Vito the pug – First of his breed to win National Dog Show in Philadelphia

Vito, a pug made history by being the first of his breed to win the National Dog Show held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania on November 16 and 17.

Vito won the Best in Show title and was the winner from his Toy Group receiving $20,000.

One of the judge after the winner was announced, asked his owner if Vito knew what was happening, to which Scott said that he looked very smug and probably knows what’s happening.

Some other winners from the show were Rupert (Berger Picard) of Herding group, Monty (Giant Schnauzer) of Working group, Houston (Clumber Spaniel) of Sporting group, The Zit (Ibizan Hound) of Hound group, Verde (Welsh Terrier) of Terrier group and JJ (Lhasa Apso) of Non-sporting group.

Verde (Welsh Terrier) of the terrier group was named Reserve Best in Show.

The show was also aired on November 28 on thanksgiving day and more than 20 million people watched the show.

Vito’s Journey

Since the beginning, Vito was very interested in learning and was quickly picking up skills taught by his owner, Michael Scott.

Scott took Vito to local dog shows where he was recognized as a charming and intelligent dog winning some of the shows.

Vito’s biggest achievement was winning the 2024 National Dog Show with his confidence, charm and his hard work and dedication.

Thanks to him, Pugs won the National Dg Show for the first time in 92 years since the beginning of this annual show.

The National Dog Show 2024

This year marked the 92nd season of the show where more than 1900 dogs of more than 200 breeds participated to win the title of Best in Show along with $20,000.

The host of this season were John O’ Hurley and David Frei who have hosted the show in 2009, 2013 and 2016.

The dogs were divided into 7 groups – Herding, Hound, Non-sporting, Sporting, Terrier, toy and Working group.

Some popular dogs of each group were:-

·        Herding group – Austin (Australian Shepherd), Rex (German Shepherd) and Daisy (Border Collie)

·        Hound group – Buddy (Beagle), Hunter (Bloodhound) and Gizmo (Basset Hound)

·        Non-sporting group – Luna (Pug), Mochi (Shih Tzu) and Finn (Boston Terrier)

·        Sporting group – Max (Golden Retriever), Lucy (Labrador Retriever) and Coco (Cocker Spaniel)

·        Terrier group – Rocky (Yorkshire Terrier), Bella (Boston Terrier) and Toby (Cairn Terrier)

·        Toy group – Vito (Pug), Lola (Chihuahua) and Fifi (Poodle)

·        Working group – Zeus (Doberman Pinscher), Tank (Rottweiler) and Bruno (Boxer)

The show was held on November 16, 17 but was premiered on NBC on November 28, 2024 on Thanksgiving Day following the Macy’s Parade.

Show’s sponsor

·        Purina

·        Nestle Purina Pet Care

·        NBC Universal

·        The Kennel Club of Philadelphia

·        American Kennel Club (AKC) of Philadelphia

About the Show

The National Dog Show is an American show where all the participants are American – dog breeds.

The show is organized by the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.

The show is an annual event where dog owners and dog lovers come together and appreciate the uniqueness of each breed.

The first ever National Dog Show was held in 1933 and has been taking place ever since.

Previous winners of the show

·        2023 – Stache (Sealyham Terrier)

·        2022 – Winston (French Bulldog)

·        2020-2021 – Claire (Scottish Deerhound)