A bichon frise named Flynn was named Best in Show at the 2018 Westminster Dog Show

An adorable ball of fluff — also known as Flynn, a 5-year-old bichon frise — was named Best in Show Tuesday night at the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

His handler, Bill McFadden, has been showing the breed at the show since 1991, and he told The New York Times he thought this would be Flynn's last year competing. "It feels a little unreal," he said. "I came in expecting nothing and just hoping for a good performance and I think I got it." Other finalists included Lucy, a borzoi; a pug named Biggie; Slick the Border collie; the giant schnauzer Ty; Bean the Sussex spaniel; and Winston, a Norfolk terrier. Betty-Anne Stenmark, a longtime judge who has bred Saint Bernards, Salukis, and Dandie Dinmont terriers, had the jealousy-inducing job of choosing the winner.

Before the show, McFadden and his wife, Taffe, described what it takes to get Flynn ready: He gets a bath, and after being dried and trimmed, he's retrimmed several more times. They use shampoo, conditioner, and hairspray, plus a powder called Fairy Frost that "dries the drool on their face," Taffe McFadden told the Times. "You use a little bit of everything. It's a beauty show."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up