Dogs compete for best in show at Westminster Kennel Club
Posted on: Feb 04, 2026 08:47 IST | Posted by: Cbc
After 2 years, 2,500 dogs and thomas more than 200 breeds, the city of westminster dog house Club is coming down to just seven canines vying for U.S. Show dogs' most coveted prize.
The winner gets a trophy, ribbons, bragging rights and, this year, the distinction of winning the milestone 150th annual Westminster show.
There are seven groups: hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier. The winner from each groups goes on to compete for best in show.
Finalists so far include an Afghan hound named Zaida, a Lhasa apso called JJ, a Maltese named Cookie and an old English sheepdog dubbed Graham. Also in the running are a Chesapeake Bay retriever called Cota and a Doberman pinscher named Penny.
One more rival will be selected Tuesday night before they all face off at Madison Square Garden for the best in show award.
Whichever dog ends up with the prize, lots of others scored meme-able moments or lit up the crowd, even if they didn't make the finals.
Over two nights of semifinals, spectators cheered extra loud for a Xoloitzcuintli named Calaco, a hairless dog who went around the ring like he had nothing to prove.
A vizsla named Beamer charmed the crowd by hopping into a box set out for his handler's tools, and then sitting there as if right at home.
Spectators cheered so loud for a golden retriever named Oliver that they drowned out the arena's announcer.
And chants of "Lumpy! Lumpy!" resounded as Lumpy the Pekingese strolled before a judge.
One dog poised to make history in the semifinals is Millie, a Danish-Swedish farmdog. The small, spry breed just became eligible for the Westminster show this year, and Millie bested about 10 other farmdogs Tuesday afternoon to get to the evening round.
"It's been a very exciting journey" to establish the breed in the U.S., said Brita Lemmon, who competed with her farmdog, named Coyote. A plant nursery owner from Seal Beach, California, she got her first farmdog from a Danish breeder in 2000, after looking through an encyclopedia of breeds.
Westminster wins tend to go to pooches with professional handlers or owners with decades or even generations of experience. But just reaching the elite, champions-only show is a major accomplishment in dogdom.
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