Now you can call him Numero “Uno.”
Barking beagle Uno won over a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd last night, taking Best in Show at the 132nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
He made history as the first beagle to be named top dog, and received a standing ovation when judge Dr. J. Donald Jones awarded him the ribbon.
The 3-year-old pooch strutted around the Garden’s green carpet like a rock star.
“The energy was very high. It was something I can’t explain,” said Uno’s handler, Aaron Wilkerson.
Beagles are one of America’s most popular breeds, but they’ve been passed over for years by Westminster judges.
On Monday, Uno became the first beagle to make the final since 1939.
“Snoopy would be proud,” Wilkerson quipped at the time.
Uno faced some serious competition from two perfectly manicured poodles, an Australian shepherd just returning to the circuit after giving birth to nine puppies, a Sealyham terrier, a Weimaraner and an Akita.
But he was more than up to the task, and seemed to revel in his celebrity as he barked and howled a delightful “ah-roo” up to the rafters.
More than 169 breeds and varieties were represented at the show, which had 2,627 entries. Among them was newspaper heiress Patty Hearst Shaw’s French bulldog, who competed on Monday.
Hearst, who made headlines as a kidnap-victim bank robber in the ’70s, said, “When people find out it’s me, it’s like it doesn’t make sense.”
Additional Reporting by Rita Delfiner, With Post Wire Services