The Westminster Dog Show in New York City is famous for handing out its coveted award: The most beautiful dog in the world, or "Best of Show." Who is the world's most beautiful dog in 2023, and is its award deserved?

The Westminster Kennel Dog Show brings us the joy of doggy-lovin' each and every year, with awards for almost anything dog-related you could think of. "Best in Show" is widely believed to be an award given to the most beautiful dogs to have ever graced us with their Earthly presence. It's voted on based on the winning of categories that include best hunting dog, working dog, and more.

So, which dog has taken home the coveted "Best in Show" award and is thus the current animal record holder for the most beautiful dog in the world? What are the world's most beautiful dogs in 2022 and 2023? Let's take a look!

Buddy Holly, a Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, took home the coveted award of "Best in Show" at the 2023 Westminster Kennel Dog Show. Having also taken home the awards in the first group, dubbed "The Hounds," Holly took home the show with the first win "Best in Show" win for any dog of her breed.

Her handler, Janice Hayes, was particularly impressed and excited by the win, emotionally telling FOX Sports, "I have dreamed of this since I was nine years old, so I'm not going to tell you how many years ago, but it's been a while."

The gorgeous little doggo won both first prize in the Hunting Dogs category and the highly coveted "Best in Show" award. Largely agreed upon as being equivalent to an award for being the world's most beautiful dog, this achievement is something that many dog owners aspire to in the US.

"This is a breed that I have been passionate about for over twenty years, and to do it with a dog of this quality... And to have the breeder here, and my husband, and hi everyone else, we just won Best in Show, at Westminster!"

Buddy Holly grew up in Palm Springs, California, and quickly ascended toward the heights of American dog shows. Having come originally from France, this gorgeous little pooch has lived across a good amount of the US, the United Kingdom, and even Australia.

The most beautiful dog or "Best in Show" award was selected after all other group stages had been awarded. In the mix was a huge selection of doggos, each the winner in their respective categories, who then had to compete for the coveted award.

These winners included the following dogs:

• Buddy Holly (Hound group)
• Rummy (Pekingese, toy dogs)
• Winston (French bulldog, non-sporting dogs)
• Ribbon (Australian shepherd, herding dogs)
• Cider (English settler, sporting dog)
• Trouble (American Staffordshire terrier, terrier dogs)
• Monty (Giant schnauzer, working dogs)

Having beaten all of his competitors, Buddy Holly became the world record holder for the most beautiful dog, and the Best in Show award holder at Westminster Kennel Dog Show 2023.

Buddy Holly was the show's winner in 2023, but in our opinion, the 2022 winner truly takes the ticket when it comes to pure extravagance. Also winning in the same group stage as Buddy Holly, Trumpet is a giant bloodhound who comes from a very prominent family. Big, brawny, and incredibly sweet, this was one dog that truly deserved the accolade going his way.

Trumpet's owner did not adopt him by accident. Indeed, this male doggo has been extremely successful in multiple award shows and came from a family of winners - his father won first place in the hunting dogs category back in 2014. Having competed against more than 3,000 other doggos, Trumpet shone in the spotlight as 2022's "Best in Show."

At the time that he became the "Best in Show" for the Westminster Kennel Dog Show 2022, Trumpet was only four years old. He was the first bloodhound in 146 years to take home the prize and is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful dogs in the world.

There is not one single "most beautiful dog." Sure, some people will point to various breeds, including the husky, samoyed, or golden retriever, as being the most beautiful dog breeds, but there is no agreed-upon winner of the most beautiful dog ever. Instead, the true answer to your question is much more simple.

The most beautiful dog to have ever graced this planet will always be the one that you have identified with the most. Your love and respect for the pooch who calls your house home are worth their weight in gold - and your doggo will always be the most beautiful to you!

The saying goes that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While that is, of course, partially true, it's interesting to try and understand why it is that we humans love dogs so much and consider them so cute and beautiful. What makes a dog beautiful? The answer, interestingly, is chemical.

Writing for The Conversation, Deborah Wells from the Queen's University of Belfast shared that the beauty and cuteness we perceive in all our dogs largely come down to their large heads and big, round eyes. Other factors in our perception of doggo cuteness include their fluffy fur and floppy ears, all of which bring a constant smile to our faces.

"A lot of these characteristics (with the exception of the wagging tails) are very similar to those of a baby," wrote Wells. "Research has shown that if we look at a picture of a baby and a picture of a puppy, our brains respond in the same way, flooding our body with feelgood chemicals."

The research she is referring to is a 2012 study by Stephen Hamann, which looked at the neural circuits that trigger our "cute" response. What was discovered is that the triggers that cause us to see something as cute have everything to do with anatomy but nothing to do with the specific species we are looking at.

Thus, dogs are considered cute or beautiful because of the natural responses that we have as a result of neurological and chemical triggers in our brains. As a result, it seems fitting to say that while beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, it might not be as subjective as we thought!