Rumor the German Shepherd Wins Best in Show at Westminster

Panting with anticipation no more, German Shepherd fans are now celebrating the selection of Rumor the GSD as the Best in Show winner of the 141st Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Rumor is the top dog at the 2017 Westminster Kennel Club dog show. (Courtesy Deborah Stern)

Rumor — or as she is more formally known, “GCH CH Lockenhaus’ Rumor Has It V Kenlyn” — charmed Best in Show judge Thomas H. Bradley and everyone else in Madison Square Garden Tuesday night, taking home the top title a year later than many predicted. After losing the coveted Best in Show to a German Shorthaired Pointer in 2016, 5-year-old Rumor was back with a vengeance, becoming only the second of her breed or indeed the entire herding group to ever be deemed Best in Show at Westminster.

Rumor the German Shepherd takes Best in Show. (Courtesy Westminster Kennel Club)

Bradley described her as “just magnificent.” The crowd cheered while Rumor and co-owner/handler Kent Boyles stepped forward to accept the massive purple and gold ribbon that is the culmination of a career that has seen Rumor take home more than 100 Best in Show titles.

When she’s not parading around the winner’s circle, Rumor can be found playing with her co-owner/handler’s family on their 22-acre property in Wisconsin.

Rumor relaxes on a hotel bed with her human siblings earlier this week. (Photo courtesy the Boyles-Oster family)

Before taking her Best in Show ribbon on Tuesday evening, Rumor took the top prize in the herding group (for the second consecutive year) to face off against the six other group winners.

Her competitors were: Devlin, a Canadian Boxer who topped the Working Group (and seemed to get the most applause as the group winners were led into the arena for Best in Show judging); a Norwegian Elkhound known as Duffy, who swept the Hound Group; a plucky little Pekingese called Chuckie, who won the Toy Group; Tanner the smiling Norwich Terrier from the Terrier Group; Aftin, the perfectly coiffed  Miniature Poodle from the Non-Sporting Group; and Adrian the Irish Setter, who took both the top spot in the Sporting Group and the Reserve Best in Show.

To read more about Rumor, check out our 2016 interview with her family.

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