The 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was pretty different this year due to the pandemic, though the show must go on, and it did this weekend.
Technically called the 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina Pro Plan, the event was held in June for the first time instead of traditionally around Valentine’s Day, and held at the Lyndhurst Estate grounds in Tarrytown, New York, instead of Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Also, for the first time, the arguably most prestigious conformation event was shown partially on the main Fox channel, as the Sporting, Terrier and Working Groups, along with Best in Show, were shown on Fox on Sunday night. (The Herding, Hound, Non-Sporting and Toy Groups were shown on cable’s Fox Sports 1 on Saturday night.)
On the call for the play-by-play of the 2021 WKC Dog Show were Fox Sports broadcaster Chris Myers, WKC Communications Director Gail Bisher, and veterinarian Dr. Dan Schurz, with Sara Walsh as a sideline reporter and Jenny Taft (Supercross and college football) hosting the pre-event show. Together they gave a good perspective for both casual viewers confused by the procedures and the insiders viewpoint for those who keep up with the show ring happenings.
Dog lovers Martha Stewart, Lisa Vanderpump and voice actor Tony Hale (Toy Story 4, HouseBroken) narrated the introductions for the Sporting, Working and Terrier Groups, respectively.
Who won Best in Show at the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
There were also the traditional Masters Agility Championship and Masters Obedience Championship as opening events, along with other conformation events.
But out of 2,549 competitors from all 50 states and around 10 countries, who won their groups at the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show? Let’s find out… (Some of this information comes from the Canine Chronicle magazine, others from our notes.)
Herding Group
350 Herding Group dogs were entered at the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where Bill Potter was the judge for this group.
The group win went to Connor the Old English Sheepdog, who is known officially as CH Bugaboos Courage of Conviction.
Also placing with the second-place red ribbon were a Puli, the third-place white ribbon went to a Miniature American Shepherd and the fourth-place yellow ribbon went to a female German Shepherd.
Hound Group
Winning the Hound Group was Bourbon the Whippet (known officially as GCHG Pinnacle Kentucky Bourbon), continuing her domination of the category after giving birth to her first litter of puppies in March.
A Bluetick Coonhound was second, a Redbone Coonhound third and a Harrier was fourth; it was the first time in WKC history that the Coonhounds had placed.
399 hounds were entered, and it was judged by Jamie Hubbard.
Non-Sporting Group
The Non-Sporting Group was the least-populated, with 229 dogs entered. It was judged by Dennis McCoy, and he gave the group win to a French Bulldog named Mathew (full name GCH Chaselands Mathew Moss), which was a very popular decision with the audience assembled.
A female Shar Pei was second, with a Lhasa Apso and Sushi the Schipperke rounding out the placements.
Sporting Group
The Sporting Group blue ribbon was awarded to a female German Shorthaired Pointer called Jade (registered name CH Clarity Reach the Sky Vjk-Myst). All dogs in this category who placed were females, actually.
The red ribbon went to a Brittany, the white to an English Setter and the yellow ribbon to a Weimaraner.
463 dogs took part in this category, which was judged by James Covey.
Terrier Group
With “just” 299 dogs entered in the Terrier Group, this group was among the smallest overall, judged by William Potter.
He gave the group victory to a West Highland White Terrier from Thailand called Boy (official name GCHG Crystal Boy De La Pomme).
Second place went to a female Miniature Schnauzer, third to a female Border Terrier and fourth to a Wire Fox Terrier.
Toy Group
To no one’s shock, Wasabi the Pekingese (registered as GCHS Pequest Wasabi) claimed the Toy Group win, out of 306 dogs in the category, which was judged by June Penta.
The red ribbon went to a Pomeranian, the white went to Bono the Havanese and the yellow went to a female Italian Greyhound.
Working Group
The Working Group was judged by Judy Harrington, and 418 dogs were entered here.
The blue ribbon was given to the current No. 1 dog overall, the Canadian Striker the Samoyed (registered as GCHG Vanderbilt N Printemps Lucky Strike), which wasn’t that surprising, as the Toronto native has been crushing opponents in the show ring for quite some time.
A female Doberman was the runner-up, with a female Great Dane in third and a Great Pyrenees in fourth.
Best in Show
Best in Show was judged by Patricia Trotter, who has been breeding Norwegian Elkhounds for seventy years, and judging for 27 after her husband convinced her to give it a try.
Bourbon the Whippet, Boy the Westie, Connor the OES, Jade the GSP, Mathew the Frenchie, Striker the Samoyed, and Wasabi the Peke all went through the ring again, and the as the tension mounted, Bourbon was named as Reserve Best in Show (overall runner-up) and Wasabi was named Best in Show at the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
Congratulations to all dogs who placed, and all who won their breeds, on such a terrific accomplishment. The next major dog show of the 2021 season will be Crufts 2021, held in Birmingham, England July 15-18.