He took on competition that was much bigger and much faster, but in the end the judges decided Malachy, a Pekingese with a long mop of fur framing his funny little pushed-in face, was the top dog in the land and gave him top honors at the Westminster Kennel Club show in New York.
The New York Times describes his win thus:
"While his six competitors sped around the ring at Madison Square Garden, Malachy moved so deliberately that he only had to make a half circuit on the green carpet. It did not matter. Beneath his long coat and lion's mane — and behind that distinctive pushed-in face — was the club's ultimate champion.
"The judge, Cindy Vogels, put Malachy ahead of a German shepherd, a Dalmatian, a Kerry blue terrier, a Doberman pinscher, a wire-haired dachshund and an Irish setter who gave birth to 15 puppies last May (using the frozen semen of a long-dead sire) and had just returned from a year's maternity leave.
"'He's a super dog who had a stupendous night,' Vogels said of Malachy."
Now, don't get Malachy wrong, the 4-year-old, 11-pound marvel is no stranger to victory. The AP reports this is Malachy's 115th "overall best in show title."
The AP also notes that a best in show win at Westminster doesn't earn Malachy a cent. Instead, he gets to first parade through a bunch of interviews over the next few days and then head back home to East Berlin, Pa., where he'll be a hot breeding commodity.
"He'll probably chase squirrels and he'll be pampered," David Fitzpatrick, his handler, told the AP.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
