In Their Own Words

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262 – March, 2026

By Amy Fernandez

All Photos ©Courtesy of The Westminster Kennel Club

Predictably, Westminster presented an event worthy of this historic occasion. It wasn’t hard to do. This club has such a rich, fascinating history. The dogs aren’t talking, so this story must rely on the human component of the deal. The 2026 judging panel was comprised of individuals who have literally become part of that tradition. That recognition certainly contributed to the rousing crowd support. It’s hard to recall another Westminster to match this level of raucous crowd enjoyment. The Garden was sold out Tuesday night. They were there to celebrate, and they weren’t shy about it. The choices for BIS and RBIS brought down the house.

Best In Show went to GCHP Connquest Best Of Both Worlds. Handled by Andy Linton, Penny joined an impressive roster of Westminster winning Dobermans. She was the first of her breed to take it since 1989 when Andy Linton had handled Indy to top honors. Perhaps that was a coincidence, but it added a collective sense of perfection to the outcome.

Reserve Best In?Show went to the Chesapeake GCHS Good Fortune Jump For Joy. Cota has broken records for this breed throughout his career. He battled through the show’s largest group on his way to the final round and his eventual RBIS.

The distinguished gentleman responsible for those thrills was David Fitzpatrick, someone who has been on the winning side of Westminster more than once. He has owner/handled his Pekingese to Westminster Bests in 2012 and 2021, and RBIS in 2023. He’s also won nine Westminster groups over the years. David’s Westminster record is hard to match, and despite all this he admits that he was very surprised by the invitation.

He said, “I had not judged at Westminster before, and it wasn’t on my bucket list. When I got the phone call in June 2024 it was explained that it was their 150th show and they were trying to assemble a panel with some history at Westminster. It made sense. It turned out to be a great life experience; I didn’t realize how much it would affect me.”

“Then of course you can’t tell anyone.” It’s kind of like winning a Nobel Prize and keeping that secret. “They didn’t publish the judging panel until May 25th, and my close friends couldn’t believe that I hadn’t told them.” David is very good at keeping secrets.

Click here to read the complete article
262 – March, 2026

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Posted by AnthonyA on Mar 27 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.