Afghans At Westminster – So Many Greats Through The Years

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90 – May, 2026

By Anna Szabó

The ‘aristocrats’ of dogdom, Afghan Hounds have a distinguished history at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, with the breed’s first and most notable Best In Show victory coming in 1957. They are known for their elegance, aloofness, exquisiteness, and wildness. Throughout history, they have been a significant status symbol, captivated aristocracy, and have been not only a pet, but a muse to the painter Pablo Picasso. If a specimen of another breed is to take on one in the show ring, it indeed takes a truly outstanding dog to be a worthy peer.

In 2026, the 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show saw one of the world’s most decorated pedigree dogs in history, GCHG Zaida bint Muti von Haussman, win the fourteenth Hound Group at the Garden for her breed. Presented by Willy Santiago for owners R. Podesta (breeder), S. Pfeil, J. Donahue & A. Sobrado. It wouldn’t be far from the truth to say Zaida’s records are nearly unparalleled. Her breakthrough win was the first Best of Breed (later Group 2) she claimed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show under the late Mark Cocozza three years ago. She then leaped into global prominence when she won Best In Show at the FCI World Dog Show in 2024, beating over 12,000 dogs at that show.

Click here to read the complete article
90 – May, 2026

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 9 2026. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.