Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 2016 Winners
This weekend marked the 140th annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Gardens. Almost 3,000 dogs from seven groups across the US were chasing the title, but only could be “Best in Show.”
CJ, the 3-year-old German shorthaired pointer, beat an impressive 2,751 entries across 199 breeds and varieties to win the nation’s most prestigious dog competition. Making it the third time this breed has won after 1974 and 2005. CJ isn’t new to winning, he’s only been showing for six months and he has already won 18 “Best in Show” titles. Although we loved CJ’s grace and beauty, we were a little biased to cheer for the adorable Canadian-bred Shih Tzu named “Panda”.
Read more about CJ: “Top 8 Fun Facts About C.J. the Westminster Kennel Club’s ‘Best in Show’ Winner” via ABC News
Panda caught the eye of audiences on Monday, winning first place in the Toy Group category. His long black and white coat pulled perfectly into a trendy top knot, beat the competition take the top spot. Another big congratulations goes to Ontario breeders, Wendy, Jody and Richard Paquette, who bred the two-year-old pup at the Wenrick Kennels in Azilda, Ont.
The 140th dog show didn’t disappoint, all of the canine competitors proved to be a “ruff” crowd and top dogs in their own right.
Congratulations to all of the winners:
Rumor the German Shepherd from the herding group, who we thought was going to take the win.
Bogey the Samoyed from the working group.
Lucy the Borzoi from the Hound Group.
Charlie the Skye Terrier from the terrier group.
Panda the Shih Tzu from the toy group.
Annabelle the Bulldog from the non-sporting group. Who wouldn’t fall in love with that sweet face?
I am always happily surprised to see how well all of the dogs get along. They are also very professional and really seem to enjoy the spotlight. Some people argue that the dogs probably loath the hours of grooming and practicing, but competing in dog shows can be a great way to bond with your dog for some. It’s great training for walking on a leash and obeying commands.
Kilo the Pug is quite handsome but I can’t imagine him being as well behaved in the ring. We are excited to celebrate dogs and the human-animal bond this weekend at Dog Lovers Days. The festival showcases all breeds from the most prestigiously breed AKC or CKC member to shelter mutts. If you are in the Ontario area, stop by Bingemans, Kitchener and join us at Dog Lovers Days.
Did you catch the show? Tell us what you think of this year’s winners.
Don’t miss the last days to enter our Dog Lovers Days ticket giveaway.
What a huge rosette!
I didn’t catch the show this year. I meant to watch, but then spaced the whole thing out. Congrats to CJ. Panda also sounds adorable. I am partial to toy breeds.
I agree- the small breeds look so cute!
CJ is so handsome! Way to go! 🙂
I loved to watch the Westminster dogshow, I’m living in Europe so I had to wait for the video’s to show up on the website of the WKC, but I was soo exited I heard that the borzoi got reserve BIS!!!! makes me so proud of having a borzoi myself
We saw the borzoi win the hound group, but didn’t watch other than that. After watching Uno win a few years back, I was so happy he won (we used to have many beagles in our family) that I figured it would never be any better than that, so we kinda stopped watching. CJ is a handsome boy and looks like a deserving winner!
I get so excited every year that it’s the Westminster show. I’d love to attend one year and stay in one of the hotels where the dog handlers stay. I think my face would fall off from all the smiling. 🙂
Yes- we got to go 2 years ago and meet many of the dogs. It was super fun!!!
I was very glad to see C.J. win. From my angle on the TV, he was a very sound, good looking dog and deserved best in show!
I was also glad to see the Samoyed in the final line up too. Gotta love Samoyeds!
I was really rooting for Panda. I might be biased, due to my Boston terrier, but I love the black and white combo!
Jean from Welcome to the Menagerie