Beagle named Miss P wins 139th Westminster dog show

NEW YORK - A bouncy 15-inch beagle, Miss P, took the top honor at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday, besting more than 2,700 competitors.

Miss P, from Vancouver, British Columbia, won the Best in Show prize at the 139th Westminster show, the second-longest continuously running sporting event in the United States after the Kentucky Derby.

"It's very exciting," said David Frei, co-host of the show, standing in front of Miss P, who was draped in purple ribbons. "This was going to be her last show."

Nearly 200 dog breeds and varieties from 15 countries and all US states except North Dakota and Idaho competed in the two-day event at New York's Piers 92 and 94 and Madison Square Garden.

As part of the show, judges selected the best of each breed and group, divided into seven categories—hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier.

On Monday, the first night of events, Miss P won in the hound group; a dark and puffy standard poodle named Flame won in the non-sporting group; Swagger, a friendly 110-pound Old English sheepdog won in the herding group; and a silky-haired shih tzu named Rocket won in the toy group.

Rocket, who wore a sparkling ponytail, is co-owned by Patricia Hearst Shaw, the 60-year-old publishing heiress famous for being kidnapped by, and then apparently joining, the Symbionese Liberation Army in the 1970s.

An English springer spaniel named Liz won the sporting group; a Portuguese water dog named Matisse won the working group; and a Skye terrier named Charlie won in the terrier group on Tuesday evening.

Those selected as the best in their groups compete for the ultimate Best in Show prize, won last year by Sky, a wire fox terrier from California. The winner gets a trophy and embarks on a media tour. — Reuters