What makes 'tiny' Wasabi win big at one of world's oldest dog competitions?
MANILA, Philippines — Wasabi, a Pekingese dog, was declared this year’s "Best in Show" at the 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in the United States last Sunday.
The three-year-old ball of fluff outperformed more than 2,000 dogs in the second oldest annual sports event in the USA, after the Kentucky Derby.
According to Westminster Kennel Club, it is the longest live dog show aired on national television.
It was the first time that the show was held outside the Madison Square Garden since 1877 due to the pandemic, but it was not the first time that a dog from Wasabi’s family won the competition.
Wasabi belongs to a line of top dogs, because his great-grandfather Melachy was also the "Best in Show" in 2012, and his mother Sushi is an award-winning Pekingese.
One of the judges, Patricia Craige Trotter, described Wasabi as a tiny dog that "feels like he is 10 feet tall" and that he stood there "like a lion" beside his rivals.
"He fits the breed standard,” said David Fitzpatrick, Wasabi’s owner. “He has that little extra something, that little sparkle that sets a dog apart."
After the show, Fitzpatrick said that they will celebrate their win. Wasabi will have a filet mignon and he will have champagne.
