Buddy Holly, a Small Vendée Basset Griffon, was voted Best of Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday evening, ahead of the other six finalist dogs and their handlers.

According to a recent ranking by the American Kennel Club, PBGVs, as they are called for short, are the 154th most common purebred dog in the country.

“I never thought PBGV would do this,” said trainer and co-owner Janice Hayes. “Buddy Holly is the epitome of show dog.”

Buddy Holly, so named because “he’s a friend”, as explained by breeder Gavin Robertson, has also lived and competed in his native UK, as well as Ireland and Australia.

If Buddy Holly felt pressure, he didn’t show it. Instead, he seemed more preoccupied with playing with his people on Tuesday night and giving up on the idea of ​​taking a nap in his box.

About 2500 dogs of 210 breeds and varieties competed for the trophy. Hundreds more competed in agility, obedience and other sports.

“He just yells PBGV,” Hayes said. “They are just very independent, but very charming and just stupid. Their goal is to make you laugh every day.”

Originally from France, small hounds traditionally hunted rabbits.

Other finalists included Rummy the Pekingese, who was aiming to bring home a third trophy in 11 years for his small but regal breed. Winston the French Bulldog was in contention for the title after being very close last year.

An Australian Shepherd named Ribbon, an English Setter named Sider, a Giant Schnauzer named Monty and an American Staffordshire Terrier named Trouble were among the group of contenders who came up most recently.

Ribbon is “like a fun girl at a party,” handler Jessica Plurd said. Rummy is “true to the Pekingese type, lots of posture, presence is all in one here,” said owner and breeder David Fitzpatrick, who led Pekingese Malachy and Wasabi to wins at Westminster in 2012 and 2021 respectively.

Winston entered second at Westminster last year and won the National Dog Show last fall hosted by the Philadelphia Kennel Club. Now he represents most preferred dog breed in the United States, according to a ranking released in March.

He “just steals your heart,” handler and co-owner Perry Payson said after Winston’s energetic semi-final twist, which included an impromptu jump into a decorative box in the center of the ring.

Each Westminster finalist defeated other dogs of their breed first, and then their “group”, such as toy dogs or hounds. Among the breeds that made it to the semi-final group judged Tuesday night was the newly qualified Italian Bracco, which was won by a dog co-owned by country music star Tim McGraw.

In addition to the chosen finalists, there were other fan favorites.

There was a bloodhound who bowed low to the judge, a golden retriever who was cheered by numerous fans of the breed, and a lively German Hound who made several jumps before the ring around the ring. The audience applauded 10-year-old trainer Audra Mays and her Shiba Inu, as well as breeder/owner/handler Alexandria Mitchell and her Ibizan Hound. They got the judge’s first haircut, an achievement at a show where many exhibitors take other people’s dogs as a career.

This year’s Westminster Show took place at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center.

Late in the third quarter of Tuesday’s pivotal Game 5 between the Phoenix Suns and the Denver Nuggets, the Suns huddled as Devin Booker prepared for a free throw after Christian Brown was fouled out of the game. As Phoenix began to huddle together, Nuggets defenseman Bruce Brown and superstar center Nikola Jokic attempted to infiltrate the group, much to the dismay of Kevin Durant and Jock Landale.

Durant brushed off Brown, who was curled up on the other side of the group. Landale then brushed off Jokic, who came into Durant’s line of sight and received a forearm to the chest from a dominant scoring flank. At this point, Jokic embellished the contact, waved his arms and stumbled. Both Brown and Durant were issued technical fouls, which Durant appeared to disagree with.

As TNT color commentator Grant Hill hints, this is the second game in a row between these teams to feature out-of-class flops. During Sunday’s game four, Jokic, trying to catch a ball that had crashed into the stands and exploit a profitable 5-on-4 game, extended his forearm to the chest of Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who exaggerated the contact. The two made up before Game 5, but it looks like the theme of failing lives to see another game in this exciting Western Conference semi-final series.

Four months after Jeremy Renner’s traumatic snowplow accident, the actor continues to talk about his road to recovery. On January 1, Renner was hospitalized after breaking over 30 bones, suffering orthopedic injuries and blunt force trauma to the chest when his 14,330-pound snowplow ran over him while trying to reach his nephew through the snow.

After a significant recovery just in time for the premiere of his Disney+ series Rennervations, Renner’s health continues to improve. Eager to share the news with fans, Renner most recently posted Instagram video demonstrating their improvements through mobility exercises, taking “new parts for a tiny test drive”.

The video shows Renner using the machines, doing several exercises to develop the strength and mobility of the injured leg.

Renner captioned the video: “UPDATE: I decided to get past the pain of progress (that damn broken tibia) and take the new parts for a tiny test drive. The body is amazing…

“Even though I feel like an Iron Man who needs oil for all my new joints (thighs, knees, ankles, shins, etc.). Encouraged after this warm-up to continue (don’t tell my PT)” Renner joked.