Meet The Surprising German Shepherd Who Won The 2017 Westminster Dog Show

Rumor, a five-year-old German shepherd was the crowd favorite to win Westminster's Best in Show title last year but was beaten out at the last moment by a German shorthair. This year, she surprised everyone by coming out of retirement to claim the title. Find out more here!

Elsa Amelia
Created by Elsa Amelia
On Feb 15, 2017
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In 2016, Rumor, a German shepherd, and her owner, Kent Boyles all but stepped up to claim the prize for Best in Show when the announcer read "German sh-" and were devastated when sh- became shorthair. Disappointed, they returned home to retire Rumor and begin breeding puppies.

But after Rumor failed to conceive a litter, Boyle decided to surprise the world by bringing her back out of retirement to compete for the title of Best in Show once again in 2017. And, amazingly, this time, she won, only the second German shepherd in history to do so.

While German shepherds are often crowd favorites in the Westminster dog show (New Yorkers love the breed, associating them with the NYPD and FDNY), the only other German shepherd to have ever taken the Best in Show title was the 1987 champion, Manhattan. WKC President Sean McCarthy said of the breed:

It's a recognizable dog, people have liked them for a long, long time. I think it goes back to Rin Tin Tin.

Sean McCarthy

Modesto Bee, February 14, 2017

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One of the judges, Thomas Bradley III, said of Rumor's win:

The German shepherd standard talks about quality and nobility. When you recognize it, it hits you at home, and that's what it really is. She is just magnificent.

Thomas Bradley III

Modesto Bee, February 14, 2017

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Rumor will now be retiring and trying again for puppies. But now, what we want to know is...

Which of these is your favorite dog breed?

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