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Monty, a five-year-old male from Ocean City, New Jersey, won Best in Show at the 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday, Feb. 11. He was handled by co-owner Katie Bernardin of Chaplin, CT.
The schnauzer with a dignified black coat defeated more than 2,500 other dogs during two days of judging in New York City, culminating with the group and Best in Show competitions at Madison Square Garden.
"He always tried so hard and I'm just proud of him," Bernardin said on the show's Fox Sports 1 broadcast. "I always call him my Secretariat because he never stops."
Winning his third straight working group title at Westminster, Monty became the first working dog to take home Best in Show since 2004. Monty is also owned by Sandra Nordstrom of Ocean City and Cherlann Ambrose, a breeder from Pemberton Township, NJ.
Monty finished ahead of Reserve Best in Show winner Bourbon, a 9 1/2-year-old whippet who came out of retirement after also winning the second-place prize in 2020 and 2021. Other group champions included Mercedes the German shepherd (herding), Freddie the English springer spaniel (sporting), Neal the bichon frise (non-sporting), Archer the Skye terrier (terrier group), and Comet the shih tzu (toy).
The American Kennel Club recognized the giant schnauzer as a breed in 1930. Males can stand up to 27.5 inches high and weigh as much as 95 pounds.
The breed standard says giant schnauzers should "be a bold and valiant figure of a dog."
"Great intelligence and loyalty make him a stellar worker and companion," the AKC's website said.
Bernardin is very familiar with being a handler for giant schnauzers. She was alongside one named Ty when he won Reserve Best in Show at Westminster in 2018.
This was the first Westminster Dog Show held at MSG with its traditional February schedule since 2020, right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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