Happy Thanksgiving! More importantly, Happy National Dog Show Day! For the 18th year, almost 200 different breeds of dogs will line up in the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center and essentially put on a fashion show, wearing perfect purebred traits in lieu of Haute couture. There are 7 groups this year: terrier, herding, sporting, hound, toy, working, and the non-sporting group. My personal favorites are the herding, hound, sporting, and working groups. I’ve rounded up all of the winners and my personal favorites (click the links to watch them compete!), but as a true dog enthusiast, I think all of the dogs are Best in Show.
- Terrier Group
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Fun Dog Fact: there are more Great Pandas in the world than there are Skye Terriers.
Winner: Blaine the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
My Favorites:
Blaze the Russel Terrier
- Herding Group
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I love the Herding Group. So much that they might all be my favorites.
Winner: Sophia the Old English Sheepdog
My Favorites:
Drew the Belgian Tervuren
Silene the Pyrenean Shepherd (my dad says she looks like a Muppet)
- Sporting Group
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Fun dog fact: Labrador Retrievers are the most popular dog in the country.
Another fun dog fact! All “Spaniel” dogs (e.g. Cocker Spaniels) originate from Spain!
Winner: Daniel the Golden Retriever (he induced a lot of cooing from both my mom and me)
My Favorites:
June the Vizsla
Slick the Brittany
- Hound Group
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Fun dog fact: there’s a new breed in the Hound Group this year, the Azawakh, a tall sighthound from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. It’s the only AKC recognized breed that’s taller than it is long! This year’s pup is named Bahir!
Winner: Maddie the Pharaoh Hound
My Favorites:
Cowboy the Afghan Hound (I just really like his name)
Chuck the Beagle (15 inch)
- Toy Group
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Fun dog fact: the stereotypical poodle haircut is actually historical! When they were used for hunting, their puffs around the hips, shoulders, head, and ankles were supposed to protect their joints.
Winner: Bono the Havanese
My Favorites:
Rolex the Italian Greyhound
Wasabi the Pekingese
- Working Group
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Winner: Nick the Siberian Husky
My Favorites:
Keeper the Bernese Mountain Dog
Boeing the Newfoundland
Tacoma the Saint Bernard (He’s only 22 months old! Practically a baby!)
- Non-Sporting Group
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Fun dog fact: AKC registration originally only designated dogs into Sporting and Non-Sporting groups. The other groups split off, so now the Non-Sporting group remains a collection of dogs that don’t fit into the other groups! Because of this, the Non-Sporting group has a ton of variety of adorable pups.
Winner: Thor the Bulldog
My Favorites:
Sushi the Schipperke
- Best in Show
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Thor the Bulldog
I LOVE THOR. I was really rooting for Daniel the Golden, but I’m happy for Thor. He’s a real cutie.
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