Malachy took the top prize after he beat out 2,077 pure-bred canines from 185 different breeds.
"I'm still in shock. It's the thrill of a lifetime," said David Fitzpatrick, the dog's handler and one of his owners.
The little pooch beat out big dogs like a Dalmatian, Doberman Pinscher, Irish Setter, Kerry Blue Terrier, German Shepherd, and a wire-haired Dachshund to get the title.
The 4-year-old Toy Dog breed from China with a 2,000 year-old history had the crowd standing on their seats and cheering while he strutted his stuff on the arena floor.
Sounds like a familiar scene with another Asian who has been delighting rabid fans in the same venue.
While Malachy was the top dog at last night's event, New York Knicks Jeremy Lin— an underdog who is allowed to sit on the sofa— has been driving crowds wild with his own exploits on the Garden floor.
Except that the Chinese-American Lin has no such pedigree in his sport. The undrafted, Ivy League benchwarmer has come from nowhere to take the NBA by storm after being unleashed.
Last night, while Malachy was downing doggie-treats on the Knicks home floor, Lin took his show on the road and beat the Toronto Raptors by heeling Jose Calderon and draining a last second three- pointer.
While Lin seemed to escape from some dog pound to become the toast of New York and build on his legend, Malachy— who is no stranger to the spotlight and has 115 Best in Show titles— will be calling it quits.
The 11-pound grandfather will retire to Pennsylvania after last night's victory.
"He's dignified, a wonderful companion who's charming. He was giving me all sorts of vibrations that he was very relaxed. He was trying to save his energy for when he entered the ring," said Fitzpatrick about his prized dog.
Wow. Those words could have come from one of Lin's teammates last night as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment