The 21st AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin took place in Orlando, Florida, in December and aired on ABC on January 2
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/K.Bender1513-eb9750a34aeb48369ac0dbfb4b65b3b9.jpg "Giant Schnauzer Named Bayou Wins Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Dog Show (1)")
Kelli Bender is the Pets Editor at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2013. Her work has previously appeared on MTV, The Frisky, Vice, and Best Friends Magazine.
Published on January 3, 2022 02:48PM EST
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x689:751x691)/bayou-dog-841bcdc55a2c494f8df17023a4454a81.jpg "Giant Schnauzer Named Bayou Wins Best in Show at the AKC National Championship Dog Show (2)")
Bayou the Giant Schnauzer's southern charm won them the Best in Show title at the 21st AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin.
The annual dog show, which took place in Orlando, Florida, December 18-19, aired on ABC on January 2, revealing the event's winner to the nation.
Bayou the Giant Schnauzer — show name GCHG CH Lagniappe's From The Mountains To The Bayou — of Port Allen, Louisiana, triumphed over 5,000 other canines to earn the show's top spot. Along with winning the coveted Best in Show title, Bayou also won $50,000.
Beacon the German Wirehaired Pointer of the Sporting Group came in second place at the AKC National Championship, a position known as Reserve Best in Show. Also competing with Bayou and Beacon in the Best in Show Round were Clancy the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen of the Hound Group, Boom the Smooth Fox Terrier of the Terrier Group, Fortune Cookie the Pekingese of the Toy Group, Thor the Bulldog of the Non-Sporting Group, and JJ the Australian Shepherd of the Herding Group.
Bayou won the Best of Group award for the Sporting Group before being crowned "America's National Champion" in the Best in Show round, according to a release from the AKC.
Animal lovers interested in more dog show excitement will have to wait at least a few weeks. The Westminster Dog Show, originally scheduled to take place in late January at New York City's Madison Square Garden, has been postponed to an undetermined date due to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases in New York City.
