Gia the Greyhound Wins Best in Show at 15th Annual National Dog Show Presented by Purina
Fast on her feet, gentle on the eyes and with a glowing personality to boot, Grand Champion Grand Cru Giaconda or Gia the Greyhound is your Best in Show winner 2016.
The four-year-old dog took home the top prize at the 15th Annual National Dog Show Presented by Purina.
This is the athletic canine’s 44th Best in Show title in just under two years. While winning isn’t new to Gia, this title was especially important to her handler Rindi Gaudet, who was hoping to win Best in Show for her grandmother watching the competition from a hospital bed.
“My grandmother is ill in the hospital, and she’s always asking me if I am doing this dog show, because she has never seen me on TV,” Gaudet told PEOPLE.
Gia appeared to sense the big moment as well, leaping in the air after receiving the Best in Show title from judge James G. Reynolds.
“Gia fits the Greyhound standard perfectly and also gives that extra showmanship,” said the Best In Show judge from Ottawa, Canada. “She has a head like a snake and can really gallop. A lot of Greyhounds don’t have that showmanship.”
Along with the honor of being the top dog, the greyhound gets her own special treat.
“Well, she slept on the bed last night, so she definitely gets to sleep on the bed tonight,” Gaudet said with a laugh.
As for long terms plans, the handler is going to show Gia at Westminster in 2017 and then will retire the dog from competition.
For this event, Gia beat out six other beautiful dogs who received the Best in Group title to make it to the final round of the National Dog Show: Slick the border collie, Rondo the West Highland Terrier, Chuck the Pekingese, Timmy the English Springer Spaniel, Clue the Tibetan terrier and Ty the giant schnauzer.
For those who missed the best moments from the National Dog Show hosted by John O’Hurley and legendary dog show analyst David Frei, the broadcast will re-air on NBC on Saturday Nov. 26 at 8 p.m.
