By Daniel Trotta
Feb 3 (Reuters) – Penny, a 4-year-old Doberman pinscher, won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday, capturing the most prestigious dog show prize in the United States.
Penny cut a majestic stance in the final round of judging, when the finalists of seven groups competed at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
The champion of the working group beat more than 3,000 dogs from all 50 states and 17 countries that competed in the 150th annual event.
The winners of each of the 202 competing breeds advanced to compete for one of seven group titles, with each group winner moving on to the finals.
Penny’s handler Andy Linton, who has spoken publicly about his diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease, also handled the winning Doberman named Indy the last time the breed won Best in Show, in 1989.
“We saw a dog that knew that it had to perform for Andy, and I think that’s the bond we get,” Jason Hoke, the television commentator for Fox Sports, said on the broadcast of the event.
“We saw that with this perfect show the dog put on. The dog was giving it back to Andy because Andy has had his own struggles and that’s what dogs do, that unconditional love,” Hoke said.
Penny was bred by Theresa Connors-Chan and Gregory Chan, two of the co-owners along with Francis Sparagna and Diana Sparagna.
Second place, known as Reserve Best in Show, went to Cota, a 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever from the sporting group.
The other finalists were Zaida, an Afghan hound from the hound group; Cookie, a Maltese from the toy group; JJ, a Lhasa Apso from the non-sporting group; Graham, an old English sheepdog from the herding group; and Wager, a smooth fox terrier from the terrier group.
“They always say, ‘What a great lineup,’ but this is one that will go down in history,” Best in Show judge David Fitzpatrick, himself a breeder, owner and handler who has won Best in Show twice, told the crowd before announcing the winner.
Judges, looking for each breed’s ideal standard, examine the dogs’ mouths and place their hands over the animals’ bodies, checking for muscle tone before watching the dogs run through their paces.
Dobermans, which have a reputation as police dogs, have now won the top prize five times.
The breed was developed for protection in the late 19th century by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, a German tax collector. It was later used in police and military service, notably by the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater of World War Two.
(Reporting by Daniel Trotta in Carlsbad, California; Editing by Michael Perry)
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