Buddy Holly The Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Won Best In Show At Westminster
History has been made! Nothing will ever be the same! USA Today reports that yesterday, Buddy Holly won Best in Show at the Westminster Dog Show in NYC, making him the very first Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen to take home the honor in the competition’s 147 years. Petit what? Peh-TEE bah-SAY grihf-FAHN vahn-DAY-ahn. Or, for all you plebs who can’t pronounce fancy French words: PBGV.
6-year-old Buddy the PBGV beat out over 3,000 dogs of more than 200 breeds to take home the big prize. It’s the second year in a row a doggie from the hound group has won the gold-and-purple ribbon, after Trumpet the Bloodhound snagged Best in Show in 2022. Apparently, a PBGV winning is a pretty big deal. Even his handler and owner, Janice Hayes, thinks so. She said she “never thought a PBGV would do this”:
“Buddy Holly is the epitome of a show dog. Nothing bothers him. He loves all the cameras… He’s just everything a PBGV should be, hard-headed, stubborn, happy and he moves just so easily. We are so proud of him and this is so surreal.”
Here’s Buddy winning the top dog prize:
And him showing off his stuff in the hound group category:
Today, Buddy Holly went on Good Morning America to soak up the winner’s spotlight (and sniff out any remaining cheaters). The director of communications for Westminster, Gail Miller Bisher, was also there, and she said Buddy snagged the win cuz he had “key features that are so important to the breed,” including a balanced, compact body, a long mustache and eyebrows, a beautiful, upright tail, and a lovely, extroverted personality. Here’s Buddy’s appearance:
Janice says Buddy Holly loved every minute of his Westminster experience, but the thing he was most excited about was his post-win meal, which he happily gobbled down in his hotel room. Awww, what a good boy. Today he’ll enjoy a champion’s lunch at Tavern on the Green in Central Park. Will Westminster runner-up, Rummie the Pekingese, also be in attendance? I hope so. Pekingese is a very convenient breed to have around if you drop any crumbs or spill any drinks. Translation: that’s a mop, Maury.
Rummie is in the building! ✨ pic.twitter.com/wb8wtvGDq9
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) May 10, 2023
Pic: YouTube