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The dog show can have only one winner, but each canine in contention for the title stood out in their own right.
Only one dog can win best in show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, and this year the honor went to Sage, a spectacularly coifed miniature poodle whose main-character energy was hard to ignore. But what of the dogs she defeated?
Seven dogs entered the final round, each representing distinct canine groups: herding, working, hound, terrier, toy, sporting and non-sporting. (Don’t ask what “non-sporting” means; theoretically the group could just be labeled “other.”) The dogs were big and small, fast and slow, excited and phlegmatic — a dizzying range of canine pulchritude and behavior.
Each dog was judged on how well they adhered to the Platonic ideal of their breed. But even the losers were winners. Here’s a look at what made the seven finalists champions in their own right, and impossible to forget.
Mercedes: Most Likely to Succeed (Next Year)
Let’s be honest here. Some of the dogs in the final round looked less like dogs and more like clients of a beauty salon staffed by celebrity stylists who had watched “Zoolander” one too many times. But Mercedes, the magnificent 4-year-old German shepherd bitch who took reserve best in show — that means second place — was all dog. Sadly, she had no chance to demonstrate her prowess at herding, the group to which she belongs. But she cavorted around the ring as if she owned the place and genuinely seemed to be having fun, which was more than you could say for a lot of the dogs. Mercedes’s joy and sense of humor were infectious. We hope she comes back in 2025.
Sage: Most Likely to Cancel a Date to Wash Her Hair
It takes a lot of work — and a lot of product — to tame your hair into the sort of gravity-defying, topiary-evoking extravaganza expressed so perfectly by Sage, a miniature poodle, who was this year’s Westminster champion. Never mind that Sage had to be carried into the ring by her devoted handler for the final round, haughty as an empress, while the other dogs — including Comet, with his much shorter legs — entered the usual prosaic way, by jogging without assistance. (Maybe this is why miniature poodles belong to the non-sporting group.) Sage’s mysterious allure and amusing gait — when she did bestir herself to move, it was in a kind of dainty, reluctant trot — stole the judge’s heart, if not America’s.
Louis: Most Supermodely
The hound group had won best in show in consecutive years at Westminster, and while Louis, a 6-year-old Afghan hound, couldn’t quite live up to those expectations, he left everyone feeling like they could do more with their look. His long and lustrous black hair was worthy of a shampoo commercial, or a 1980s rock band.
