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| Owner Katie Bernardin kisses Monty after he receives his trophy and ribbon. (AP: Julia Demaree Nikhinson) |
Dogs
A giant schnauzer named Monty has been crowned Best in Show at the 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Monty emerged victorious from more than 2,500 top-ranked canines competing in a two-day contest, held in New York City.
It’s the first Westminster best-in-show title for a giant schnauzer in the 95 years the breed has been entered.
After coming close in the past two years, handler and co-owner Katie Bernardin was almost too emotional to speak.
"He always tries so hard, and we're just proud of him," she told the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
According to co-owner Sandy Nordstrom, Monty is bold, cocky and fun.
"He's just a really cool dog," she said in an interview before the competition, which will be his last.
The five-year-old is retiring from showing.
Monty had tough competition, participating against seven semifinalists for the coveted crown.
They included a bichon frisé called Neal, a Skye terrier named Archer, a whippet and repeat runner-up known as Bourbon and a shih tzu called Comet.
Also in the mix were a German shepherd named Mercedes, who came in second last year, and an English springer spaniel called Freddie.
The show is considered to be the most prestigious competition among pure-bred canines in the United States.
It also bills itself as the second-oldest US sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby thoroughbred horse race.
How do judges pick a winner?
To the casual viewer, it might be hard to fathom what judges gather from patting down and carefully peering at prepped canines.
But choosing a winner requires an encyclopedic knowledge of 201 different breeds.
Judges perform hands-on examinations and watch dogs in motion to work out which one comes closest to the ideal for its breed.
This is set out in a "standard" that details desired features.
President of the Westminster Kennel Club Donald Sturz says he looks for the "presence of virtue, versus faults".
"I focus on the dog that rings the most bells of virtue for me as I go from nose to tail."
But at the end of the day, it comes down to which canine performs best on the day.
"There's just something that a dog will bring that night that will put them a notch above the other great dogs in the ranks," Mr Sturz said.
Gallery of glamorous dogs
Monty and the other semifinalists weren't the only pretty pooches on display.
Check out the gallery of pampered pups below.
First published on at ABC News, February 12, 2025
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