This tiny toasted marshmallow won 2023’s National Dog Show

While turkeys are instrumental to Thanksgiving, they aren’t the only animals that are important to the holiday. NBC has once again upheld its Thanksgiving Day tradition of broadcasting the National Dog Show, treating to Americans visions of furry good boys to accompany their inevitable food comas.

Now in its 22nd year, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s National Dog Show was actually held last weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. Fortunately for dog lovers who weren’t in the area, NBC offered the chance to catch up with this year’s canines after the conclusion of Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

The annual dog show attracted 1850 dogs from across the U.S., a gathering which included a total of 199 different breeds. As in previous years, these dogs were divided into seven different divisions to be judged: Herding, Hound, Non-Sporting, Sporting, Terrier, Toy and Working.

The judges then assessed each pup according to their “mental image of the perfect dog as described in the breed’s official standard.” This included looking at factors such as their overall appearance and temperament, as well as whether they have characteristics suited to whatever task their particular breed was bred to do.

That means being the cutest, best good boy in the whole world won’t necessarily win a dog a prize — an oversight I must assume was only allowed because commissioning 1850 medals was outside the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s budget.

This year, the title of Best in Show 2023 went to Stache the Sealyham Terrier, who is also known as GCHP Goodspice Efbe Money Stache. The winner of the Terrier Group, Stache went on to beat the other six division champions for the top prize, including runner up Pumpkin the Dalmation, the Non-Sporting Group winner.

Stache’s handler Margery Good accepted the award, which includes a $20,000 prize, while Stache accepted a little treat for all his good work.