‘Perfect end’: Miniature poodle Sage wins best in show at Westminster in handler’s farewell

A miniature poodle named Sage is America’s top canine after earning the title of best in show on Tuesday night at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, sending her veteran handler into retirement on the highest of notes.

Related: Sage the miniature poodle named Westminster’s best in show – as it happened

The perfectly manicured non-sporting group winner from Houston with the shiny jet-black coat was the last dog standing after a winnowing-down process that began on Monday morning with more than 2,500 canines in 213 breeds and varieties hailing from all 50 states and a dozen other countries, including Canada, Japan, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates.

Sage’s handler, 65-year-old Kaz Hosaka of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, who began showing at Westminster when he was 20 and had said this year’s show would be his last, was immediately overwhelmed by emotion after judge Rosalind Kramer’s decision was announced to the crowd of several thousand onlookers inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I’ve been here for 45 years in America,” a teary-eyed Hosaka said. “I’ve been lucky. Did a lot, especially at Westminster. This is my seventh group win for poodles. That’s more than I could ask for. This is my perfect end. I cannot ask for more than this.”

On a drizzly Tuesday evening at the home of the US Open tennis tournament, Sage won the crown over a stacked field with six other group winners, among them a German shepherd named Mercedes (awarded reserve best in show), a black cocker spaniel named Micha, a colored bull terrier named Frankie and a popular Afghan hound named Louis. A fifth, the sassy Comet, was attempting to become the first ever shih tzu to take the top prize. Another, a giant schnauzer named Monty, made it to the final seven after winning the working group for a second consecutive year only to again be pipped at the final hurdle.

“She did it for me today and she did it yesterday,” Hosaka said. “Poodles are not easy. Sometimes they pick the day [they feel like showing]. But she did it yesterday and today. And even in best in show, with all the echoes and a lot of people applauding, it’s not easy but she managed it. I was more nervous than maybe she was, but I’m so excited.”

It was a fairytale ending for Hosaka, who moved to the United States from Japan in 1979 with a dream of winning America’s most prestigious dog show. He finally achieved it in 2002 with another miniature poodle called Surrey Spice Girl, Sage’s great-grandmother, but a return trip to the mountaintop proved elusive.

“This is my 45th Westminster,” Hosaka said. “It took me 22 years to win the first best in show. Took me another 22 years, today, to win second best in show.”

As he basked in the afterglow late Tuesday night, Hosaka reflected on what made him decide it was the right time to walk away.

“Showing poodles for 45 years is not easy,” he said. “I used to show so many poodles every week, 150 shows [in a year], and I have no time. Busy grooming, washing, getting ready for dog shows, coming home, washing all the dogs again. And my wife for 30 years supported me. I don’t want to retire because I’m sick or my wife gets sick. Both of us are healthy and we’d like to enjoy life together.”

At a news conference following Tuesday’s win, Hosaka confirmed Sage will be joining him in retirement, where she can finally leave the glamorous life behind.

“I don’t have to worry about hair,” he said. “She can scratch anything she want. She can get wet, go outside the rain. So she be like a normal dog. She’s going to be wonderful, wonderful pet and companion.”