‘So surreal’: PBGV named for Buddy Holly wins Westminster in historic first | Westminster Dog Show

A Vendéen petit basset griffon named after the late rock ‘n’ roll legend won best show at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on Tuesday night, a first for the rabbit-hunting breed. Buddy Holly beat out six other finalists to win the most prestigious dog show award in the United States.

“I never thought a PBGV would do this,” said manager and co-owner Janice Hayes. “Buddy Holly is the epitome of a show dog. Nothing bothers him.

In fact, his white-tipped tail did not stop wagging while he was competing in the stadium where the best matches of the US Open tennis tournament are played. Not even as he posed for countless photos after a win Hayes called “so surreal.”

“We are very proud of him,” he said.

His competitors included Rummie, a Pekingese who came in second after bidding to bring home the third trophy in 11 years for his small but majestic breed, and trainer-owner-breeder David Fitzpatrick. He guided Pekes Malachy and Wasabi to Westminster victories in 2012 and 2021 respectively.

Rummie is “true to the Pekingese type, lots of poise, presence all rolled into one here,” he said Monday.

Winston the French bulldog was seeking the title after coming very close last year. An Australian Shepherd named Ribbon, an English Setter named Cider, a Giant Schnauzer named Monty, and an American Staffordshire Terrier named Trouble were also in the contending pack.

If Buddy Holly was feeling the pressure, he wasn’t letting it show before the final. Instead, he seemed more concerned Tuesday afternoon with playing with his people and rejecting the idea of ​​a nap in his cage.

“It just screams PBGV,” Hayes said. “They are very independent but very charming and goofy. His goal is to make you laugh every day.”

Originally from France, Little Hounds rank as the 154th most common thoroughbred in the country, according to recent American Kennel Club rankings. (His name means “wire-haired dog from the Vendée region” and is pronounced peh-TEE’ bah-SAY’ grihf-FAHN’ vahn-DAY’-ahn.)

Buddy Holly, so named because “he’s a friend,” explained breeder Gavin Robertson, has also lived and raced in the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Some 2,500 dogs of 210 breeds and varieties competed for the trophy. Among them: the recently eligible Bracco Italiano breed, won by a dog co-owned by country music star Tim McGraw.

In addition to the chosen finalists, there were other fan favorites as well.

There was the bloodhound who bowed deeply before a judge, the golden retriever cheered by the many fans of the breed and the brave German shorthaired pointer who did a few hops before going around the ring. Onlookers cheered for 10-year-old caretaker Audra Maes and her Shiba Inu, and breeder/owner/caretaker Alexandria Mitchell and her Ibizan Hound. They made the first judge’s cut, an achievement at a show where many exhibitors handle other people’s dogs for a race.

The Westminster show, held this year at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, also includes obedience and agility competitions open to mixed-breed dogs.

And what’s next for Buddy Holly? A good night’s sleep, “face down, rolling around on pillows,” Hayes said.

“He can just go back to being a dog.”