The Unforgettable Best in Show Finalists at the 2026 Westminster Dog Show

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show concluded with Penny, a Doberman pinscher, named best in show. Judge David Fitzpatrick measured the finalists against American Kennel Club breed standards as the seven group winners competed for the title. The final seven had been chosen after two days of judging that narrowed an original field of about 2,500 entrants.

Penny was noted for a sleek coat, over-eye markings and erect "TV-antenna" ears; Cota, the Chesapeake Bay retriever and reserve best in show, seized his purple-and-yellow ribbon after it was presented; Zaida, the Afghan hound, sashayed with a floor-length silver coat and returned to the finals for a second year.

Cookie, the Maltese and toy-group winner, moved with a powder-sugar coat and wore two small black barrettes; JJ, the Lhasa apso who won the non-sporting group, brought a dignified presence with salt-and-pepper hair; Graham, the Old English sheepdog and herding-group winner, was the floofiest of the finalists and displayed a playful demeanor.

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