The Breeds Ruling "Best in Show" at Westminster

Walking fluff ball Wasabi has won the 2021 installation of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, held in New York yesterday. The 3-year-old Pekingese and his handler David Fitzpatrick from Pennsylvania took home the trophy in the coveted "Best in Show" category.

With the win, Wasabi has elevated the Pekingese to rank 4 of the most successful breeds in the long-running competition. It shares the rank with the Standard Poodle, which gained the title last in 2020. Pekingese have also won the title in 1960, 1982, 1990 and 2012, bringing the number of total wins for the breed to five.

The most successful breed by far in the competition has been the Wire Fox Terrier. A total of 15 Wire Fox Terriers have earned treats and pats by winning the big prize, most recently in 2019. Other breeds successful in the competition have been Scottish Terriers with eight wins and English Springer Spaniels, a type of hunting dog, with six titles.

Out of the winners, 74 have been male and 40 have been female dogs. The oldest dog to ever win "Best in Show" was 10-year-old Sussex Spaniel Stump, who won in 2009. The youngest was a nine-month-old Collie named Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven in 1929. One dog, Smooth Fox Terrier Warren Remedy even took home the grand prize three times, in 1907, 1908 and 1909.