The co-owners and handler of Monty are celebrating his historic win after bringing home the Top Dog in the Country prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. NBC10 Jersey Shore Bureau reporter Ted Greenberg has the story.
Dog gone-it. Monty finally did it.
Huge honors for a 5-year-old Giant Schnauzer named Monty from New Jersey who came out on top at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show were also historic.
Monty won the prize for Top Dog in the Country on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in New York City's Madison Square Garden after coming close twice before.
His win made history. Never before had a Giant Schnauzer won the title of Westminster’s Best in Show.
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This year also marked the third time in a row that Monty won Westminster's working group category.
“This is surreal for me, because it's the first time I've really ever been here. And Monty was from my first litter. I'm enjoying the ride," Monty's co-owner and breeder, Cherlann Ambrose, told NBC10. I never thought I would be going down in history, or my dog would be going down in history this way, but it is truly a blessing.”
Ambrose lives in Burlington County and co-owns Monty with his handler Katie Bernardin and Sandra Nordstrom of Ocean City.
“It’s really exciting, it’s amazing," neighbor Barbara Heinold said. "They’ve been showing dogs for a long time so this is really neat.”
The pup visits Ocean City often but lives in Connecticut with Bernardin and her family.
What is on Monty's agenda after his historic win?
Well, his family says that the champion is retiring from competition with days of relaxation ahead.