There are around 3,000 dogs at Westminster, and all of them are such good, good boys and girls. Yes they are. Oooh yes they are.
But sadly, only one can win the event’s highest honor: best in show. First things first, all the dogs compete against others of their breed. The 210 breed winners then advance to compete in the group finals. The seven group winners (four of which have already been decided) then vie for the big prize. The overall winner will be determined at the sole discretion of this year’s best in show judge, Elizabeth Sweigart of Bowmansville, Pa., on Tuesday night.
What will Sweigart be looking for? It’s pretty hard to compare a tiny spitz with a massive St. Bernard. So each dog is judged on specific criteria for its own particular breed. Last year’s winner was Trumpet, a bloodhound. For that breed, judges look for a head that is “furnished with an amount of loose skin, which in nearly every position appears superabundant,” forelegs that are “straight and large in bone, with elbows squarely set,” and a gait that is “elastic, swinging and free.”
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