Who won the National Dog Show? Meet the 2023 Best in Show pup

Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·2 min read
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Stache, a Sealyham terrier, won Best in Show at this year's National Dog Show,
Stache, a Sealyham terrier, won Best in Show at this year's National Dog Show,
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The paw-fect Thanksgiving tradition: the National Dog Show returned this year with another winner.

Following the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the National Dog Show aired on NBC and Peacock on Thursday.

The world-renowned National Dog Show was founded well over a century ago, and recognizes 212 dog breeds and varieties split into seven groups: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. Throughout the event, pups compete on a variety of levels, first being judged by how well they fit their breed's standards, before moving onto the Best in Show round.

The National Dog Show is hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. Only purebred dogs registered with the American Kennel Club are allowed to compete.

Who won the National Dog Show?

Stache the Sealyham terrier won Best in Show at this year's National Dog Show, earning a $20,000 prize.

Ahead of his Best in Show win, Stache was the No. 2-ranked Terrier and No. 12-ranked All-Breed show dog in America. Thursday was his 49th Best in Show prize.

"He just gave a wonderful performance," the dog's handler, Margery Good, told commentator Mary Carillo after her pup's win. "He stretched his little short legs and hands and flew around this ring."

Good told People magazine Stache plans to celebrate his win with "a wonderful celebratory dinner" and play with the six canine friends he lives with.

Who hosts the National Dog Show?

The National Dog Show has aired after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC since 2002. Actor and comedian John O’Hurley and beloved Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show host David Frei returned as hosts this year. The pair has hosted the event together since it first aired.

"You've got the family gathered, and you're going to have some people who want to watch football. You'll have others who want to watch something else," Frei said in an interview with NBC about how the dog show has remained a must-watch event for over two decades. "But the dog show works for everybody, whether it's a 3-year-old or their great grandmother."

Who won the 2022 National Dog Show?

Winston the French Bulldog earned the coveted Best in Show title in 2022, beating out over 1,500 furry competitors and becoming the first French Bulldog ever to win the competition.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Who won the National Dog Show?