Every year, an assortment of the best pups in the country gather at Madison Square Garden in New York to strut their stuff at the Westminster Dog Show. There are cavapoos with panache, poodles with providence and spaniels with that special je-ne-sais-quoi. But there can only be one winner.
This year, fans rallied behind a golden retriever named Daniel with a gorgeous coat and an even better personality. Take a good look at him.
He’s handsome as can be, right? Well, Westminster fanatics were gunning for him to win Best in Show until he was completely robbed by a standard poodle named Siba. (Something similar happened last year, too.) Although the golden retriever is America’s third most popular breed, according to the American Kennel Club, it’s never won at the Westminster show. A crying shame if you ask us.
Naturally, fans utilized Twitter to voice their outcry.
One clever dog-lover repurposed a photo of Siba to convey how upset they were about Daniel’s loss.
Another pointed out that Daniel was the only pup to thank his owner when he took the ribbon for Best in Group in the sporting group.
Clearly, this golden has manners.
Last but not least, Twitter user “Goodwyn Speedbumps” pointed out that Daniel’s loss is actually a national issue.
They’re definitely not wrong.
For those interested in some Westminster Dog Show trivia, Siba is the 12th dog in the non-sporting group to win Best in Show and the first since 2018. Siba’s was the fifth win overall for the standard poodle breed and the first since 1991. Standard poodles also took the crown in 1935, 1958 and 1973.
Still, we think Daniel and his lovable face deserved to be the belle of the ball.
