Ligonier Township golden retriever Daniel wins group at National Dog Show

He could well be Ligonier Township’s most accomplished best friend.

It’s doubtful many other dogs could claim the fame that Daniel has in the past couple years.

The 5-year-old golden retriever, whose full name is Jack Daniels, racked up another feather in his cap by winning the best sporting dog title at the 18th annual “The National Dog Show Presented by Purina,” just outside of Philadelphia.

His handler, Karen Mammano, proudly showed him off. The choice came as a surprise to the hosts.

DANIEL THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER WINS THE GROUP ? pic.twitter.com/wZlosED4nE

— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) November 28, 2019

Having won his group, Daniel was a finalist for best in show, up against six other dogs.

“When he gets out there, he knows what his job is,” Mammano recently told WHEC-TV.

But while she and Daniel love the competition, Mammano says it’s important to remember that Daniel, like all show dogs, is really a best friend at heart.

“They never asked to do this, so I think it’s important for anybody who gets into dogs and dog shows, to remember that they are not machines,” said Mammano, a resident of Webster, N.Y.

It’s the second year in a row Daniel has come away with the best in breed title, but the first in which he competed for best in show at the national event.

In the end, the judges didn’t pick Daniel for best in show. That honor went to the bulldog Thor, winner of the non-sporting group.

According to k9data.com, Daniel is owned by Tammy Tomlinson, Jim Cohen and Robert Samios. Tomlinson runs Hillock Golden Retrievers kennel in Ligonier Township.

Daniel can lay claim to 19 best-in-show titles, 26 best-in-specialties wins and the 2019 GRCA National Specialty title.

“He is exactly what a golden retriever should be,” Tomlinson told the Tribune-Review a year ago.

Tomlinson has been breeding golden retrievers for 45 years, many of them competitive show dogs. She currently owns 17 and says Daniel might be the best she’s seen. “Anything could happen around him and it wouldn’t phase him,” Tomlinson said.

In recent years, the National Dog Show has become an annual Thanksgiving Day tradition. Its history dates back to 1879 and is currently sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.