‘Trumpet’ The Bloodhound Makes History Taking Home Top Honor At Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

Katie JerkovichJune 23, 2022

“Trumpet” the wrinkle-faced, jowly looking bloodhound has finally put his breed on the map after beating out all the other show dogs at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show held in New York Wednesday night.

The 4-year-old bloodhound from Illinois with the chocolate coat, droopy face and floppy ears, shocked everyone at the 146th competition of the annual dog show when he beat a Maltese, an English setter, a fluffy Samoyed, a Lakeland terrier, a French bulldog, and a German shepherd, to score the award for “Best in Show,” the New York Times reported in a piece published Thursday.

Even his handler, Heather Buehner, told the outlet she couldn’t believe the pup won it all.

“I was shocked,” Buehner shared. “There were seven beautiful dogs in that ring. You know, I feel like sometimes a bloodhound might be a little bit of an underdog. So I was absolutely thrilled.”

Trumpet couldn’t have looked prouder in photos that have since surfaced online showing him surrounded by a slew of ribbons and a huge silver cup.

Trumpet the Bloodhound won the highly coveted Best of Show honor at the 146th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Wednesday night, besting over 3,500 dogs of more than 200 different breeds for the ultimate prize. https://t.co/lvCccFPUkP

📸: Frank Franklin II, @AP pic.twitter.com/DLzHJXERkV

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) June 23, 2022

Last night, me and an All-Star cast of journalism heavyweights put down our notebooks and opened our hearts to the dog show.

If you get a chance, relive some of our journey. It turns out, Super Teams *can* win … and so can bloodhounds. https://t.co/yrWKnegRLK

— Benjamin Hoffman (@BenHoffmanNYT) June 23, 2022

Sound off! Trumpet is 1st bloodhound to win Westminster Dog Show https://t.co/nrT8i1JIIv pic.twitter.com/pGiY8vRHIS

— New York Post (@nypost) June 23, 2022

The 146th #WestminsterDogShow Best in Show champion is Trumpet the Bloodhound! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/cEOIbmxrrq

— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) June 23, 2022

The crowd apparently approved of his selection as well. In the clip below, we can hear the audience let out the loud cheers and claps at the award show that seemed to be a little too much for some of the pups.

WATCH:

Trumpet, a magnificently be-wrinkled and be-jowled bloodhound from Illinois, won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night. He is the first bloodhound to win. https://t.co/JDvl4Qhtbr pic.twitter.com/grk7mpg7My

— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 23, 2022

And given all the licks he gave his handler, it was obvious that Trumpet was excited about winning too. What might be even more shocking than the bloodhound being the first of his breed to win the honor, is the fact that he only started competing this year in January.

Trumpet also comes from a line of another winner and is from “winning stock,” the outlet noted. Tigger, his great-grandfather, once held the record for the pooch with the longest ears, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.

Communications Director of the dog show Gail Miller Bisher appeared on “Fox & Friends” and said bloodhounds have been competing in the annual event since 1878.

“Bloodhounds have been at Westminster since 1878, and so for it to take that long, it’s a long time,” Bisher explained. “But he was beautiful last night. He really floated around the ring. He’s in great condition. His muscle tone, his skin… he’s just in great shape.”