Scotty, a Pekingese with Pedigree, Fetches Top Honors at New Jersey Dog Show

(MORRISTOWN, New Jersey ) — In an iceless New Jersey skating rink in July, 573 dogs competed for top honors at the annual Twin Brooks Kennel Club dog show.  Best in Show went to the pet of someone who knows a thing or two about dogs: Donald Sturz, president of the Westminster Kennel Club.

It was Sturz’s 18-month-old Pekingese, Scotty, who wowed the judges at William G. Mennen Sports Arena on July 12 and 13, winning Best in Show both days.

“He’s a fun dog to show. He’s got a great character,”  said the Brooklyn-based Sturz during a break in the competition.

While Scotty won Best in Show, George Paws Washington, a Rottweiler, won the day’s lunchtime costume contest. [Credit: Abbey O’Brien]

Scotty’s own royal line sits closer to home. He was sired by the 2021 Westminster Best in Show winner, GCHG CH Pequest Wasabi, and bred by famed Pekingese breeder and two-time Westminster winner David Fitzpatrick. 

Although Scotty did not compete in the famed New York City dog show in February, thanks to Sturz, Scotty does have an insider view of next year’s plans.

The week after the latest 2026 event, organizers began planning for 2027, Sturz said.  In May, Westminster announced a broadcast partnership with Netflix. Additionally, it will soon reveal the name of the event’s next announcer after Michael LaFave, the voice of the show for over 25 years, retired. The new announcer is set to be “somebody who’s well known … both in the … world of athletics, but also has had a connection to Westminster,” Sturz hinted.

Recently, the kennel club unveiled the slate of judges for next year’s show, an honor both Sturz and Fitzpatrick have held in previous years, with Fitzpatrick most recently crowning Penny, a Doberman pinscher, the 2026 winner.

When Fitzpatrick bestowed the gleaming yellow and purple ribbons on Penny, Michelle and James Van Lommel, a pair of spectators at the Morristown event,  were watching at home.

Growing up with Irish Setters, Michelle used to watch Westminster with her grandmother every year. When her grandmother passed, “I just kept watching,” she said.

While it was their first time attending a dog show, they were there with a purpose. The Van Lommels learned about the Twin Brooks Kennel Club event from a friend who told them, “If you want to find a breeder, go to a dog show.” With plans of getting a Doberman of their own by the end of the year, partly inspired by their neighbor’s Doberman, Ginger, who passed away about a month earlier, show day was about research.

Michelle believes Dobermans are a misunderstood breed. “And they’re also just very silly,” she said. 

Judge Ricardo Oliveira Dias assesses the final seven dogs in the Best in Show line-up , including a Doberman pinscher. [Credit: Abbey O’Brien]

Biermann, who was running the show for the first time, was proud of the mix of judges and notable attendees. The appearance of Sturz, whom Biermann calls a friend, was cause for excitement, as was the inclusion of two international judges: Ricardo Oliveira Dias from Brazil and Xun (Jimmie) Wu from China. 

“The U.S. has plenty of judges to judge, but some people have an idea what they’re going to do. They know what they like and this and that. So this year I brought in two judges from overseas,” said Biermann three days before the event. “I think this is only their second or third time judging in the States. But it’s also what I like is, nobody knows their style, or you know what they like.” 

It’s a decision Biermann weighed carefully, just as the day’s nine total judges, including Katherine Wright, came to weigh the dogs in front of them.

“I was born into this … like so many are,” Wright said shortly after she finished judging the day’s four-to-six-month-old puppy competition. She pointed across the room to her father, George Wright, who stood in Ring Two judging a variety of terriers. 

Wright said you’ll find a lot of familial inspiration in the dog world, as with Sturz, who cited family as the reason he became interested in dog shows.

“My sister was afraid of dogs,” he said. “And my parents thought the best way to get her past that was to get a dog, and so they got a Golden Retriever because our neighbor had one.” His family later entered him and the puppy into a Long Island match show —  a low-stakes practice competition sanctioned by the American Kennel Club.

“I loved it. And my parents were like, ‘This could be a fun activity,’ and the rest is history,” he said. 

Michelle and James Van Lommel watch the Irish Setters compete, a dog breed near and dear to Michelle. [Credit: Abbey O’Brien]