Great Dane wins Animal Foundation’s Best in Show in Las Vegas

After 51 dogs strutted their stuff Sunday in The Animal Foundation’s 16th annual Best in Show, one stood head and shoulders above the rest.

Dottie, a 4-year-old Great Dane, won the crowd over with her lanky gait and dappled gray coat, drawing thunderous applause from hundreds at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The tallest in the large-dog group, Dottie beat out three dogs — based on cheering from the audience — from the small, variety and medium categories; she was adopted for $450.

“We actually have an adopted chihuahua as well,” said Linda Javier, 28.

Javier and her dad, Tomas, considered going to a breeder to find a Great Dane, but decided they would try to save a life and search for a dog that needed to be rescued. Linda Javier felt a connection to Dottie from the moment she saw a photo.

“We were looking at the website and the different dogs and I told my dad, ‘That dog needs to be ours,’” she said.

Unlike the Javiers, Patti Gotelli didn’t intend to adopt Sunday.

“I said I wasn’t going to,” Gotelli said with a laugh as she filled out adoption paperwork after the show.

Gotelli already had four small dogs, including the winner of 2016’s Best in Show, and a dog she adopted from the foundation in January 2018.

She changed her mind when she saw photos of a scrawny, gray 10-month-old schnauzer-Maltese mix with a frizzy hairdo and learned that he likes riding in the backseat of cars. Gotelli bid $1,750 to have her pick of the litter and chose Baxter, the winner in the small-dog category.

Animal Foundation spokeswoman Kelly Leahy said the event is the organization’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and 100 percent of the money raised goes toward life-saving programs, including adoptions, fostering and spay and neuter procedures. An estimate for how much money was raised wasn’t available Sunday night, but last year’s event raised nearly $400,000, Leahy said.

Best in Show also serves to showcase the variety of breeds the foundation takes in every day, she said.

“I think some people have a preconceived notion that there’s just a few certain kinds of dogs that come to the shelter, but you’ll see that every variety of dog out there,” Leahy said.

Leahy said the foundation takes in an average of 80 animals per day, though the majority are dogs.

“It’s not just about these dogs. It helps to raise awareness about shelter dogs in general,” Leahy said. “… You’re saving a life, and when you adopt a rescue pet, you’re also making room for another rescue pet to come into the kennel.”

Only three dogs in Sunday’s show were not adopted and were still available at the foundation, 655 N. Mojave Road, Leahy said Sunday night: Octavia, a toy spaniel mix; Sir Dawson, a miniature schnauzer; and Rain, a Dutch shepherd.

Contact Kimber Laux at klaux@reviewjournal.com. Follow @lauxkimber on Twitter.