This Miniature Poodle is a su-paw-star.
Sporting a flooffy blowout and primped paws, Sage won the Best in Show title at the 148th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Tuesday night at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
The 3-year-old pup bested a field of over 2,500 top-ranked dogs and was among seven group finalists after winning first place in the non-sporting group on Monday.
“I was so proud,” Sage’s handler, Kaz Hosaka, told The Post. “The poodle – you never know, with such a big audience, so much noise. She did more than I could have asked for.”
A German shepherd named Mercedes was named as the runner-up in the nation’s most prestigious dog show.
Hosaka admitted after the show that poodles in general are not easy to show and that he has been “very lucky,” according to Purina Pro Club.
Sage, from Houston, is the first female Best in Show winner since 2020, when Siba the standard poodle snagged the title.
Hosaka, of Greenwood, Delaware, announced after bringing Sage to victory that he is retiring after 45 Westminster Dog Shows.
“It was my dream to come to this country and win the Westminster Dog Show. It took me 22 years to win Best in Show the first time,” he told The Post. “Then after another 22 years, to win again … It’s the perfect close.”
Hosaka last won Best in Show in 2002 with Sage’s great-great-great-grandmother Spice.
After Sage enjoyed a special meal cooked by legendary chef Daniel Boulud on Wednesday, Hosaka told The Post their plans are now to relax.
“Sage and I are going to enjoy the life,” he said. “I’m excited to cut her hair so she can swim and play in the rain.”
Sage is the fourth miniature poodle to claim the Best in Show title and the first since Spice won. Previous wins for the breed were in 1943 and 1959.
Miniature poodles have played a significant role in Westminster history despite having only four Best in Show wins.
The breed has secured the first-place spot in the non-sporting group 20 times, and was the runner-up in that category eight times.
Of the over 200 competing breeds, poodle variations (standard, miniature and toy) have snagged 11 Best in Show wins.
It’s no surprise, either, since poodles are “natural showoffs and love being the center of attention,” according to PetPlan. As one of the smartest breeds out there, they are sometimes the most difficult to train, since their intelligence makes them highly stubborn. But show dog or not, the breed typically benefits from affection, attention and consistent training.
As for Sage, Westminster Kennel Club president Don Sturz said competition was tough, but the mini poodle clawed her way to the top.
“It comes down to, I think, which great dog is having a great night, and Sage was perfection in every moment last night,” Sturz said on “Good Morning America.”
The Westminster dog show is coming up on its 150th anniversary in 2026, and Sturz said it’s “become this international media event.”
“The world watches Westminster,” he told The Post. “It’s gone from being this historic event that’s such a significant part of not only New York City history, but it’s the second-largest continuously running sporting event in America,” behind only the Kentucky Derby.
“Everyone loves dogs,” he added. “You just get this incredible energy of people connecting with dogs, who have always been such an important part of our lives.”
While canines have to fight tooth and nail to win the big title, Sturz said they have lives like any other dogs outside of competition.
“It’s great for people to get to meet what they perceive as the show dogs, but then meet them and see that they’re actually also somebody’s pet,” Sturz laughed. “At the end of the day, they go home and are a dog just like anybody else’s dog.”
