Westminster Dog Show 2024: Best in Show Goes to Sage the Miniature Poodle

Sage, a female miniature poodle, was named best in show at the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night, announced by judge Rosalind Kramer.

Sage's handler, Kaz Hosaka from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, was emotional after the win. He said he has been competing in Westminster for 45 years and planned this to be his last show. He learned from champion handler Anne Rogers Clark.

"Today's the day — my last show," he said. "I'm proud of this dog."

Sage, with black hair in a formal continental cut, won her non-sporting group competition. Hosaka held her snout as she stood calmly in a "stack," or pose, for group judging.

Hosaka kissed Sage on the snout before she showed off her walk. The dog stood on her hind legs for Hosaka’s attention, but it didn’t hurt her chances. Four-year-old female German shepherd Mercedes was awarded reserve best in show, basically second place.

The Westminster Kennel Club started at a New York City hotel called the Westminster, with the first competition held in 1877. Only the Kentucky Derby has a longer continuous history among U.S. sporting events.

Monday began the traditional judging leading to the best in show prize. The new winner was crowned Tuesday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City.

The dogs' journey to the best in show includes surviving breed judging and group judging. In breed judging, a dog competes to represent its breed, 201 of which are recognized by the American Kennel Club, the event's sanctioning body.

Breed winners compete against similar breeds and are divided into seven groups, from herding (like German shepherd) to non-sporting (like French bulldog).

Celebrate Sage the Miniature Poodle, Best in Show at Westminster Dog Show 2024

Seven group winners compete for best in show and, since the American Kennel Club added it in 2012, reserve best in show. They're judged not against each other but against an ideal for their breed. “You’re judging the dogs against a picture of perfection you have in your mind of the standard," judge and professional handler Elliott B. Weiss said in an American Kennel Club guide on judging.

Separate competitions for agility, obedience, and junior showmanship (for handlers 9 to 18 years old) are held before best in show judging on Tuesday.

For the first time in the Westminster agility competition's ten-year history, a mixed-breed dog, a border collie-Papillon mix named Nimble, took top honors, organizers announced Tuesday. The AKC called Nimble an "all-American dog," meaning among breeds developed in the U.S.

Last year's best in show winner was Buddy Holly, a petit basset griffon Vendéen that also won English, Irish, and Australian conformation champion titles before its Westminster victory.