Talk about an underdog!
A beagle pulled off a major upset on Tuesday night to win the prestigious Best in Show prize at the Westminster Dog Show at New York’s Madison Square Garden.
Miss P, a 15-inch beagle and the grandniece of Uno, the first beagle ever to win the event in 2008, beat the crowd’s favorite, Swagger, an Old English sheepdog, and two other fancied pedigrees, a Skye terrier named Charlie, who came in second, and a Portuguese water dog called Matisse.
Judge David Merriam toyed with the crowd, taking a “devilishly long route to making up his mind,” according to the New York Times.
He didn’t really explain his choice, nor was he required to, but put it down to Miss P’s “wonderful head” and said that as she padded around the carpets in Madison Square Garden he could see “the beagle in the ring and the beagle in the field.”
Miss P’s owner, Will Alexander, said at a press conference afterwards: “She’s hungry and I’m overwhelmed.”
He said of the Canadian dog: “She just never lets me down. She didn’t make any mistakes.”
Uno, Miss P’s illustrious relative, is remembered as one of the most charismatic of all show winners and now lives in retirement in Austin, Texas at the grand old age of 10.
Miss P will soon be joining Uno in retirement. She’s leaving the show circuit to breed future Westminster Kennel Club winners.