For the first time since the annual National Dog Show aired on Thanksgiving in 2002, a pug has been crowned Best in Show.
Vito the Pug won the top prize at the contest in Philadelphia on Thursday, beating out more than 1,900 dogs from more than 200 breeds and varieties.
“Compact, features, movement – everything a pug should be,” judge George Milutinovich told NBC, which broadcasts the dog event every year. “A lot of dog in a small package. Looking at a pug is like putting a smile on your face.”
Vito, from Chapel Hill, NC, defeated second-place Verde, a Welsh Terrier, to claim the title of Best in Show. The other finalists included a Berger Picard, Ibizan Hound, Lhasa Apso, Clumber Spaniel and a Giant Schnauzer.
Vito, who also won the toy group on Thursday, has a history of success at major dog shows. Earlier this year he won Best in Breed at the Westminster Dog Show in New York City, and the same honor at last year’s National Dog Show.
In total, he achieved 25 Best-in-Shows over the course of his life, despite being only 2.5 years old.
“I always hope that I can look really good [from the judge],” Vito’s handler, Michael Scott, told NBC News. “Vito has a beautiful head and expression. Nice sketch.”
The National Dog Show wasn’t a major showcase until the early 2000s, when NBC bought the rights to broadcast the competition and began broadcasting it live after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
No pug had claimed the event’s Best in Show title in 22 years until Vito’s victory on Thursday.
Vito’s co-owners – Carolyn Koch, Joy Barbieri and Rebecca Movall – took home a $20,000 prize.
