Winner of the Purina National Dog Show 2009 Thanksgiving Day - Winner was the Favored Dog -A Scotish Terrier

Thanksgiving Day means giving thanks and watching the National Dog Show, which is the most famous of all dog exhibitions in this country. This two day competition takes place in Philadelphia every year. Thanksgiving Day, NBC is televising the 2009 National Dog Show started at noon, EST.

This year again, John O'Hurley of Dancing with the Stars and Seinfeld fame hosted the event. Prizes for best in each breed were awarded, one each for the seven classes of dogs entered in the National Dog Show.

The classes represent what each dog was originally bred for. Each of the more than 150 registered breeds and varieties are assigned to one of the seven groups.

This years's winner was a Scottish Terrier, Sadie. As in any sport or competition, there is a favored to win for this year's National Dog Show. Her name is "Sadie", a Scottish terrier and she won "Best In Show".

Sadie's handler, Gabriel Rangel, is originally from Mexico City. He has become a star in the line of dog handlers in America. Sadie, with Rangel as her handler, won "Best of Group" award for the terrier group at last year's Westminster Dog Show in New York. The Scottish terrier is one of the best known terriers in the world.

Sporting Group: DJ, Labrador Retriever
Working Group: CJ, Doberman Pinscher
Terrier Group: Sadie, Scottish Terrier *****Best In Show
Hound Group: Cupid, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen
Herding Group: Roy, Bearded Collie
Non-sporting Group: Razzle Dazzle, Bulldog
Toy Group: Major, Miniature Pinscher

*****Sadie has earned her 100th Best in Show with this win

The groups are:

Terrier Group - Most terriers have evolved from the British Isles, all but two of the register breeds come from this area. The geography of the area that the terrier comes from is what determines the exact duties of that breed.

Toy Group - This group of dogs have been breed for nothing else but for companions to humans.

Working Group - Most dogs in this group are powerful and intelligent. They were bred to do various tasks for people, such as working on farms, guard homes, guide dogs, military dogs, police dogs and service dogs for hunters.

Sporting Group - This breed of dogs were bred after the invention of the gun. These are the dogs that point and mark game or flush game, with some such as retrievers, recovering game.

Hound Group - These dogs are no longer classified as sporting dogs, as they originally were. The dogs in this class track by scent or sight and work independently of their owners, such as in a hunt where the hounds are followed by people on horseback.

Non-Sporting Group - Originally dogs were categorized as Sporting or non-sporting. Through out the years the other categories were developed such as hounds, working dogs, terriers, and the others. The Non-Sporting group is literally every breed that is left that does not fall under one of the other categories.

Herding Group - Dogs have this natural instinct from when they were in the wild. They are now used to herd on farms and ranches. Their only purpose is in keeping livestock together in a group and while moving them from one place to another.

20 million viewers watch the National Dog Show each year on Thanksgiving Day. This year it is on NBC and starts at noon.

References: NBC News