She’s a Pekinese and her name is Wasabi: This furry ball won the “Best in Show” award at Westminster Dog Show Sunday night, a famous canine beauty pageant in New York that moved to bucolic Tarrytown this year because of the pandemic. .
In its 145th edition, the event was postponed from February to June, after a one-year suspension due to COVID-19. It was first moved from the center of New York City to Tarrytown, an hour north of the Big Apple.
The competition was held without spectators, but the passion for the traditional event and its stars – the dogs – survives.
Three-year-old Wasabi was chosen as the winner from a group of seven finalists, which included French Bulldog Matthew, English Shepherd Connor, Samoyed Stryker (sled dog) and Boy, a White West Highland Terrier.
The Bourbon Greyhound took second place.
The day before winning the final, owner and trainer David Fitzpatrick—who won a “Best in Show” award in 2012 with another Pekingese—celebrated his dog’s “charisma, movement, and theatrics.”
“He’s at his best and he looks fabulous,” he proudly added to ABC Channel.
The event, the annual celebration of purebred dogs of all shapes, sizes and coats, brought together more than 2,000 candidates from over 200 breeds.
Dogs are judged based on their representation of their breed characteristics as defined by the American Kennel Club.
Animals are judged not only by the way they walk, but also by their facial expressions, whether they are alert or cheerful.
