Pug Vito and handler Michael Scott will be awarded Best in Show at the 2024 National Dog Show.

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Steve Donahue/seespotrunphoto.com

Vito, a pug, won Best in Show at the 2024 National Dog Show, the first time the breed has won the top honor since the show began in 2002. Vito bested more than 1,900 dogs from more than 200 breeds that competed in this year’s event.

Vito, a small breed dog from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, craned his neck to look up at his handler Michael Scott when the award was announced, as if trying to understand what all the fuss was about. Show judge George Milutinovich, who said Vito had beautiful expression and movement, asked Scott if the pug knew he had won.

“He’s very smug,” Scott said. “I think he knows.”

Vito, the award-winning pug, stands on the floor at the National Dog Show.

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Vito beat out six other finalists for best show in the annual canine event hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and broadcast on NBC on Thanksgiving Day, including a Clumber Spaniel named Houston from the sporting group The Zit, an Ibizan hound from Philadelphia hunting dog group, a Berger Picard named Rupert from the herding group, a giant schnauzer named Monty from the working group and JJ, a Lhasa Apso from the non-sporting group. Verde, a rust and black Welsh terrier from the terrier group, secured second place, known as Reserve Best in Show.

According to the American Kennel Club, Pugs live to love and be loved. The “small but mighty” pug was once the mischievous companion of Chinese emperors and is adored by millions of fans around the world, according to the AKC.

The National Dog Show was founded in 1879 and has been held annually since 1933. It has been televised since 2002 and has become a popular Thanksgiving tradition, with an estimated 20 million animal lovers tuning in, according to Purina, which hosted the show. This year a new breed, the Lancashire Heeler, made its debut at the show after being added to the AKC’s list of official dog breeds in January.