Orangevale resident and furry companion bring home win at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

An Orangevale resident won Best Junior Handler at the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on Sunday.

Lily Bennett, age 16, won the junior showmanship competition alongside a 7-year-old wirehaired pointing griffon. She beat 74 other entrants to bring home the top prize, which comes with a $10,000 scholarship to a college of Bennett’s choosing.

But the win did not come without a few bumps in the road.

When Bennett took to the field in Tarrytown, New York, alongside the dog — who is officially known as GCHG Whiskeytown Stonehenge Riding Shotgun JH — it was actually her first time showing him. She has competed for years alongside another wirehaired pointing griffon named Goose, and was prepared to take him to Westminster this year. But two weeks before the competition, Goose got sick, and was not able to travel across the country.

Bennett ended up competing with Goose’s half-brother, whom she only met two days before the show. She told KMAX-TV’s “Good Day Sacramento” program on Tuesday that given the sudden turn of events, she “didn’t go in expecting anything,” and certainly did not anticipate that she would receive the highest honors in the junior competition.

“I was — not going to lie — extremely nervous; I was shaking the entire time I was in the ring,” Bennett told “Good Day Sacramento.” “But the dog knows what it’s supposed to do. I honestly couldn’t thank the dog enough for knowing what it was supposed to do for me.”

According to Westminster officials, the junior showmanship competition judges children and teens on their “handling skills independent of the traits of the dog.” The juniors competition is held separately from the televised program that takes place at Madison Square Garden.

“Handling, care and responsible dog ownership are important aspects ... as well as learning social skills, sportsmanship, and the opportunity to bond with one’s dog,” the kennel club says on its website.

Bennett is no stranger to Westminster — she competed in the 2018 and 2019 shows. Now that she has won, she plans to compete internationally next year. She can continue to compete in the junior division until she turns 18.

Bennett plans to eventually use her scholarship to study animal sciences.