Saxonburg native Chanel Lefever and her five-year-old beagle, Victor, are awarded Best of Variety at the 2026 Westminster Dog Show on Monday, Feb. 2, in New York City. Submitted photo

For the last decade and a half, Saxonburg dog breeder Chanel Lefever has taken a week out of her year to try her luck at the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in New York City. This month, for the first time, she came back to Saxonburg with bragging rights courtesy of a five-year-old beagle named Victor.

In a class of 21 15-inch beagles, Victor — whose official competition name is “GCHS CH Glade Mill L’Attente” — brought home Best of Breed, advancing to the second day of competition at Madison Square Garden and earning the right to compete for Best in Show.

“When we got there and we got onto the floor ... you could feel the energy of the crowd and hear all of the applause,” Lefever said. “He just totally lit up. He was just so excited to be there. It was just a really special experience to see that confidence come out.”

For Victor and Lefever, this year’s competition was a full-circle moment. In 2017, when Lefever was 17, she brought Victor’s mother, Mako, to compete at Westminster. Mako ultimately won a ribbon for Select Bitch, meaning she was the second-most prestigious dog in her category.

At the age of 5, Victor is used to the bright lights and spectacle of New York. This year’s Westminster Dog Show was his second appearance.

“He did fantastic in the city,” Lefever said. “He loves people and he’s not really fazed by noises or anything like that. I think the biggest challenge was getting him to go to the bathroom on the city sidewalks, but we overcame that.”

Lefever first entered Westminster competition as a breeder in 2014. Prior to then, she made two appearances in the dog show’s junior showmanship handler competition. Although Lefever has taken home lesser honors in prior years, this year marks her first Best of Breed title.

“At the breed level, we’ve gotten ‘Best of Opposite’ or ‘Select’ before, but this was our first time winning Best of Breed,” Lefever said. “Once you win Best of Breed, you go on to the group and you can place or win the group. And then you go onto Best in Show from there.”

When she isn’t entering dog shows, Lefever maintains a hobby kennel in Saxonburg along with her mother, Laura, and sister, Brigette. According to the kennel’s website, the family currently manages Vizsla sporting dogs, three of each gender, and 15 hounds, five male including Victor, and 10 female.

While Westminster isn’t the only dog show she takes part in each year, Lefever said it stands apart from the rest.

“We go to many, many dog shows all year long,” Lefever said. “But Westminster is like our Super Bowl. It’s just prestigious.”