Meet Claire.
The Scottish deerhound, by far the oldest dog to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club is one year older than any of the 17 other winner dogs who previously held the title. The legend is, the dog — now Claire — snuck into the show from a cage underneath Westminster Dog Show judge Maria Tomasino’s shop and took the top prize. She now holds the trophy for the third time.
Claire’s father, Chinchilla Lucio D’Emelia Pascual Dam, was winner in 2012 and 2015.
The Westminster Kennel Club is the second largest dog show in the world behind Crufts.
Alex Malloy, Peter Hartnett and Anthony Oliveira led the Westminster judges, who considered about 3,700 entries in five groups and five categories before tabulating a final vote among the best of the best at Madison Square Garden Sunday.
Here are some of the other winners:
Puppy Dog Class (awarded to the puppy of the meeting)
Warriors
Breed: American foxhound
Age: 1 year
Puppy Herding
Breed: Pedigree
Age: 3 months
Hound Herding
Breed: Pedigree
Age: 1 year
Novelty category
Breed: Border collie
Age: 4 months
Best of Breed
Breed: Setter
Age: 9 years
Best of Group
Breed: Labrador retriever
Age: 10 years
Best of the Ring
Breed: Shetland sheepdog
Age: 13 years
Traditional sport
Breed: German shepherd
Age: 17 years
How it works: The best show dogs must be able to recuperate from the longest distance walk of their lives.
Pup of the Meet
Breed: Chinese shar-pei
Age: 1 year
Badges of Honor
Breed: Schnauzer
Age: 1 year
Sport-Service
Breed: Boxer
Age: 4 years
Sports and Assistance
Breed: Belgian Malinois
Age: 10 years
Methodology: The choice is based on the oldest first-place winners of each breed in the AKC.