There is a new best in show in town!
A pug named Vito, who is 2-and-a-half, was crowned the 2024 National Dog Show winner on Thursday, November 28.
Vito beat competition from a Welsh terrier named Verde to claim the prize during Thursday’s Thanksgiving Day coverage of the contest on NBC. The event was held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
Vito was first named best in the toy breed before claiming the overall prize.
“I’m so proud of him,” his co-owner Carolyn Koch said, per NBC.
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Vito’s handler, Michael Scott, said he had a feeling that Vito would do well in the competition.
“I was optimistic,” he said in a statement. “I always hope to get a really good look [from the judge]. … Vito has a beautiful head and expression. Great outline.”
“Compact, features, movement — everything a pug should be,” judge George Milutinovich commented in a press release.
“Never seen him before. Wow. Just wow. Lots of dog in a small package. To look at a pug is to put a smile on your face,” Milutinovich added.
Despite being just 2-and-a-half, Vito has competed in 75 dog shows, per The Independent. His victory Thursday is his 25th best-in-show win.
As well as claiming the title, Vito won his co-owners Koch, Joy Barbieri and Rebecca Movall a $20,000 cash prize.
Past winners of the National Dog Show include Stache, a Sealyham terrier, in 2023, Winston, a French bulldog, in 2022, and two-time winner Claire, a Scottish deerhound who won the prize in 2020 and 2021.