Westminster Dog Show 2017: Rumor the German
Shepherd Wins Best in Show

Congratulations!

As Rumor, a German shepherd, took long, elegant strides around the ring at the 141st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, she seemed to cover every inch of the green carpet. It was as if there were no other dogs in the room, and soon that was indeed true as Rumor stood alone, earning best-in-show honors on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.“The German shepherd standard talks about quality and nobility,” said Thomas Bradley, the best-in-show judge. “She is just magnificent.” Last year, Rumor, named after the Adele song “Rumor Has It,” was favored to win it all, but she was upset by a German shorthaired pointer named C. J.

Kent Boyles, Rumor’s handler, had planned to retire her, but he decided to give it another run. This time, at 5 years old, Rumor played the role of spoiler, winning the herding group Monday night by beating Preston, a puli and the top-ranked dog of last year. As it turned out, Rumor had the canine equivalent of Adele’s haul at the Grammys, which seemed fitting because both Boyles and Rumor had watched that awards show. “She had a pretty good night,” Boyles said of Adele. So did Rumor, who defeated Duffy, a Norwegian elkhound; Chuckie, a Pekingese; Aftin, a miniature poodle; Tanner, a Norwich terrier; Devlin, a boxer; and Adrian, an Irish setter and the runner-up.

By KELLY WHITESIDE, ANDREW DAS and SARAH LYALLUPDATED 10:37 AM ET