A whippet from Venice in Italy has been named best in show at the 2025 Crufts international dog show in the UK.
Crufts has been held annually since 1891 and is organised by The Kennel Club. It is the largest show of its kind anywhere.
This year, four-year-old Miuccia beat more than 18,000 dogs from around the world to claim the top award on March 9 at the NEC arena in Birmingham.
“It’s really a dream come true,” said her handler Giovanni Liguori. “I am truly overwhelmed. Miuccia performed her best.”
The top prize comes trophy and small cash prize of £200, according to the BBC, and it is the first time a dog from Italy has won best in show.
Mr Liguori said that was “incredible, it’s amazing”.
“As Italians we are super proud and means that we are doing a fantastic job.”
Viking, a two-year-old Tibetan Mastiff from Romania and his handler Gabriele Stafuzza won the Working Group title and was runner–up for the top prize.
Proud handler Gabriele said: “I have no words, just emotion. I want to feel all the emotion in this moment. He’s an amazing dog and he’s given a lot to us this year.”
The show combines a number of disciplines and categories, with owners and their families encouraged to be hands-on.
This year Crufts welcomed more than 130,000 visitors over the four-day show, plus more than 24,000 dogs.
The breed Cocker Spaniel has scooped the Best in Show title an impressive seven times followed by the Irish Setter, poodle and Welsh Terrier, which have all won on four occasions each.
The golden retriever was the largest individual breed entry for the second year in a row, with a total of 509 dogs. It was followed by the Labrador Retriever (485 entries) and the Cocker Spaniel (418).
While the majority of entries come from the UK, some 3,952 dogs from 50 countries travelled from abroad to attend the show. Countries with high numbers of entries included France (475), Germany (407), The Netherlands (376) and Italy (360).
The competition is named after of the founder of the event.
Charles Alfred Cruft was general manager of the dog biscuit manufacturer, Spratt’s, and travelled to shows around the world building up important contacts before setting up Crufts in 1891.
