Penny, a four-year-old female Doberman Pinscher, officially known as Grand Champion Platinum (GCHP) Champion (CH) Connquest Best of Both Worlds, was named Best in Show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on February 4 with handler Andy Linton. The dog, owned by Francis Sparagna, Diana Sparagna, Theresa Connors-Chan and Gregory Chan of Reseda, California, U.S., competed against more than 2,500 entries in conformation.
Best of Breed judging took place February 2-3 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, with Group and Best in Show competitions held at Madison Square Garden. David Fitzpatrick of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, U.S., a two-time Westminster Best in Show-winning breeder-owner-handler, judged this year's Best in Show competition.
Cota, a five-year-old male Chesapeake Bay Retriever officially known as GCHP CH Next Generation's Accelerate, won Reserve Best in Show with handler Devon Kipp Levy.
Group winners
The Chesapeake Bay Retriever from Vashon, Washington, handled by Devon Kipp Levy and owned by Melissa Schumann, Dana Bleifer DVM, Dr. Katherine Scribner, Adam Levy and Dr. Trevor Gerardi-Miller, won the Sporting Group. Cota took top honors among 36 dogs entered in the Sporting Group under judge Douglas Johnson of Bloomington, Indiana.
Penny won the Working Group under judge Sioux Forsyth-Green of Pinehurst, North Carolina, taking top honors among 32 dogs entered in the Working Group.
The Smooth Fox Terrier from Elverta, California, handled by Amy Rutherford and owned by Amy Rutherford, Barbara Miller and Peter Holson, won the Terrier Group. Wager, a two-year-old male officially known as Grand Champion Bronze (GCHB) CH Aimhi Side Bet, took top honors among 28 dogs entered under judge Polly Smith of Pinehurst, North Carolina.
Junior handler
Hadrian Towell with his Manchester Terrier named Simon won the title of Best Junior Handler under judge Michael Faulkner of Center Cross, Virginia. Hadrian, handling his eight-year-old male officially known as Grand Champion Gold (GCHG) CH Passport Sunkissed It's A Yes From Me Bonchien, took top honors in the Junior Showmanship competition, which included 99 entrants narrowed to eight finalists. Preliminary rounds were judged by Jason Hoke of Madison, Wisconsin, and Valerie Nunes-Atkinson of Temecula, California.
As the 2026 Westminster Kennel Club Best Junior Handler, Hadrian will receive a $10,000 Junior Showmanship Finalists Scholarship Award. Other finalists also receive scholarship awards: second place $5,000, third place $4,000, fourth place $3,000, and the remaining four finalists each receive $500. The scholarships may be used for post-secondary education at the college or technical school of their choice.
