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With her elegant yet brisk stride, Miuccia, an Italian whippet, beat more than 18,000 dogs to be named best in show at the Crufts dog show Sunday in the English city of Birmingham.
The 4-year-old from Venice became the first Italian canine to win the century-old contest.
Unlike her peppier rivals, Miuccia appeared calm as she took the podium and stood next to the prized silver trophy, which was taller than her, and her handler, Giovanni Liguori.
“It’s a really dream come true. I am truly overwhelmed,” Liguori said, as he appeared to tear up. “Miuccia performed her best. I felt her very relaxed on the leash.”
“As Italians, we are super proud, means that we are doing a fantastic job,” he said.
Established in 1891 as a marketing event for a dog biscuit manufacturer, Crufts evolved as among the biggest dog shows in the world and attracts thousands of dogs and their handlers annually.
Across four days, they are evaluated on how well they conform to their breed’s standards in a series of events.
The dog deemed the finest of each breed then competes for a best in group title, and the seven winners of each group move forward to battle it out for the top prize.
Miuccia emerged victorious, beating Ana, a Jack Russell terrier; Liza, the miniature schnauzer; Viking, the Tibetan mastiff; Shake, the Australian shepherd; Sophia, the papillon; and Suzie, the cocker spaniel.
Her victory was, however, not without controversy.
Shortly after the announcement, some fans of Ana, the Jack Russell, took to Instagram, lamenting Miuccia’s win and saying Ana was “robbed” of a victory.
Others backed Miuccia.
“That dog was perfection, almost to good to be real, absolutely beautiful, very well deserved, stood and walked perfect,” Liane Pendlebury wrote on Instagram.
Mithil Aggarwal is a Hong Kong-based reporter/producer for NBC News.
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