Dog that "never stops wagging her tail" is crowned top dog!
Birmingham, UK - A four-year-old pup from Croatia has been crowned top dog at Crufts, the show claiming to be "the greatest dog event in the world."
The international dog show in England bestowed its top prize of Best In Show on Sunday night to Orca, of the Lagotto Romagnolo breed.
The sweet-natured animal, according to one of her owners Ante Lucin, never stops wagging her tail.
"Orca is everything you could ever want in a dog, she is happy and healthy – and as everybody saw, her tail never stops wagging," Lucin said.
Orca prevailed over 19,000 other dogs at the competition. This is the first time a Lagotto Romagnolo has won the prestigious title.
The dog breed is considered "lively and affectionate," according to the Kennel Club, the governing body of British dog breeders' clubs, and the dogs are originally trained to forage and hunt for mushrooms in Italy because of their strong sense of smell. Its name in Italian means "curly coated duck retriever."
Orca's handler Javier Gonzalez Mendikote, reportedly drove 25 hours to compete at the dog show, and couldn't continue his excitement over the win: "I have worked for the last 20 years to achieve something like this in my life."
Orca the Best In Show dog is "a little superstar"
The win is "really important" not only for Orca, but "great for the breed," which is growing in popularity in the UK and US, said Mendikote.
Her owner Lucin called Orca's win "very emotional."
"We know she is a little superstar but this is beyond all expectations. I was crying too much watching from the seats," he added.
The famous dog show is named after its founder, Charles Cruft, who organized the first competition under that name - then called Cruft's Greatest Dog Show - in London in 1891. Crufts is an institution in the UK.
"What a winner!" the competition tweeted of Orca in a congratulatory post.
It's safe to say her tail is definitely still wagging.
Cover photo: OLI SCARFF / AFP