It is always thrilling to watch Best in Show at Madison Square Garden. The crowd was even larger than the night before and it was a bit rowdy as well. I think there may have been alcohol involved. There was some yelling and even a wave going on. The dogs all looked beautiful. The handlers showed up with bait in hand and brushes in their pockets. The last three groups were Sporting, Working and Terrier. The Terriers have done quite well at Westminster in the past. The judges looked over each dogs with care and selected their favorites. They included the Irish Water Spaniel, Portuguese Water Dog, and the Wire Fox Terrier. The crowd favorite by far was the Bloodhound.
The lights dimmed and the spotlights swirled. The seven perfect pooches entered the ring. Judge Ms. Betty Regina Leininger of Texes would pick the winner. She was dressed in a full length purple gown, her hair done up in a blond chignon. She took her time, but in the end the judge picked the Wire Fox Terrier, GCH Afterall Painting the Sky. “Sky” is the top terrier in the country and one of the top dogs overall. It was not a surprise. Sky is owned by four different people and handled by Gabe Rangel, a top professional handler. Westminster 2014 was over. [see Best in Show results]
We ended our stay with dinner at ABC Cocina enjoying small plates of fish tacos, black bass, guacamole and margaritas. Wednesday morning we headed home and Rocky was so happy to see his roommates. He ran joyfully through the house with Bill and Yoshi. He did not have to be a show dog anymore, (at least until next month.)
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In all, 2845 contestants competed in the 2014 Westminster event. USA Today has a video recap of the finalists.
“Fox & Friends” has an interview with the champion and her handlers that you can watch here: