Tim McGraw's dog Lepshi, a bracco Italiano, won Best of Breed at the Westminster dog show
- The Westminster Kennel Club crowned a Best in Show winner on May 9, 2023.
- But before that, they picked a Best in Breed for all 210 breeds.
Country superstar Tim McGraw was able to add another award to his trophy case this week after Lepshi, a dog he co-owns, took home the Best in Breed trophy at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on May 9.
Lepshi is a bracco Italiano, an Italian breed of pointing dog. This was the very first year that the breed was allowed to participate, since they were only recently recognized by the American Kennel Club.
McGraw posted about his excitement on Instagram.
"So proud of Lepshi!! He's always been a winner in our eyes," he wrote.
Lepshi, who is 6 years old, is just one of a few bracco Italianos owned by McGraw and his wife, Faith Hill. In 2020, McGraw posted a video about his two other appropriately named braccos, Caesar and Stromboli.
But this week was all about Lepshi. "He's a wonderful ambassador for the breed," said Ryan Wolf, who handles the dog for McGraw and his co-owners, Kristi Libertore, Tony Libertore, Jenell Tonini-Zanotto, according to the Associated Press.
While Lepshi was named the best of his breed, he was eliminated during the semi-finals on Tuesday. The eventual Best in Show trophy went to Buddy Holly, a 6-year-old "PBGV," or petit basset griffon Vendéen. Buddy Holly broke boundaries just like Lepshi did — he was the very first PBGV to ever win Westminster.
"I never thought a PBGV would do this," Buddy's handler and co-owner Janice Hayes said, AP reported. "Buddy Holly is the epitome of a show dog. Nothing bothers him."