Vito the pug wins National Dog Show, but this N.J. dog triumphed, too

The 2024 National Dog Show was all about Vito the pug.

A pitch-perfect example of his breed, he took the toy group before being named best in show in the annual Thanksgiving afternoon broadcast.

Vito, the No. 1 pug in the country, also won best of his breed at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show before strutting his stuff to emerge victorious at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s dog show. The Pennsylvania competition happened last week and was telecast after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC, as it has been for 23 years.

Carolyn Koch of Chapel Hill, North Carolina owns the dog, whose registered name GCHG Andi In Cahoots. Vito’s handler, Michael Scott of Chesapeake City, Maryland, previously won the National Dog Show in 2008 with Holly the pointer. Last year, he won reserve best in show (runner-up) with New Jersey dog Pumpkin, a Dalmatian from Milltown, New Jersey

And this year, a Jersey dog named Houston also walked away with a win.

Houston, a Clumber spaniel, had National Dog Show hosts John O’Hurley and David Frei saying “wow” when he was announced as the winner of the sporting group.

The spaniel from Keyport bested all others in his group in his first time at the televised dog show.

“It was completely unexpected and amazing,” his handler, Lexie Ditlow, tells NJ Advance Media.

Houston turned 2 in October. Ditlow, who lives in Enola, Pennsylvania, has been showing the dog since he was 6 months old.

“It was a definitely a highlight of my career, for sure,” she says of the spaniel’s win, the biggest she’s had in her career.

Clumber spaniels are considered a rarer breed — “there’s probably 10 to 20, maybe max 30 litters of Clumbers born a year in the world,” Ditlow says.

“It’s good for dog shows when breeds like that do well because you get a little bit more exposure,” she says.

The bird dog breed was developed in England — the “Clumber” comes from Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire.

Houston, who lives with owner Jackie Hickey a block from the Raritan Bay, loves to swim and loves “zoomies” in the yard.

The dog, all fluffy white with brown markings on his ears, eye and nose, was born in Houston, so that’s what his breeder named him.

Hickey welcomed him home to Jersey when he was 3 months old.

She owns three male Clumber spaniels — the only Clumbers in the neighborhood.

“People often ask me ‘is this a mixed breed?’” she says. “They are a wonderful breed, but they’re a rare breed.”

While Hickey thought Houston had a chance of placing in the National Dog Show, she didn’t expect him to win the sporting group.

“(He’s) very young to be such a prestige group winner,” she says. “We’re super excited.”

Hickey works in New York as the director of a school for children with autism. She meets Ditlow and Houston at dog shows on the weekends.

She’s known Ditlow for more than 20 years. During that time, they moved from Newfoundlands to Clumbers. Both breeds have a “beautiful headpiece,” Hickey says — but be prepared for plenty of drool.

“He drools a ton, but it’s adorable,” Ditlow says of the 85-pound dog, who is spending this week at home in Keyport.

READ MORE: Meet N.J. man behind the National Dog Show Thanksgiving tradition

“They always having something in their mouth, they’re always carrying something,” Hickey says of Clumbers.

“They’re just really goofy and silly,” Ditlow says.

As for the rest of the winners at the National Dog Show, Verde, a Welsh terrier handled by Gabriel Rangel of Rialto, California, won second place, or reserve best in show, after winning the terrier group.

Monty, a giant schnauzer from Chaplin, Connecticut, won the working group; The Zit, an Ibizan hound from Spring Hill, Florida, won the hound group; Rupert, a berger Picard from Shingle Springs, California, won the herding group; and JJ, a Lhasa apso from Sabot Virginia, won the non-sporting group.

In 2023, Stache, a Sealyham terrier from Cochranville, Pennsylvania, won best in show.

There will be an encore presentation of the National Dog Show Sunday, Dec. 1 from 4 to 6 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.

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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup.

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