A 4½-year-old female Doberman Pinscher named Penny (MBIS/MBISS GCHP CH Connquest Best of Both Worlds) won Best in Show at the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show presented by Purina® Pro Plan®. Handled by Andy Linton of Vancouver, Washington, this marks his second Best in Show win with a Doberman.
Best in Show judge David Fitzpatrick, of East Berlin, Pennsylvania, said, “They often say, ‘What a great lineup.’ This is one that will go down in history.”
In choosing Penny, Fitzpatrick, himself a two-time Westminster Best in Show winner who won with Pekingese in 2012 and 2021, said, “Penny has a beautiful head, great balance and angulation. She looks like she has a job to do.”
The regal Doberman Pinscher, the fifth of her breed to win at Westminster, sat patiently posing for photos after winning and then followed Linton to a press conference where she continued a display of her calm demeanor.
Describing her temperament, Linton, who has campaigned Penny for two and a half years, said, “She is friendly, a wonderful dog, but she can get pumped up if there’s a bad guy or a squirrel around.”
Winning the sesquicentennial Westminster show was particularly moving for Linton. His earlier Westminster win in 1989 was with a red female Doberman Pinscher named Indy (CH Royal Tudor’s Wild As The Wind UD TDX), a legendary winner in the breed.
“This is our Super Bowl, our MBA Finals,” Linton said. “To win the 150th Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club is very special.
“I have been showing Dobermans since 1974, and Penny is as great a Doberman Pinscher as I’ve ever seen,” Linton said. “I’ve had some goals, and this is one.”
“I have had some goals, and this is one.”
– Andy Linton, Handler
Penny won her 66th Best in Show at Westminster. Her notable wins include Best in Show in Louisville, Woofstock and Palm Springs. The number one Working Group dog in 2025 and the number one all-systems Doberman in 2024 and 2025, Penny won the Working Group at the 2025 AKC National Championship. In 2024, she won Best of Breed at the Doberman Pinscher Club of America National Specialty.
The Westminster Dog Show, held Feb. 2 and 3 in New York City, had an entry of 2,500 champion dogs. Group and Best in Show judging took place in the evening at Madison Square Garden, and daytime breed judging was held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. The show, which aired live on FS1, is the longest nationally televised live dog show.
The Westminster Canine Celebration Jan. 31 at the Javits Center featured the 13th annual Masters Agility Championship presented by Purina Pro Plan and the flyball tournament at Westminster presented by Purina Pro Plan Veterinary Supplements FortiFlora®.
Penny is the 19th of the past 20 Westminster Best in Show winners fed Purina Pro Plan dog food. Purina Pro Plan has been the presenting sponsor and the exclusive pet food sponsor of the Westminster Dog Show since 2012.
Penny was bred by Theresa-Connors Chan and Gregory Chan of Toronto, Canada, who are co-owners with Francis Sparagna and Diana Sparagna. She is fed Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.
The other Westminster Dog Show group winners, all of which are fed Pro Plan dog food, include:
Reserve Best in Show and Sporting Group Winner
“Cota,” a 5-year-old male Chesapeake Bay Retriever, handled by Devon Kipp-Levy, of Chatfield, Minnesota.
MBIS/MBISS GCHP CH Next Generation’s Accelerate has won 64 Bests in Show and 168 Sporting Group Firsts. He is a two-time Best of Breed winner at the American Chesapeake Club National Specialty, having won in 2024 and 2025. At Westminster, Cota took Sporting Group Third in 2024 and Second in 2025. At the AKC National Championship, he took Sporting Group Third in 2024 and 2025.
Cota was bred by owner Adam Levy, of Chatfield, Minnesota. Co-owners are Melissa Schumann, Dana Bleifer, DVM, Dr. Katherine Scribner, and Trevor Gerardi Miller, DC. Cota is fed Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Beef & Bison Formula.
Hound Group Winner
“Zaida,” a 6½-year-old black mask, red female Afghan Hound, handled by Wilmer Santiago of Miami, Florida.
MBIS/MBISS GCHG CH Zaida Bint Muti Von Haussman captured her first Hound Group win at Westminster, after placing second in the group in 2023 and fourth in 2025. During her career, Zaida has won more than 65 Bests in Show. At the 2025 AKC National Championship, she was the Hound Group First winner, and she won Best in Show at the 2025 Hound Association of Central Florida show held concurrently with the championship.
“Zaida is the dog that makes me feel everything is possible,” Santiago says. “Winning at Westminster is the dream of a lifetime.”
Zaida was bred by Ramon Podesta, who co-owns her with D. Scott Pfeil, James Donahue and Armando Sobrado. Zaida is fed Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Salmon & Rice Formula.
Toy Group Winner
“Cookie,” a 4-year-old female Maltese, handled by Timothy Lehman of Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
MBIS/MBISS GCHB CH Ta-Jon’s Made From Scratch is the winner of 27 Bests in Show with limited showing. She has been the number one all-breed Maltese since 2023. Cookie won Best of Breed at the 2025 American Maltese Association National Specialty and was the Toy Group First winner at the 2025 Morris & Essex Kennel Club. She placed second in the Toy Group at the 2025 AKC National Championship.
“Cookie has beautiful balance, coat texture, pigment, and head and expression,” says Lehmen who has handled the breed about 30 years.
Cookie was bred by owner Tammy A. Simon of Tulsa, Oklahoma. She bred the top-winning Maltese of all time, CH Ta-Jon's Tickle Me Silly, a female who won 103 Bests in Show in the 1990s. Simon has produced 15 Best in Show winners under the Ta-Jon’s kennel prefix over the past 30 years.
Cookie’s co-breeder and co-owner is Dr. Diana Egnor of St. Albans, West Virginia. Cookie is fed Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.
Non-Sporting Group Winner
“JJ,” a 5-year-old male Lhasa Apso, handled by breeder-owner Susan S. Giles, of Manakin-Sabot, Virginia.
MBIS/MBISS GCHP CH Ta Sen Westgate Jingle Juice returned to the Garden to win the Non-Sporting Group after placing third in the group in 2025. The Best in Show winner at the 2025 AKC National Championship, JJ won the Bred-By Exhibitor Non-Sporting Group at the show in 2023 and 2024.
“JJ is beautifully put together,” says Giles, who has produced over 125 homebred champions under the Ta Sen kennel prefix over the past 52 years. “He is very smooth-moving and really enjoys showing.”
JJ is reminiscent of his maternal great-grandsire, Pete (MBIS/MBISS CH Ta Sen Victory Peyote ROM), a three-time Best of Breed winner at Westminster and a National Specialty winner, Giles says.
The number one Non-Sporting dog in the country in 2025, JJ has been the number one all-systems Lhasa Apso for three years. Over his career, he has won 26 Bests in Show. He is a three-time Best of Breed winner at the American Lhasa Apso Club National Specialty having won in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
JJ was bred by Giles, co-owner Cindy Sehnert of Westgate Lhasa Apsos in Manakin-Sabot, Virginia, and the late Ellen Loningro of Kimberland Lhasa Apsos in Summerville, South Carolina. Muriel Wolverton of San Jose, California, also is a co-owner. JJ is fed Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Salmon & Rice Formula.
Herding Group Winner
“Graham,” a 4-year-old male Old English Sheepdog, handled by breeder-owner Colton Johnson of Colorado Springs, Colorado.
MBIS/MBISS GCHS CH Bugaboo’s Give Me Smore’ has won 27 Bests in Show. He was the number one Herding Dog in 2025, though shown on a limited basis, and was the number one all-systems Old English Sheepdog in 2025.
“Graham has the classic Old English Sheepdog breed type, movement and temperament that we strive for at Bugaboo,” Johnson says.
The sheepdog represents 50 years of the Bugaboo breeding program. He is the third generation of Westminster Herding Group First winners. His sire, GCHB CH Bugaboo’s Courage Of Conviction, won in 2021, and his grandsire, GCHG Bugaboo’s Picture Perfect, won in 2013, when he also won Reserve Best in Show.
Graham was bred by owners Colton and Heather Johnson and Douglas and Michaelanne Johnson, all of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Milan Lint of New Hope, Pennsylvania, is co-breeder. Graham is fed Pro Plan Sensitive Skin & Stomach Lamb & Oat Meal Formula.
Terrier Group Winner
“Wager,” a 2-year-old male Smooth Fox Terrier, handled by breeder-owner Amy Rutherford of El Verda, California.
MBIS GCHB CH Aimhi Side Bet was the number one all-systems Smooth Fox Terrier in 2025 and the number six Terrier in the country. Representing the eighth generation of Smooth Fox Terriers bred by Rutherford, Wager won Best Bred-By Exhibitor at the AKC National Championship in 2025. He also won the American Fox Terrier Club Roving National in 2025.
Wager, who is co-owned by Barbara Miller and Peter Holson, is fed Pro Plan All Ages Sport Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula.
Congratulations to these Pro Plan-fueled
2026 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show winners!
