National Dog Show: Golden Retriever Jack Daniels Wins Sporting Group Honor, and Fans Love It

Thor the Bulldog might have won Best in Show at the annual National Dog Show Presented by Purina on Thanksgiving Day, but social media fans thought the Golden Retriever Jack Daniels, also known as Daniel, was the real winner. Daniel was among the finalists for the top prize, and won the Sporting Group title Thursday. The dog is owned by Tammy Tomlinson of Ligonier, Pennsylvania and this was his second consecutive victory in the group.

Heading into the National Dog Show, Daniel was considered among the best Golden Retrievers in the country. He is the top-rated among his breed by the American Kennel Club following several victories in other shows around the country.

“He is exactly what a golden retriever should be,” Tomlinson told TribLive.com last year. In a prophetic comment, Tomlinson predicted, “This is our practice year. 2019 is when we’re going to get really serious with him.”

Tomlinson owns Hillock Goldens, a kennel that breeds golden retrievers. Last year, she said Daniel’s success has followed years of hard work, training and expert breeding.

“This particular dog is many generations of my own breeding, and not many people in the country get to that particular level,” Tomlinson explained.

According to K9data.com, Daniel has won 19 best in Shows and 26 Best in Specialities. He also won the 2019 GRCA National Speciality. His handler is Karen Mammano.

Although Daniel is referred to as just “Daniel” during shows, his full name Jack Daniels caught the attention of dozens of Twitter users who know Daniel might like a good whiskey. However, it should be noted that giving dogs any kind of alcohol is not really a good idea, as PetMD reports.

This year’s National Dog Show was filmed earlier this month at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center, but did not air until Thanksgiving, reports CNN. The show featured more than 2,000 dogs from over 193 different breeds competing for Best in Show.

The show featured a new breed, an Azawakh, which is known for being taller than it is long. It is bred in Africa as a hunter. The Azawakh’s handler was former Philadelphia police officer Aliya Taylor, the only person involved in the show wearing a hijab.

Ultimately, Thor won the top title, beating out Jack Daniels, as well as an Old English Sheepdog, a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, a Pharaoh Hound, a Siberian Husky and a Havanese.

Photo credit: Bill McCay/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images