America’s top dog is actually Canadian.
A plucky, 4-year-old beagle named Miss P scored a major upset on Tuesday night when she trotted away with the coveted Best in Show prize at the the 139th Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.
Miss P comes from a line of winners — she’s related to Uno, who became the first beagle to win America's most well-known dog show in 2008 — but she's actually a small-town pup. Miss P hails from a kennel in Enderby, British Columbia, a town of about 3,000 people.
According to the town's mayor, Greg McCune, the big winner will get the celebrity treatment when she returns.
“My very first thought was a parade," he says. "We have the Canada Day parade, which is celebrated across Canada on July 1, so what we’ll probably do is send an invitation to Miss P to lead that parade.”
Miss P also received congratulations from another top dog:
She faced stiff competition for the top prize, including Matisse, a Portuguese water dog who's one of the most successful males in dog show history. He's even a cousin of President Barack Obama's family pet, Sunny.
A Skye terrier named Charlie was awarded second place.
Other winners included Rocket, the Shih Tzu owned by infamous publishing heiress Patty Hearst. Rocket won the toy dog category.
In all, 2,711 dogs representing 192 breeds competed in the two-day event — and no one misplaced Busy-Bee.The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
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