This year's winner, Painting the Sky, or "Sky" for short, belongs to the breed with far and away the most Best in Show victories. The Wire Fox Terrier now has a whopping 14 total Best in Show wins -- nearly double that of the second most winning breed, the Scottish Terrier, with their eight championships.
That means this one breed has claimed over 10% of the show's wins!
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The Best of Group Results Herding -- Telltale Coco Posh the Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Hound -- International S’Cess the Bloodhound
Toy -- Red Glare the Miniature Pinscher
Non-Sporting -- Lakeridge Encore the Standard Poodle
Sporting -- Riley on Fire the Irish Water Spaniel
Working -- Impression De Matisse the Portuguese Water Dog
Terrier -- Painting the Sky the Wire Fox Terrier
Westminster Opens Its Doors to Mixed Breeds
Herding -- Telltale Coco Posh the Cardigan Welsh Corgi
Hound -- International S’Cess the Bloodhound
Toy -- Red Glare the Miniature Pinscher
Non-Sporting -- Lakeridge Encore the Standard Poodle
Sporting -- Riley on Fire the Irish Water Spaniel
Working -- Impression De Matisse the Portuguese Water Dog
Terrier -- Painting the Sky the Wire Fox Terrier
The 138th Westminster Dog Show marked the beginning of a new chapter in this historic event: the inclusion of an agility competition, and, marking a major change in the dog show circuit, the inclusion of mixed breed dogs in this part of the show. Although mixed breed dogs are still not eligible to compete for Best in Show, opening the doors to mutts at all is a huge step for the organization.
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