Monty the Giant Schnauzer has won Best in Show at the 2025 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The 149th annual show was held at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, in front of a sold-out crowd. The Reserve Best in Show title went to Bourbon the Whippet.
Monty was shown by his handler, Katherine Bernardin, and is owned by Bernardin, Sandra Nordstrom, and Cherlann Ambrose.
“There’s no words,” Bernardin said through tears after winning. “He always tries so hard, and I’m just proud of him.”
Monty, full name GCHG CH Hearthmore’s Wintergreen Mountain RI CGC TKN FITB, was a finalist in both 2023 and 2024’s Best in Show lineups, and this was finally his year to become America’s Dog.
Judge Paula Nykiel crowned the Best in Show winner from the top dogs of each breed group in this year’s Best in Show ring: Whippet (Hound), Shih Tzu (Toy), Bichon Frise (Non-Sporting), German Shepherd (Herding), English Springer Spaniel (Sporting), Giant Schnauzer (Working), and Skye Terrier (Terrier).
This was the first year since the COVID-19 pandemic that the Westminster Dog Show was held at Madison Square Garden, the show’s original home since the first show in 1877. It is the second-longest-running sporting event behind the Kentucky Derby.
While it might seem like the dogs are competing against each other, they’re competing against their breed standard and how well they meet that standard. A breed standard is a written description of the ideal version of that breed and includes information on how the breed should look and the traits it should possess. The judges decide which dog meets their breed standard the best. More than 2,500 dogs competed across 213 breed varieties at this year’s show.
