A giant schnauzer won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for the first time in history on Tuesday (February 11).
Five-year-old Monty beat his fellow six group winners to be awarded the overall accolade, beating out a whippet, Bourbon, who became Reserve Best in Show for a second time, German Shepherd Mercedes, English springer spaniel Freddie, bichon frisé Neal, Skye terrier Archer, and shih tzu Comet.
Katie Bernardin, Monty’s handler and co-owner, said, “Winning Best in Show is a dream come true. I won Best Junior Handler at this dog show when I was 18 and I always used to sit up in the rafters and watch and just want to be them. All those people were my idols and then I got to be them and be down there and get to win the big ribbon.”
Of Monty, she said, “He thrives off this environment and he’s just so much fun to show in these situations because he just knows it’s important.”
Monty won Best in Group, reaching the final seven, in both 2023 and 2024, and based on points from previous shows he entered the Dog Show this year as the highest-ranked canine in the country.
His work has certainly paid off, too, as he becomes the first dog from the working group to win Best in Show at the WKC Dog Show since Josh, a Newfoundland, in 2004.
Bernardin added, “Monty is special. I saw him when he was a puppy and I knew he was special. When I saw him as a baby, I don’t know. He slept on my stomach when I was pregnant. He slept under [my daughter’s] bassinet when she slept in a bassinet. He’s just our dog.
“We all love him. He’s our family dog, whether it’s me, my husband, the kids that work for us, my best friends. He gets excited when anyone comes and sees him. They go, ‘Hey, Monty,’ and Monty explodes because Monty loves his family. And I think that’s so special about Monty. And he’s just through the years, he is just so loyal to his people.”
The process to find the top dog in the US ended with Monty becoming the first giant schnauzer to win since the breed was first entered in 1930, but began on Monday morning with over 2,500 pups spanning over 200 breeds and varieties. While there were 52 dachshunds, 44 poodles, 40 French Bulldogs, 39 Chihuahuas, 38 golden retrievers, 34 Rhodesian ridgebacks and 33 Labrador Retrievers, bluetick coonhounds, Dandie Dinmont terriers and Belgian laekenois all had just one representative.
If you want to learn more about show dogs, check out our list of popular show breeds
