Standard poodle named Siba wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York
- The annual Westminster Dog Show is the top competition for purebred canines in the United States
- This is the fifth time a standard poodle has taken the top prize in the show’s 144-year history
Just shy of four years old, the graceful black female from Northampton, Pennsylvania triumphed over crowd favourites Daniel the golden retriever and Bono the Havanese at the grand finale of the three-day event at Madison Square Garden, her crown of tall black fluff bobbing as she loped around the ring.
“We think she’s beautiful and has that special something, so hopefully that’s what he saw,” Siba’s handler Chrystal Murray said, referring to the Best in Show judge, Robert Slay, in a post-show interview.
Before Siba embarks on a whirlwind tour of television appearances and celebrity photo shoots, as is customary for Westminster champions, Murray said she would get to enjoy plenty of her favourite treat: chicken.
Siba advanced to the final round as the champion of the non-sporting group, going head-to-head with the winners in six other groups – hounds, toy dogs, herding dogs, working dogs, sporting dogs and terriers.
Rounding out the roster of finalists in Tuesday’s best-in-show contest were Bourbon, a female whippet, who was awarded second place or “Reserve Best in Show”; Daniel, a male golden retriever; Bono, a male Havanese; Conrad, a male Shetland sheepdog; Wilma, a female boxer, and Vinny, a male wire fox terrier.
