Her name is Sky, and she beat 2,845 competitors to be top dog!
Ted Berg reports for USAToday that a female wire fox terrier named Sky, formally known as GCH Afterall Painting The Sky, won the 2014 Westminster Kennel Club Best in Show honor in Madison Square Garden last night, Feb. 11, 2014.
Seasoned dog handler Gabriel Rangel said Sky is “a perfect dog. When you put her on the table, she’s ready to be brushed. When you put on the leash, she’s happy and ready to be walked.”
Judge Betty Regina Leininger, a veteran show-dog breeder, handler and author working her 6th Westminster judging assignment, made the decision. She said, “There’s something magical that happens, and it’s hard to put into words. But it’s unmistakable. It’s the ‘it’ factor. I’ve seen her before, but she was really on. This was her night.”
Sky, of Rialto, Calif., also won the Best in Breed for wire fox terriers at the 2013 Westminster event, the 2012 Eukanuba National Championship, and Best in Show at the 2012 National Dog Show.
Sky’s owner Victor Malzoni Jr. said, “I’m used to winning, but not like this. This is something very incredible to me.”
This year’s Westminster event boasted 2,845 competitors across the 187 eligible breeds and varieties, with dogs representing all 50 states and 13 different countries.
~Eowyn