Popular dogs land in the doghouse

When it comes to the most popular breeds in the US like dalmations, labrador retrievers and golden retrievers, almost all of them are in the Westminster doghouse.

Trudy looked like such a sweet Dalmatian. A black spot over her left eye, she gobbled down a pretzel treat and wagged her tail when a little girl in a Valentine's Day outfit came up to pet her.

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Only moments later Monday at the Westminster Kennel Club show, she lost it. Because when a respected judge tried to open her mouth for a closer look, Trudy growled.

"She misbehaved," owner-handler Janice Brennan said. "She was a bad thing."

Then again, maybe Trudy knew what was in store. Because when it comes to the most popular breeds in the United States, almost all of them are in the Westminster doghouse.

Dalmations, labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, beagles, Dachshunds - none of them have ever taken the coveted best in show title at America's most prestigious canine event. Instead, it's those terriers - wire fox terriers, smooth fox terriers, Norwich terriers, Scottish terriers and Kerry blue terriers. Overall, they've won 43 of 96 times.

"They're just such showy dogs," said Jackie Thatcher, who brought her wire fox from Texas to Madison Square Garden. "They just say, 'Look at me!"'

For sure, some dogs do seem to show up better than others on the green carpet. And before Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis, actress Glenn Close and the first sellout crowd in Westminster history, toy dogs did well during the early competition, making them a favorite for the sterling silver bowl Tuesday night. A pert Pomeranian co-owned by comedian Bill Cosby breezed in best of breed. Perched on one leg, Wicked Mean-N-Nasty's bright eyes lit up when he was picked.