Best in Show of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show | |
---|---|
Country | United States |
Presented by | Westminster Kennel Club |
First awarded | 1907 |
Currently held by | GCH Soletrader Buddy Holly (Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen), 2023 |
Website | Westminster Kennel Club |
The title of "Best in Show" is given to the dog chosen as the winner of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show according to conformation show rules. It has its origins in the variety classes for champions that were introduced in 1905 which included prizes for best champion dog and best champion bitch. [1] [2] The title of Best in Show at Westminster has been awarded every year beginning in 1907 except for 1923 when changes in American Kennel Club rules prohibited mixed breed judging until a uniform process could be adopted; [3] following further changes in rules it was awarded again in 1924.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breeds conformation show. [4] [5] It has been held in New York City, New York annually since 1877. [6] It was held at Madison Square Garden for the first time in 1880, [7] [8] and is currently held in the modern arena of the same name. [9] Dogs are first placed in breed specific classes for Best of Breed, with the winners moving on to the respective breed group. Winners from each group then compete for the title of Best in Show. In each class, the individual dogs are judged against the breed standard of each dog breed. [4]
In 1992, competition at Westminster was restricted to champions only. [10] A dog can only become a champion by gaining championship points at other conformation shows. [11] Prior to 1992, admission to dogs was open, and in 1938 an English Setter named Daro of Maridor was the Best in Show title at Westminster in his first outing at a dog show at the age of 11 months. [12] In 1929, a previously unregistered British dog won at Westminster using the name Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven, aged nine months in his only show on American soil. [13]
The James Mortimer Memorial Silver Trophy is awarded permanently should the dog win Best in Show on five separate occasions with the same owner, otherwise a silver-plated replica is awarded. [14] As of 2020, the most successful dog to win Best in Show at Westminster was a Smooth Fox Terrier named Ch. Warren Remedy. [15] She was the first winner of Best in Show and the only dog to have won it on three occasions. [16]
The Terrier Group would continue to win until 1913 when a Bulldog, Ch. Strathtay Prince Albert, won the title. [17] The Terrier Group is the most successful group, with 45 wins out of 103 occasions. The least successful group is the Herding Group, a group which was only comparatively recently created in 1983, with wins by German Shepherd Dogs, in 1987 and 2017. [18]
Number of winners | Group |
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47 | Terrier |
18 | Sporting |
13 | Working [upper-alpha 4] |
12 | Toy |
11 | Non-sporting |
7 | Hound |
5 | Herding |
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The Yorkshire Terrier, also known as a Yorkie, is a British breed of toy dog of terrier type. It is among the smallest of the terriers and indeed of all dog breeds, with a weight of no more than 3.2 kg (7 lb). It originated in the nineteenth century in the English county of Yorkshire, after which it is named. The coat is tan on the head and dark steel-grey on the body; no other colour is accepted by either The Kennel Club or the Fédération Cynologique Internationale.
Cocker Spaniels are dogs belonging to two breeds of the spaniel dog type: the American Cocker Spaniel and the English Cocker Spaniel, both of which are commonly called simply Cocker Spaniel in their countries of origin. In the early 20th century, Cocker Spaniels also included small hunting spaniels.
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A Schnauzer is a dog breed type that originated in Germany from the 14th to 16th centuries. The term comes from the German word for "snout" and means colloquially "moustache", or "whiskered snout", because of the dog's distinctively bearded snout. Initially it was called Wire-Haired Pinscher, while Schnauzer was adopted in 1879.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show, held annually in the New York metropolitan area.
The Giant Schnauzer is a breed of dog developed in the 17th century in Germany. It is the largest of the three breeds of Schnauzer—the other two breeds being the Standard Schnauzer and the Miniature Schnauzer. Numerous breeds were used in its development, including the black Great Dane, the Bouvier des Flandres, and the German Pinscher. Originally bred to assist on farms by driving livestock to market and guarding the farmer's property, the breed eventually moved into the city, where it worked guarding breweries, butchers' shops, stockyards and factories. It was unknown outside of Bavaria until it became popular as a military dog during World War I and World War II.
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Ch. Tickle Em Jock (1908–??), a Scottish Terrier, was the first of his breed to win best-in-show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1911, the fifth occasion it was awarded. He was originally sold for a sum of only £2 to Andrew Albright, Jr. Mr Albright would go on to later say he wouldn't sell the dog for $5,000. Jock was also noted in the media of the time for biting a judge's wrist just after winning best of breed at a dog show.
Ch. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid was a Bull Terrier who is best known for being the 2006 Best In Show winner at the Westminster Dog Show handled by Kathy Kirk PHA. He is the first Colored Bull Terrier to win Best in Show at Westminster, with the only other victory for his breed going to a White Bull Terrier in 1918. He also won Best In Show at the National Dog show, and on retirement trained as a therapy dog. He is the most successful Colored Bull Terrier show dog of all time.
GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind, also known as Hickory, was a female Scottish Deerhound who was named Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2011. She was the first of her breed to have won the title.
Ch. Kenmare Sorceress (1909–1920), an Airedale Terrier, was the first of its breed to have won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, in 1912. She was originally from Wales, but was imported into the United States by William P. Wolcott in September 1910.
Ch. Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless also known as Samantha, was an English Springer Spaniel, best known for being Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February 2000. Her sire was Ch. Salilyn's Condor, Best in Show winner at Westminster in 1993, Samantha became the first offspring of a previous Best in Show winner at Westminster to take the same prize.
Ch. Salilyn's Condor also known as Robert, was an English Springer Spaniel, best known for being Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Feb. 1993. He was the first Westminster winner to sire another, when his daughter Ch. Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless won Best in Show in 2000.
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Ch. Warren Remedy (1905–1912) was a Best in Show winner of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1907, 1908 and 1909. A smooth-coated fox terrier owned by Winthrop Rutherfurd, she was the only dog to win Westminster three years in a row.