Beagle is Best of Show at Westminster Dog Show

The Beagle took "Best in Show" at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show at Madison Square Garden on February 12, 2008.

This was the 132nd edition of the competition of AKC breeds. The prestigious show is beloved by lovers of canines, who enjoy seeing the best of breeds and learning more about the different types of dogs.

The Westminster Dog Show was televised on the USA Network and CNBC Network. The canine show is the most viewed program that USA airs.

The competition features breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, or AKC. Four additional breeds were introduced into the Westminster Dog Show this year. The breeds, eligible for the first time this year, were the Plott in the Hound Group; the Tibetan Mastiff in the Working Group, The Swedish Vallhund in the Herding Group and the Beuceron in the Herding Group.

169 Breeds and Varieties competed in seven different groups, during the two day show. The Hound, Terrier, Non-Sporting and Herding breeds were judged on Monday.. The Sporting, Working and Toy breeds were judged Tuesday. The Best in Show was judged and televised on USA Network on Tuesday evening.

Each of the dogs at the show was a champion. The individual breeds competed for "Best of Breed." The breeds within the various groups competed for "Best of Group.: Finally the one winner of each group competed for "Best of Show."

The finalists for Best of Show were:

Hound: 15" Beagle

Terrier: Sealyham Terrier

Herding: Australian Shepherd

Sporting: Weimaraner

Toy: Poodle

Working: Akita

Non-Sporting: Standard Poodle

The Beagle was a popular favorite to win, which was a very big deal, because the hound group has not been awarded the "Best in Show" since 1993.

Every one of the dogs in the lineup was beautiful. The dogs that compete in the Westminster show are already Champions. Judges are given the challenging task of judging the breeds against the standard for their breed, not against each other.