Trumpet the bloodhound wins Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show; French bulldog co-owned by NFL's Morgan Fox takes second

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Now this hound has something to toot his horn about.

A bloodhound named Trumpet won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Wednesday night.

Trumpet beat a French bulldog, a German shepherd, a Maltese, an English setter, a Samoyed and a Lakeland terrier to take the trophy.

«I am so excited for Trumpet,» said handler Heather Helmer, who co-owns and bred the 4-year-old.

Trumpet became the first bloodhound to win Westminster.

Winston, a French bulldog co-owned by NFL defensive lineman Morgan Fox, took second in the nation's most prestigious dog show.

The competition drew more than 3,000 purebred dogs, ranging from affenpinschers to Yorkshire terriers. The goal is to crown the dog that most represents the ideal for its breed.

Usually held in winter at New York City's Madison Square Garden, the show moved to the suburban Lyndhurst estate last year and this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Westminster is often described as the Super Bowl of U.S. dog shows, and Winston aimed to make it so for Fox, a defensive lineman who was just signed by the Los Angeles Chargers and has played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Carolina Panthers.

Before the finals, Fox said he was «ecstatic» when Winston made it there.

«He's basically a superstar,» Fox said by phone Wednesday.

The dog came his way from his grandmother Sandy Fox, who has bred and shown Frenchies for years. Morgan grew up with one and said that as he watched Winston mature, he knew the dog was a winner in both appearance and character.

«He's a joy to be around,» Fox said. «He always walks around with as much of a smile on his face as a dog can have.»

Winston, currently the top-ranked dog in the country, faced Striker, a Samoyed that also made the finals