Canadian-Born Penny The Doberman Pinscher Wins Westminster ‘Best In Show’

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show’s top prize winner is a proud Canadian.

Penny, a Canadian-born Doberman pinscher with a Toronto co-owner, won best in show Tuesday evening at Madison Square Garden in New York. She claimed the show’s most coveted prize, which gives veteran dog handler Andy Linton another win after about four decades.

Linton previously won best in show in 1989 with Indy, another Doberman pinscher.

Linton, who guided Penny through a razor-crisp performance, told the crowd that the prize-winning dog “is as great a Doberman as I have ever seen.”

“I had some goals, and this was one of them,” Linton later told the media, noting he was winding down his dog handling career so winning the 150th Westminster dog show was “extra special.”

Penny was a crowd favourite at last year’s Westminster show and has killed it in show rings ever since. Other dog handlers and canine fans alike cheered on the focused Doberman pinscher since the competition began on Tuesday.

Linton described Penny as generally “very chill” but noted “she can get pumped up for a bad guy. Or a squirrel.”

Penny’s co-owner, Toronto’s Greg Chan, said she’s “very demanding and very smart” and also a “pleaser” who will do “anything for food.”

What’s her favourite snack?

“Everything,” said Chan.

Penny beat out 2,500 dogs and more than 200 breeds to win best in show.

Taking second place at the famed dog show was Cota, a retriever from Chesapeake Bay. Other finalists included Zaida the Afghan hound, JJ the Lhasa apso, Cookie the Maltese, Graham an English sheepdog, and Wager the smooth fox terrier.

Judging at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is based on how closely each dog matches the ideal for its breed. The winning dog and their handler gets a trophy, ribbons and plenty of bragging rights.

Penny wasn’t the only Canadian dog to win big at the Westminster dog show.

According to the Canadian Kennel Club, there were 10 other dogs that made their mark on the green carpet.

The winners include Best of Breed: Kunik the American Eskimo (Sharon Robertson and Graeme Burdon); Best of Opposite Sex: Sage the American Eskimo (Sharon Robertson and Graeme Burdon); Best of Opposite Sex: Kinslee the Bearded Collie (Dawn Robitalliem and Deborah Furlow); Select Dog: Brabus the Border Collie (Zihui Lin and Yuan Wang); Best of Opposite Sex: Capri the Border Collie (Zihui Lin and Yuan Wang); Best of Breed: Quiche’s Vogue Covergirl the Bouvier des Flandres (Elaine and Louise Paquette); Select Dog: Tag the Bulldog (Lisa S. Bosada, Amanda Mcallister and Tammy Mcallister); Select Dog: Radar the Havanese (Bev Dorma and E Dorma); Best of Opposite Sex: Cloud the Ibizan Hound (Jean-Christophe Boulinguez and Dawne Deeley); Select Bitch: Valencia the Shetland Sheepdog (Hanna Campbell).