Buddy Holly Is New Top Dog

Over 2,500 dogs from more than 200 breeds vied for the coveted title – Best in Show – but only one would prevail. That would be a petit basset griffon Vendéen named Buddy Holly, the first of his kind to take top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

The “fetchingly bewhiskered” six-year-old, as the New York Times described the PBGV, beat back a competitive field of very good dogs, including last year’s runner-up, Winston the French bulldog.

“I have dreamed of this since I was nine years old,” said Buddy Holly’s owner/trainer, Janice Hayes. She understandably gushed over her winner, calling Buddy Holly “the epitome of a show dog – nothing bothers him.”

This year’s runner-up honor goes to a Pekinese named Rummie, a delightful little furball who, as the American Kennel Club put it, “moves with a distinctive rolling gait and exudes royalty.”

Buddy Holly joins a string of winners in recent years that rep an expanding variety of breeds (have you ever heard of a petit basset griffon Vendéen?).  Last year, a wrinkly bloodhound named Trumpet took top honors, who, like Buddy Holly, was the first of his breed to win the silver trophy.

Hayes was pleased to get the PBGV the attention it deserves. “We spent a long time getting this breed noticed and it’s fantastic to put them on the map,” she said. “It’s a small breed and we like it for that because they’re not for everyone,” she said, while pulling the new champ away from eating a nearby flower.

Photo credit: Grassa / Westminster Kennel Club