Westminster has its winner, crowd its favorites

She’s ranked as the No. 1 show dog in America. And listening to the crowd at Madison Square Garden chant her name, she easily was Miss Popularity, too.

“Let’s go, Rumor!” fans hollered shortly before the German shepherd ran rings around her competition.

That was Monday night at the Westminster Kennel Club. On Tuesday night, the 4-year-old, who has won 101 best in show titles, represented the Herding Group in the Best of Show arena.

Rumor was resting Tuesday afternoon in a crate covered by a blanket,

“That’s to help keep her calm,” said her handler Kent Boyles of Edgerton, Wis. “Me, I’m not so calm.”

Only one German shepherd has ever won Westminster, the famed and fittingly named Manhattan in 1987.

Rumor was the perfect picture of a well-groomed champion in winning the herding group. Poised, she seemed to look at the crowd as she ran across the green carpet.

Only after she was picked did she break character and jump up a bit.

Then there was Dario the big Leonberger who wanted a treat. So what if he was right in the middle of the show ring at the Westminster Kennel Club?

The persistent and playful Dario became an instant sensation Tuesday night, delighting the packed crowd at Madison Square Garden with his antics.

Not to be denied, Dario kept gnawing at the suit pocket of handler Sam Mammano as he romped all the way around the ring. He wouldn’t stop, and the fans went bonkers.

Dario missed out on an award in the working group, but the 2 1/2-year-old certainly earned a place forever in dogdom lore.

Mammano, of Rochester, N.Y., could only smile afterward.

“Good comic relief,” he said. “He’s a young, silly dog and was just having fun.”

And exactly what treat was in that left pocket Dario kept digging into?

“Nothing,” Mammano said, laughing. “The food was on the other side.”

And there were the dog owners themselves decked out in their “favorite” clothes.

From hats to sweaters to jewelry, there were many breeds and varieties of pooch apparel on parade around the rings.

Erik Schimmelfing of Raleigh, N.C., came to town with a T-shirt featuring a picture of a basset hound that covered his torso.

“This was the first article of clothing in my suitcase,” he claimed.

This story was originally published February 16, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Westminster has its winner, crowd its favorites."