It’s Thanksgiving once again, and that means one thing for canine lovers around the country. It’s time to see who will be this year’s best pooch.
A staple for the past two decades during Thanksgiving, the 21st Annual National Dog Show garnered nearly 20 million viewers this year to see Winston, a three-year-old French Bulldog, to get crowned the Best In Show for 2022.
Winston is the first ever Frenchie to win the title, and the crowd roars with approval as the judge points to him as the winner.
After being crowned, Winston’s handler Perry Payson took the dog into the crowd so the spectators could pet him and congratulate him like a movie star, as noted by the kennel club’s president, Wayne Ferguson. “We just had never seen anything quite like that. It was an explosion of applause,” he said.
Winston unseated two-time consecutive year winner Claire, a Scottish Deerhound. Claire retired from the competition after winning her title in 2021.
The show, which the Kennel Club of Philadelphia presents, is one of the three major dog conformation shows in the United States, together with the AKC National Championship and the Westminster Dog Show.
The actual competition took place on November 19 and 20 but was televised starting at noon on Thanksgiving Day. The show saw 1,800 dogs in 196 different breeds compete for the top prize.
Winston The Frenchie
The cream-colored Frenchie is no stranger to winning. So far, he has been crowned 78 Best In Show titles and has won reserve best in the Westminster Dog Show in June.
Winston, with a registered show name GCHP Fox Canyon’s I Won The War at Goldshield, is partly owned by Morgan Fox of the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL, who raised him as a puppy.
Vicki Seiler-Cushman, judge of the prestigious show, said that Winston showed great personality and beauty. “He has a razzle-dazzle that says, ‘I am here to win tonight.’ You can just tell that he can also go home and be the perfect pet,” she added.
The Frenchie belonged to the Non-sporting Group, which he first won before advancing to the final Best In Show title.
The other finalists for the top prize include an English Toy Spaniel from the Toy Group, an Alaskan Malamute from the Working Group, and an Irish Water Spaniel from the Sporting Group.
Three New Breeds Introduced
This year’s competition also saw the debut of three new dog breeds that the American Kennel Club recently recognized.
The newcomers are the Bracco Italiano, the Mudi, and the Russian Toy.
Bracco Italiano is a large dog that belongs to the Sporting Group that resembles a bloodhound. It is a pointer dog known for its intelligence and bred for hunting.
On the other hand, the Mudi is a medium-sized herding breed from Hungary that is prized for handling the most stubborn livestock.
And lastly, the third newcomer is the playful and cuddly Russian Toy, which sort of resembles the Chihuahua.
