2023 Westminster Dog Show HighlightsWestminster Dog Show: Buddy Holly Wins Best in Show

The first petit basset griffon Vendéen to win the top prize at Westminster, Buddy Holly held off six other group champions to triumph.

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Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, wins best in show.

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Buddy Holly won the hound group and then beat out the six other group champions for the best in show title at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.CreditCredit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

Buddy Holly, a fetchingly bewhiskered petit basset griffon Vendéen, won best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night, beating back a field of fellow champions that included last year’s runner-up, Winston the French bulldog.

“I have dreamed of this since I was 9 years old,” said Buddy Holly’s owner and trainer, Janice Hayes. She called the dog, whose full name is CH Soletrader Buddy Holly, “the epitome of a show dog; nothing bothers him.”

Tuesday night was Hayes’s third attempt at Westminister, which she said she had watched with her father since she was a child. Hayes said she was most impressed with how Buddy Holly performed, because “he did exactly what I wanted him to do.”

Now, Hayes said she’s most excited for Buddy Holly to get back to being a regular dog and hanging out with “his girlfriends.”

Frisky and friendly, he is the first dog of his breed — a type of hound often referred to by their initials, P.B.G.V., because that is easier to say — to win best in show at Westminster. Second place went to Rummie, a Pekingese whose breeder and handler, David Fitzpatrick, has produced two previous best in show winners, including Wasabi, the 2021 champion.

“It’s a small breed and we like it for that because they’re not for everyone,” Hayes said while pulling her dog away from eating a nearby flower. She added: “We spent a long time getting this breed noticed and it’s fantastic to put them on the map.”

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Winston the French bulldog was a crowd favorite but he was not able to deliver on his preshow hype.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

The finalists represented a range of options for the experienced judge, Beth Sweigart, whose job was to select which dog was the most outstanding example of his or her breed. Along with Rummie, who won the Toy group, and Winston, who won the Non-Sporting group, the other contenders included Cider the English setter, winner of the Sporting group, who charmed the crowd with her flowing coat and gliding gait.

There was also a proud American Staffordshire terrier named Trouble, who took the Terrier group; Ribbon, a bright, enthusiastic Australian shepherd, who won the Herding group; and Monty, a magnificently bearded giant schnauzer, winner of the Working group.

Each was judged not on their cuddliness, beauty or charm, but on how well they adhered to the standard of their breed. Sweigart took her time with her choice, running her hands and eye over all the finalists, watching them run around the ring and building the drama before choosing her champion.

Buddy Holly joined a line of winners that has recently begun expanding into a variety of breeds after years of domination by terriers. Last year, a jowly bloodhound named Trumpet took best in show and before him were Wasabi the Pekingese and a black standard poodle named Siba.

“They’re not your golden retriever that’s going sit there and ask you what you want to do,” Hayes said. “Like they do their thing. But when they get it, they make you laugh every day no matter what.”

Defeat will sting for Winston, if show dogs feel the sting of defeat, that is. He was the runner-up last year — the official title is reserve best in show — but failed to break through despite his pristine, smooth coat and his charming demeanor.

Will he be back? He declined to comment.

Desiree Rios
May 10, 2023, 10:03 a.m. ET

See the seven best in show finalists.

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Buddy Holly won the Hound group and then beat out the other six group winners to take best in show. A triumph for petit basset griffon Vendéens everywhere.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Rummie, a Pekingese, won second place, also known as reserve best in show. The existence of his legs has not been confirmed.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Cider, an English setter, beat out 35 other breeds to win the Sporting group. That is technically more breeds than were shown in the Terrier group. Which doesn’t add up.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Monty, a giant schnauzer, was able to win the Working group, which has been dominated by Samoyeds in recent years. Striker, the group winner in the last two years, was at home eating gummie bears.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Trouble beat the odds to win the Terrier group. It was the last group decided, leaving Trouble little time to prepare for best in show judging.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Winston, a French bulldog, fell short again after finishing in second place last year. Owned by the N.F.L. player Morgan Fox, he had come into the show as something of a favorite.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
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Ribbon, an Australian shepherd, won the Herding group but fell short in the finals, continuing the cursed tradition of a breed that has never won best in show.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

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Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:17 p.m. ET

What names, what breeds, what a scene. And no apparent funny business (from the handlers and their dogs, if not from this chat).

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 11:23 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

It was a night to remember, especially for lovers of petit basset griffon Vendéens everywhere.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:17 p.m. ET

“I have dreamed of this since I was 9 years old,” Janice Hayes, Buddy Holly’s handler, says in an adorable interview.

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 11:17 p.m. ET

“He’s very hungry cause it’s past dinnertime.” Relatable.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 11:10 p.m. ET

Heartbreak again for Winston. Will be a long offseason for the Frenchie. Or a delightful one, full of belly rubs. Probably that one.

Benjamin Hoffman
May 9, 2023, 11:09 p.m. ET

Buddy Holly, the petit basset griffon Vendéen, has won best in show!

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 11:08 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

The PBGV has never won a best in show before, possibly because no one has ever heard of this breed.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 11:09 p.m. ET

I am so happy to have been proved wrong.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:10 p.m. ET

Buddy Holly’s #1 hit? “That’ll Be The Day.” (Today, apparently.)

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 11:10 p.m. ET

Serena. Rafa. Buddy Holly. A legacy of champions in Queens. What a night.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 11:10 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

The crowd was overjoyed by this win, despite their earlier love for Winston.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:10 p.m. ET

Congratulations to the fabulous Buddy Holly! I thought his breed was “CBGB” when I first heard it.

Sarah Lyall
May 10, 2023, 9:53 a.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

He does have a kind of punk-rock vibe to him.

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Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:06 p.m. ET

A show of which the Victorians would be proud!

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 11:06 p.m. ET

“I want to thank the dogs themselves”

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 11:04 p.m. ET

“A fabulous extravaganza of dogs.” Well said.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:04 p.m. ET

Rummie the Pekingese takes second place!

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

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Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:03 p.m. ET

The judge has made her decision!

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:03 p.m. ET

But we do not know it yet.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 11:03 p.m. ET

It’s wild that humans made all of these creatures.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 11:02 p.m. ET

If tennis balls don’t drop from the sky for the celebration, this has all been in vain.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:01 p.m. ET

I always appreciate the close-peering phase of the best in show judging. A Larry David-style staredown.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:03 p.m. ET

And the juxtaposition of such different dogs makes you appreciate that scrutiny a little more. (Which is not to devalue how hard it is to pare down a pool of 422 more similar terriers.)

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Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 11:00 p.m. ET

I think I just heard Grynbaum yelp in glee about Rummie from across the Atlantic.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 11:01 p.m. ET

No comment.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:01 p.m. ET

I certainly heard him in the still of the night. A louder shriek than from a mating fox.

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:59 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

It’s hard, with a Pekingese, to see that it is an actual dog.

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:59 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

It looks like an animate toupee being propelled across the ground.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:00 p.m. ET

“That beautiful envelope-shaped head...”

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 11:00 p.m. ET

Hard to see the so-called “tapering hind quarters.”

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 11:00 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

It’s possible that it does not have legs, but moves by some sort of levitation.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 11:00 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Sort of resembles a some kind of cartoon villain.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 11:01 p.m. ET

And then an eye catches a glint of light and surprises you as the moving toupee rolls along.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:58 p.m. ET

“Kind of looks like he could be an N.F.L. player,” Chris Myers says of Winston. I don’t see it.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 10:59 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Playing what position??

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:57 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

We have not discussed the fetching existence of the petit basset griffon Vendéen, who won the hound group (and yet who looks a bit like a terrier, using the generous definition of terrier we witnessed in the Neverending Terrier group).

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Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:57 p.m. ET

Winston has the steely gaze of a pup who has been here before. Nothing forced, nothing taken for granted.

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 10:58 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

The crowd here loves Winston.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 10:58 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Maybe I do too.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:56 p.m. ET

Trouble has an excellent tail.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:54 p.m. ET

Cider is sashaying.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:55 p.m. ET

Flecks of color, true to form!

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:53 p.m. ET

There should be a seven-way tie.

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Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:52 p.m. ET

Ribbon is the most decorated Aussie at Arthur Ashe Stadium since Rod Laver. (I’ll let myself out.)

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:52 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

What a cutie the Australian shepherd is.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:52 p.m. ET

What eyes! Piercing even on the small screen.

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:48 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

The Pekingese is being carried, as haughty as a pasha, into the ring. He’s the only one who can’t manage to walk in there himself.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:49 p.m. ET

Oh, maybe he will.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 10:49 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Saving the legs for the finals. Smart strategy.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:49 p.m. ET

Disqualified! Adorably disqualified.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:49 p.m. ET

Arguably a great chance to put that little body on display and show how closely he conforms to his breed’s standards, with an inability to run very far, very fast.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:49 p.m. ET

All hair.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:52 p.m. ET

Rummie appears to conform closely to the Persian Cat standard we know you love, but what about the Pekingese one?

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:48 p.m. ET

Two of these seven dogs are female, we’ve learned.

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Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 10:48 p.m. ET

An impressive variety of gaits are on display.

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:48 p.m. ET

Winston wins Least Amenable Legs For Extensive Running by acclamation. What an entrance.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:48 p.m. ET

Winston will not be rushed.

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:47 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Beth Sweigart will decide best in show.

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Peter Green and Beth Sweigart, this year’s best in show judge, during the 2022 Westminster Dog Show.Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times

Beth Sweigart, the best in show judge, said it was an “overwhelming” feeling to have reached this point in her career. “For every judge, it’s the prize you dream of getting,” she said.

She spent most of Tuesday evening sequestered, remaining deliberately ignorant of which dog won each group so she could enter the show ring unencumbered by preconceptions.

“You go in cold so that you have a totally fresh outlook,” she said. “At the level that the dogs compete at Westminster, the seven dogs that will probably enter the ring on Tuesday will be of really superior quality. So what I’ll be looking for is the dog that performs best and is in the best condition.”

Back home in Bowmansville, Pa., about 60 miles west of Philadelphia, she breeds dogs herself — Labrador retrievers, affenpinschers and Norfolk terriers. She had said that should any of those breeds have made it to the finals, she would not show them any special favors, but she won’t end up having to worry about that. “Most people that breed and show and judge, as I do, are probably harder on their own breeds,” she said, “because we know the sort of problems they have.”

Sweigert is 78, and she said that her age is no coincidence.

“To be really frank, if you look at people who have judged past best in shows at Westminster, they’re not young,” she said. “They’ve spent a lifetime preparing for this.”

She will be wearing an evening dress for the competition, in keeping with the black tie dress code. What does it look like? “It’s a secret,” she said.

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:45 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

The dogs are entering the ring! The giant schnauzer’s handler has just taken some treats out of her own mouth to give to her dog.

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Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:41 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

As we go into this, remember that it is not a beauty contest or a popularity contest. The judge isn’t going to pick the floofiest, cutest, most majestic or most enthusiastic dog, but the dog that most perfectly conforms to its breed’s standards.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:42 p.m. ET

They should award Floofiest In Show separately. Or at least Dog Congeniality.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 10:41 p.m. ET

Sarah, what is the mood out in chilly Queens? Who is the crowd behind?

Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:43 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

I don’t think there’s a crowd favorite going into this final round. It’s a mystery! I know who I want, but I’m not going to say.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:38 p.m. ET

Who’s the (forgive me) underdog here? Winston, in spite of his presumptuousness? The French bulldog has never won the top title, so perhaps this is his moment.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:40 p.m. ET

My personal favorite is Buddy Holly, but I don’t think he’s gonna take it.

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:38 p.m. ET

I love that the Best in Show judge, Beth Sweigart, was held in isolation so she could not prejudge anything. We joked quite a bit tonight — OK, every time we do this — but the people invested in this event, the ones who have devoted decades to dogs and shows and the rest, take it extremely seriously.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:41 p.m. ET

A round of applause for all the dedicated Doggy People. And a round of gummy bears for all the dogs.

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Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:38 p.m. ET

Is there any sport that concentrates so much authority in the whims of one person? It’s like deciding the U.S. Open because some linesman likes the cut of Federer’s jib.

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:38 p.m. ET

If the cut of Federer’s jib was the criteria he’d have 125 Grand Slam titles.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:36 p.m. ET

I think my money’s on Cider. (Not that I’m betting on this event, to be clear.)

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Credit...Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Westminster
Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:36 p.m. ET

You? Never!

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:35 p.m. ET

Only Best in Show to go now. Your seven hopefuls:

— Buddy Holly, the petit basset griffon vendeen with the great name

— Rummie, the Pekingese descended from two winners

— Winston, the French bulldog who fell short last year

— Ribbon, the Australian shepherd

— Cider, the English setter

— Monty, the Giant schnauzer with the glorious black coat

— Trouble, the American staffordshire and survivor of the terrier battle royale.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 10:35 p.m. ET

Rummie is handled by David Fitzpatrick, the Pekingese expert! I once visited his farm in Pennsylvania, a “peke” paradise where the dogs basically had the run of the place. Malachy, his best in show winner (who later died in 2017), was there, too, reclining on a cooling pad.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 10:35 p.m. ET

Trouble, an American Staffordshire terrier, wins his group.

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Trouble beat the odds to win the Terrier group. It was the last group decided, leaving Trouble little time to prepare for best in show judging.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

For the first time in Westminster history, an American Staffordshire took the terrier group title. The dog, named Trouble, beat out 31 other breeds in a surprising victory over dogs that received louder support from the crowd — and the ones that typically win this group.

The terrier winner is usually a good indicator of who will win best in show. The group is something of a Westminister dynasty, with 47 best in show winners, the most of any group. Trouble has the advantage — or disadvantage — of having the least rest time before the best in show judging, which begins momentarily.

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Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:33 p.m. ET

Winston showing a lot of presumption.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET

Punning headline writers are heavily invested in Trouble.

Benjamin Hoffman
May 9, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET

You have to assume the New York Post’s dog show live blog team would crush that assignment.

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 10:31 p.m. ET

WIN the French bulldog also has potential.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:33 p.m. ET

Ribbon would yield some unfortunate groaners.

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:36 p.m. ET

In the old days the news desk would be calling up to Sports right now and warning, “Don’t even try a pun.”

Michael Grynbaum
May 9, 2023, 10:28 p.m. ET

Is it a competitive disadvantage to be in the last group before best in show? Like playing the second semifinal at Wimbledon?

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 10:28 p.m. ET

Fortunately, Trouble does not look like he requires much grooming.

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:28 p.m. ET

I think you come into the final warmed up and ready. Though the finalists from last night probably have been running wind sprints outside.

Matt Flegenheimer
May 9, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET

The old rest-versus-rust debate. Granted, “Trouble” was born ready.

Rebecca Ruiz
May 9, 2023, 10:29 p.m. ET

Or an advantage! Get in the zone, stay on task.

Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:26 p.m. ET

And the winner of the Terrier group is … the American Staffordshire terrier, Trouble.

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Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times
Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 10:27 p.m. ET

Reporting from Arthur Ashe Stadium

Once again, the border terrier got robbed! This show is rigged.

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Andrew Das
May 9, 2023, 10:24 p.m. ET

The judge, Connie Clark, creates a short list in about 20 seconds. Ruthless terrier cull right there.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 9:41 p.m. ET

Monty, a giant schnauzer, wins the Working group.

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Monty, a giant schnauzer, was able to win the Working group, which has been dominated by Samoyeds in recent years. Striker, the group winner in the last two years, was at home eating gummie bears.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

Monty, a giant schnauzer, won the Working group. A fluffy black-haired dog whose coat nearly covers his entire face, Monty leaped and hugged his handler after the victory, like a player winning the U.S. Open at this court might greet their coach.

A giant schnauzer had won this group only three times in the history of Westminister before Tuesday, and this is the first win for the breed since 2018. The schnauzer’s victory ended the streak of the Samoyed, a fluffy white dog that often looks like a walking cloud, which had won this group the last two years.

Kris Rhim
May 9, 2023, 8:36 p.m. ET

Cider, an English setter, wins the Sporting group.

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Cider, an English setter, beat out 35 other breeds to win the Sporting group. That is technically more breeds than were shown in the Terrier group. Which doesn’t add up.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

Tuesday night’s first winner was Cider, an English setter, who took the Sporting group’s crown, standing out among a group of 35 different breeds. It was the second year in a row that an English setter won this group. The last time a breed won two years in a row was when the Sussex spaniel did so in 2017 and 2018.

Golden retriever lovers will have to wait another year for the chance to see their beloved dog win best in the show for the first time in Westminister history. The golden received the loudest roars from spectators — an annual occurrence — but didn’t do enough to impress the judges. A golden has won the Sporting group only three times over the 147 Westminsters.

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Benjamin Hoffman
May 9, 2023, 7:30 p.m. ET

Four groups have been decided. There are three more to go.

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Rummie, a Pekingese, won the toy group on Monday.Credit...Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

With a competition spread out over several days, some of the group winners have already been declared, while arguably the three most popular groups — sporting, working and terrier — will be decided tonight ahead of the judging for best in show. Here are the group champions so far:

  • Hound: Buddy Holly, a.k.a. Ch. Soletrader Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen, held off an Afghan hound, a borzois and an English foxhound.

  • Toy: Rummie, a.k.a. Gch. Ch. Pequest Rum Dum, a Pekingese, took the top spot over a Shih Tzu, an English toy spaniel and a Japanese chin.

  • Non-Sporting: Winston, a.k.a. Gch. Ch. Fox Canyon’s I Won the War at Goldshield, a French bulldog who was a crowd favorite last year, beat a standard poodle, a bulldog and a bichon frisé.

  • Herding: Ribbon, a.k.a. Gch. Ch. Northbay Xsell That’s a Wrap, an Australian shepherd, finished on top ahead of a Bouviers des Flandres, a Shetland sheepdog and a German shepherd.

Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 7:00 p.m. ET

Even champion dogs sometimes get sick.

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Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times

The dogs competing at Westminster’s varied events typically arrive in peak condition, their eyes shining, their coats glossy, their laps around the ring perfectly practiced. But with thousands of dogs competing over a few days, some canine competitors are bound to get sick or injured, just like any other athletes.

When they do, veterinarians from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, in Ithaca, N.Y., and the Cornell University Veterinary Specialists, in Stamford, Conn., are on hand to provide quick medical assessments and render basic first aid.

Typically, that’s all that’s needed, said Dr. Elisa Mazzaferro, an emergency and critical care specialist who was manning the temporary veterinary clinic on Monday. “The majority of things that we see, fortunately, are broken toenails and muscle strains,” she said.

The veterinary team is equipped to clean small wounds, apply bandages and treat allergic reactions, among other simple services. “No one has broken their leg, but we could put splints on and do pain control,” Mazzaferro said.

They do get the occasional canine emergency. In previous years, Mazzaferro said, the team saw one dog with a twisted stomach and another with an infected uterus, both of which are potentially life-threatening. In those cases, the on-site veterinarians sent the owners to local emergency hospitals.

The veterinarians do sometimes find themselves treating two-legged patients, especially during the agility competition, which requires dogs — and their human handlers — to navigate a sometimes-slick obstacle course. “We have seen handlers wipe out, so they will come to us for an ice pack,” Mazzaferro said.

Last year, a young handler dropped a crate on her foot shortly before she was due in the show ring for the Junior showmanship competition, which is open to children between the ages of 9 and 18. The girl needed stitches, but Mazzaferro cleaned and bandaged the wound so that she could compete first. “She said to her mom, ‘I’m at the vet tent, they’re taking good care of me,’” Mazzaferro recalled.

For the veterinarians, Westminster is a fun opportunity to see rare dog breeds, Mazzaferro said. But as a pug owner, she does have her own rooting interest, she confessed: “I always say, ‘May the best pug win.’”

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Calla Kessler
May 9, 2023, 6:30 p.m. ET

The road to best in show: A look at Tuesday’s action.

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Great Danes of all colors, and one with a coat of many colors.Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times

Champion dogs of all shapes and sizes have taken over the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, turning the annual site of the U.S. Open into the newest venue of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

On Monday, judges selected the winners in the hound, toy, nonsporting and herding groups. On Tuesday, they winnowed down the best of the sporting, working and terrier breeds. Winners of those three groups will be selected Tuesday night, followed by best in show, chosen from among the seven group champions. Here’s a look at some of Tuesday’s competition.

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Brixley, a Biewer terrier, had many admirers. (Biewer is pronounced “beaver.”)Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times
Clockwise from top left, a Great Dane, Irish water spaniel, Neapolitan mastiff and Bedlington terrier.Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times
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Shh. Judging in progress.Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times
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Solomon and Cleo, two St. Bernards, may be the two biggest fans of “Beethoven” and “Beethoven’s 2nd.”Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times
Victor Mather
May 9, 2023, 6:00 p.m. ET

Wondering how this works? We have you covered.

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Trumpet, a bloodhound, was named best in show last year after outlasting some terrific competition.Credit...Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

There are around 3,000 dogs at Westminster, and all of them are such good, good boys and girls. Yes they are. Oooh yes they are.

But sadly, only one can win the event’s highest honor: best in show. First things first, all the dogs compete against others of their breed. The 210 breed winners then advance to compete in the group finals. The seven group winners (four of which have already been decided) then vie for the big prize. The overall winner will be determined at the sole discretion of this year’s best in show judge, Elizabeth Sweigart of Bowmansville, Pa., on Tuesday night.

What will Sweigart be looking for? It’s pretty hard to compare a tiny spitz with a massive St. Bernard. So each dog is judged on specific criteria for its own particular breed. Last year’s winner was Trumpet, a bloodhound. For that breed, judges look for a head that is “furnished with an amount of loose skin, which in nearly every position appears superabundant,” forelegs that are “straight and large in bone, with elbows squarely set,” and a gait that is “elastic, swinging and free.”

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Sarah Lyall
May 9, 2023, 5:25 p.m. ET

We caught up with a fan favorite.

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Striker is still cared for by the team that managed his dog show career, including Marc Ralsky and the breeder Judi Elford.Credit...May Truong for The New York Times

No one watching Westminster last year could have missed Striker the Samoyed, a blindingly white confection of fluff and enthusiasm who stole the show with his goofy joie de vivre. Sadly for his fans, Striker lost in the final round, defeated by a lugubriously dignified bloodhound and a perky little French bulldog.

But has he spent the past year moping dejectedly around the house, whining about what might have been? “Hell, no,” said Judi Elford, Striker’s breeder, when we paid a visit recently to the dog’s home in Toronto to find out what the fan favorite has been up to.

Victor Mather
May 9, 2023, 5:02 p.m. ET

Meet the newest dog breed at Westminster.

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Bracco Italianos on Tuesday. The breed is evaluated for characteristics like a “markedly sculpted head” and “very obvious chiseling under the eyes.”Credit...Calla Kessler for The New York Times

The new dog on the block this year at Westminster is the bracco Italiano — a pointer that will make its debut in the sporting group against a formidable field of spaniels, retrievers and setters.

“Their most notable features are a sculpted head with divergent facial planes, long ears and a fast, extended trot,” Westminster said in its introduction of the new breed.

“The bracco Italiano is a very dignified dog,” said a description provided by the Bracco Italiano Club of America. “The breed is powerful and muscular, but not lumbering. His expression is intelligent and kind. He lives up to his noble Italian heritage in being very regal in both appearance and behavior.”

How will the judge choose among the bracco Italianos, all of which frankly look to the untrained eye like very good dogs? According to the American Kennel Club, the ideal bracco is “smooth coated, with lean limbs, well-developed muscles, well-defined lines and a markedly sculpted head with very obvious chiseling under the eyes.”

Its head should also be “angular and narrow at the level of the zygomatic arches,” so keep that in mind when you cast your eye over the contenders.

Away from the show ring, “the bracco is very much a people-loving dog,” the club said, but it can also be stubborn.

Be aware that if you decide to adopt one of these “very regal” fellows, the dog should get two hours of exercise a day.

Moreover, the club said, “Being a breed with large lips they are prone to drool a lot.”

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Emily Anthes
May 9, 2023, 5:01 p.m. ET

What it takes to be a top dog judge.

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Patricia Craige Trotter, judging Connor, an Old English sheepdog, during the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. “What we’re doing is trying to achieve a level of near perfection in creating a working animal,” she said.Credit...Karsten Moran for The New York Times

Thousands of dogs — miniature pinschers, mastiffs and more — are competing at Westminster, an event that boasts itself as the second oldest consistently held sporting event in the United States. It is a show for winners; only dogs who have racked up points at other competitions are eligible.

For a dog show judge, receiving an invitation to assess these canine champions is a prize of its own. “I felt like I won the lottery when the letter came,” said Michael Faulkner, one of the judges we talked to about this year’s event. “I actually cried.”

Benjamin Hoffman
May 9, 2023, 5:00 p.m. ET

How to watch the show.

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Never get between M&M, one of the bulldogs at Westminster, and his cooling jacket.Credit...Desiree Rios/The New York Times

Westminster has a tendency to turn around even the most cynical observer. You may not know an Airedale terrier from a Nederlandse kooikerhondje, but if you tune in for even a few minutes you will find yourself yelling things at your television like “Golden retrievers don’t get enough respect!” and “I can’t believe the judge thinks that chow chow has the right gait!”

Here’s how to watch the main event:

  • What: The 147th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

  • When: The event began on Saturday but live coverage of the final rounds of group selection, and the judging of best in show, will begin today at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time.

  • TV: FS1

  • Streaming: The Fox Sports app

  • Live commentary: You’re already here! The New York Times will have a decorated group of journalists, each of whom has shown a passion for dogs, providing commentary and analysis throughout the evening.

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