Wasabi the Pekingese was the connoisseur of all eyes at the Westminster Kennel Club, winning the Best in Show. It was the 5th ever win for the distinctive toy breed. The runner-up was a whippet named Bourbon.
With pandemic restrictions in place, the show was a bit subdued as handlers wore masks, and only though vaccinated people were allowed to go without one. The show was closed to the public though.
Wasabi won the prize for Best in Show. It was the 145th Club Dog Show. The show was held for the first time outside New York at Lyndhurst Estate grounds in Tarrytown.
Wasabi The Pekingese Triumphs At The Longest Running Dog Show In America
This show is the 2nd longest-running sporting show in the country and had to be moved for the first time due to pandemic constraints.
Enthusiastic pet owners turned by in droves, though spectators had to miss this year’s event. And Wasabi triumphed over more than 2,400 contestants comprising 209 breeds, finally bagging the coveted purple ribbon that carried the title of the Best in Show. He was handled by David Fitzpatrick. The Pekingese breed has won for the fifth time at the Westminster show.
Wasabi the Pekingese won the Toy Group before coming on for the Best in Show along with 6 other participants from different groups. The other dogs in the deciding round were a French bulldog, a Whippet, a Sheepdog, a Shorthaired Pointer, a Samoyed, and a White Terrier.
Wasabi the Pekingese is of the Westminster Royalty. His grandfather won the show in 2012. Wasabi has won the National Championship at the American Kennel Club in 2019. He and his father plan to celebrate with champagne and filet mignon.
Patricia Trotter was the judge. 2,500 champion dogs entered the show. It was for the first time that the show went out of New York since it was founded in 1877.
