A Bloodhound Wins Westminster for First Time

A bloodhound named Trumpet won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night, beating a French bulldog, a German shepherd, a Maltese, an English setter, a Samoyed, and a Lakeland terrier to take the trophy. The 4-year-old became the first bloodhound to win Westminster. Winston, a French bulldog co-owned by NFL defensive lineman Morgan Fox, took second in the nation's most prestigious dog show. The competition drew more than 3,000 purebred dogs, ranging from affenpinschers to Yorkshire terriers. The goal is to crown the dog that most represents the ideal for its breed, reports the AP.

Usually held in winter at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the show moved to the suburban Lyndhurst estate last year and this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. "I am so excited for Trumpet," said handler Heather Helmer, who co-owns and bred the dog. The AP separately reports that Fox is far from the first athlete to find his way to Westminster. New York Yankees great Lou Gehrig brought his German shepherd to the competition in the 1930s, and fellow Hall of Famer Mike Mussina had an Irish setter that competed. Big league catcher Ryan Hanigan owned a breed-winning Australian shepherd during his playing days, and former Florida State linebacker Keith Carter showed a Rottweiler.

(More Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show stories.)