A nearly four-year-old beagle took the top award at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at the Madison Square Garden in New York City.
David Merriam, a retired state trial judge and a California state breeder who has been spending his time with dogs for more than 50 years, judged Miss P as "Best in Show" at the world's most prestigious dog show for all breeds. It's not common for dog show judges to explain their choices, and Merriam did not veer from tradition. Speaking in the language of the dog show world, Merriam said Miss P "had wonderful type" and a "wonderful head." As Miss P moved gracefully along the carpeted floor of the garden, Merriam said he could see "the beagle in the ring and the beagle in the field."
"She never let me down. She didn't make any mistakes. She was wonderful out there," said Miss P's handler Will Alexander, who appeared exhausted just as Miss P reclined in his arms quietly.
Officially known as Ch Tashtins Lookin for Trouble, Miss P's moniker is actually short for Peyton. She is owned by Lori and Kaitlyn Crandlemire of Enderby, British Columbia and American Eddie Dziuk. After Miss P's victory on Tuesday, her 20th career Best in Show, the dog's owners plan to retire from winning competitions.
Before Miss P moves to a quiet life of motherhood, she still has a flurry of public appearances to make, including a series of morning TV show guestings, steak lunch at the high-end Manhattan restaurant Sardi's, a walk-on part in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, and a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump.
Miss P bested several other purebred dogs, many of which were likely expected by the 18,000-strong crowd to win Best in Show, including the crowd favorite Old English Sheepdog named Swagger, who placed second at Westminster in 2013, and Charlie, a Skye Terrier that took home the runner-up medal. Also a pleaser was Matisse, a Portuguese water dog that is cousin to President Barack Obama's family dog Sunny. Matisse is the top-winning male in dog show history, garnering 238 career Best in Show awards since he started competing.
Miss P is only the second beagle to win the top honors at the world's most prestigious dog competition. The first one was Uno, her grand-uncle, who broke the breed's hundred-year losing streak in 2008. David Frei, director of communications of the Westminster Kennel Club, said last year that "Uno is easily the most popular Westminster winner in my 25 years."
Uno, who is 10-years-old, lives with his owner Caroline Dowell in Austin, Texas. Dowell says Uno has not yet met Miss P but she is delighted to know his grand-niece won Westminster.
"I didn't expect it," Dowell said. "She's really a nice dog. I don't know her. I've only seen her pictures until now."
