Although the crowd favorite was an amazing English sheepdog, this year the Westminster Kennel Club's Best In Show was an affenpinscher named GCH Banana Joe V Tani Kazari—or Banana Joe for short. The NY Times described the five-year-old as "a black dog with a monkeylike face." Ah, now we get the banana name.
The Best in Show judge, Michael Dougherty, ignored the crowd's loud cheers for Swagger the English sheepdog, noting, "This little fella seemed to want it a touch more. He’s a fantastic affenpinscher, with a fantastic face, a great body. I’ve never had my hands on a better affenpinscher. Ever... He has the muscle tone of a big dog." But Dougherty did name Swagger the show's first ever runner-up "Reserve Best In Show." And Dougherty really did love all the other dogs (including a Portuguese water dog, a German wirehaired pointer, an American foxhound, a bichon frise and a smooth fox terrier) , "Every one of you deserves some serious ribbonage tonight."
Banana Joe's handler Ernesto Lara told the NY Times, "I don’t think he has anything to prove. I’m not bragging, this is just the way he is. The best thing is that I was in cue with him," adding, "This isn’t a breed you train. He’s like a human. You befriend him." He also waxed poetic on Banana Joe's comic skills, "Like any comedian, when he’s in a situation, he doesn’t think it’s funny. He doesn’t know his size or that he has a pushed-in face. Once you live with one, you know that’s the standard. They need a comic seriousness."
Banana Joe will be retiring and moving back to the Netherlands, where he was born and raised. And don't count Swagger out—he's only 20 months and this was only his fourth show!
