Westminster night one sends four group winners to Best in Show

Westminster’s 150th anniversary show put four new finalists into the spotlight on night one, as Zaida the Afghan Hound, Cookie the Maltese, JJ the Lhasa Apso, and Graham the Old English Sheepdog won the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Groups on Monday, February 2, 2026, at Madison Square Garden. The wins advanced all four dogs to the Best in Show lineup at a Westminster edition designed to emphasize both history and continuity for the sport. (akc.org)

The broader backdrop matters here. Westminster’s 150th show was staged across January 31 and February 2-3 in New York City, with agility and flyball on the opening weekend and conformation split between the Javits Center and Madison Square Garden. The club capped conformation entries at 2,500 dogs because of space and timing constraints, while promoting the event as a milestone celebration of purpose-bred dogs, longstanding show traditions, and top-ranked champions from the U.S. and abroad. (westminsterkennelclub.org)

Night one’s results featured a mix of established contenders and notable breed-program narratives. AKC reported that 6-year-old Afghan Hound Zaida, handled by Wilmer Santiago, topped a 36-dog Hound Group and received the first Vin-Melca Trophy. In Toy, 4-year-old Maltese Cookie, handled by Tim Lehman, won over 25 dogs. In Non-Sporting, 5-year-old Lhasa Apso JJ, owner-handled by Susan Giles, beat 21 other entries. In Herding, 4-year-old Old English Sheepdog Graham, handled by breeder-owner Colton Johnson, bested 34 dogs. AKC’s event coverage also listed the group judges and placements behind each winner, adding competitive context beyond the initial winner announcements. (akc.org)

Additional industry coverage filled in the résumés behind those wins. Purina Pro Club noted that Zaida had previously placed second in the Westminster Hound Group in 2023 and fourth in 2025, while JJ entered Westminster after winning both the Non-Sporting Group and Best in Show at the 2025 AKC National Championship. Purina also described Graham as the No. 1 Herding dog in 2025 and highlighted Cookie’s success at major specialty and all-breed events, suggesting that Westminster’s night-one results largely validated dogs already familiar to serious conformation followers rather than introducing surprise newcomers. (purinaproclub.com)

The anniversary framing added another layer. Westminster published a feature ahead of the show announcing the dedication of the new Vin-Melca Hound Group trophy in honor of Pat Trotter, a prominent breeder-owner-handler whose Norwegian Elkhounds are deeply tied to Westminster history. That meant Zaida’s group win carried both competitive significance and ceremonial weight, linking the 2026 results to Westminster’s effort to reinforce its heritage at a time when dog shows continue to face public scrutiny over breeding ethics, welfare, and relevance. (westminsterkennelclub.org)

Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, Westminster is more than a sports story. High-profile wins can quickly influence pet parent demand for featured breeds, especially visually distinctive ones such as Afghan Hounds, Maltese, Lhasa Apsos, and Old English Sheepdogs. That can translate into more breed-specific questions in practice, including grooming burden, dermatology, ophthalmology, hereditary disease screening, orthopedic risk, behavior expectations, and realistic lifestyle fit. Westminster’s own educational framing emphasizes breeding for health, temperament, and adherence to breed standards, but veterinary teams are often the ones who have to translate that ideal into practical guidance for pet parents navigating breeder selection, preventive care, and long-term quality of life. (westminsterkennelclub.org)

There’s also an industry signal in who won. JJ was owner-handled, and Graham was breeder-owner-handled, reinforcing the continued prominence of preservation breeders in top-level conformation. For clinics that work closely with breeders, reproductive specialists, and referral networks, those results are a reminder that Westminster still functions as a cultural and commercial amplifier inside the purebred dog world, even if its direct clinical relevance is indirect. An inference from the winners’ backgrounds is that experienced breeding programs with deep specialty pedigrees remain highly influential in setting public perception of breed excellence. (akc.org)

What to watch: The near-term storyline was the Best in Show outcome on Tuesday, February 3, when the four night-one winners joined Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Wager the Smooth Fox Terrier, and Penny the Doberman Pinscher in the final ring; Penny ultimately won Best in Show, while AP reported that judge David Fitzpatrick called the overall lineup one “that will go down in history.” Longer term, veterinary teams should watch whether Westminster’s anniversary winners drive measurable bumps in breed inquiries, breeder demand, and social media visibility over the next several months. (apnews.com)