The Virginia heel took home top honor over 1,583 other dogs from 187 stock .
For the first clock time in the 20 - twelvemonth history of the National Dog Show presented by Purina , we have a repeat Best in Show winner : Claire theScottish deerhound , the dogwho took home top honors last year .
The graceful hound bested 1,583 other Canis familiaris representing 187 breeds at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on Saturday . Best in Show Judge Jeffery Pepper selected her in the final ring , cap the roughly 12 - hour show that was broadcasted Thanksgiving good afternoon on NBC .
Photo: Steven Donahue / See Spot Run Photography
Claire ’s handler , Angela Lloyd , severalize reporters after the show that she was n’t think about back - to - back Best in show .
" I was thinking more about keeping her felicitous and getting a really good performance out of her and having a good clip , " she says .
Pepper said the 4 - class - quondam hotdog " really make full my eye , " have credit to both her and her handler .
" She is beautifully balanced and go the requirements of the Scottish deerhound breed banner in damage of both character and construction , " Pepper , a justice with 36 geezerhood of experience , said in a news freeing . " The handler move her at exactly the veracious f number , exhibiting excellent strenuosity . "
Which Dogs Were the Other Group Winners at the National Dog Show?
After winning the bounder group , Claire , whose full registered name is GCH Foxcliffe Claire Randall Fraser ( she ’s anOutlanderfan , her handler confirmed ) , entered the ring with the six other group winner :
The Pyrenean sheepherder took home Reserve Best in Show ( second place ) .
And how competitive was that mathematical group ? Very . Chester also won the miniature group at last year ’s National Dog Show while Jade won the sporting grouping at theWestminster Kennel Club Dog Showearlier this year . All seven dogs in the group boast eithertop rankings , multiple Best in Show wins , group triumph , or a aggregation of all three , according to the Kennel Club of Philadelphia .
( The Daily Paws People ’s Champion — which is definitely tangible — lead to Winter , who had his handler carry him to the halo ’s judging political program like a sack of Irish potato . My guy know it ’s about working fresh , not concentrated . )
Get to Know Claire the Scottish Deerhound
The 2021 National Dog Show title is yet another trophy for Claire ’s bloodline . The Virginia heel take up home the 2020 Best in Show award , and her mother , Chelsea , gain Reserve Best in Show at the National Dog Show in 2015 . Before that , Claire ’s grandmother , Hickory , won Best in Show at Westminster in 2011 .
" I think [ Claire ’s ] just at the top of her plot , truly , " say Lloyd , who ’s handled all three dogs . " … She believes in herself . She has a wad of confidence in who she is . "
Lloyd is one of Claire ’s three owners . Cecilia Dove and Scott Dove are the other two .
Scottish deerhounds come from their namesake , Scotland , where they were bred as sighthounds who could hunt and capture hart . They ’re large hound — librate between 75 and 110 pounds and some measuring well-nigh 3 foundation grandiloquent — but they ’re not as towering asIrish wolfhounds , the breedthey’re often fox with .
rough 1,000 people took in the show in person while zillion will likely watch on TV .
" It ’s a great family holiday , " reviewer David Frei says . " Everybody ’s gather around waiting for the dud to come out and they ’re all sitting in the same place , and boom , let ’s hit the TV . "
If you missed all the fun , you may watch the National Dog Show 2021 replay Saturday at 8 p.m. easterly time . Younger dog fans can also watch National Dog Show Junior at 2 p.m. eastern time on Thanksgiving on NBC ’s streaming platform , Peacock .
