On Tuesday night, judges crowned California Journey the German shorthaired pointer best in show at the 140th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Coincidentally, his top spot in the country's most prestigious dog show was announced on his third birthday, according to the Westminster Kennel Club.
The dog, who goes by CJ for short, won out over nearly 3,000 other dogs of 199 breeds and varieties, The Associated Press reported.
“It's exactly like what I imagined,” co-owner, breeder and handler Valerie Nunes-Atkinson told the wire service. CJ is also owned by Alice Manning and Yvonne Hassler-Deterding.
Judge Richard Meen called CJ an “outstanding example of the breed,” according to NPR.
Reserve best in show, a prize second only to best in show, went to a borzoi named Lucy, according to the Westminster Kennel Club.
CJ also beat out a German shepherd, shih tzu, Samoyed, Skye terrier and bulldog for his new title. According to the AP, it was his 18th overall best in show win.
The title didn't include any cash prize but instead “valuable breeding rights in the near future and a legacy in dogdom forever,” AP reported.
It was only the third time a German shorthaired pointer took the top prize, KTLA reported.
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