Tim McGraw Is ‘So Proud’ of Dog Lepshi for Winning ‘Best in Breed’ at Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Tim McGraw’s dog, Lepshi, is also celebrated in his own right!
“So proud of Lepshi!! He’s always been a winner in our eyes,” the “I Need You” crooner, 56, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, May 9. “Lepshi won best of breed today for the Bracco Italiano, the first year for the breed at Westminster.”
The famed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show took place earlier this month at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. The annual event is a competition for purebred dogs, where judges watch pups from all backgrounds show off their best tricks. The competition marked the first time that there was a specific category for the Italian hunting breed.
“He’s a wonderful ambassador for the breed,” Lepshi’s handler, Ryan Wolfe, told the Associated Press of the 6-year-old canine. “Lepshi aces the breed's trademark ground-covering trot [and] he loves everybody.”
After Lepshi won his category, the pup moved on to the semifinal round before he was ultimately eliminated.
Several of McGraw’s famous friends applauded the pup’s achievement. Rita Wilson replied "wow" while Garrett Hedlund — who previously asked the Blind Side star to be his and ex Emma Roberts’ son Rhodes’ godfather — sent three red heart emojis.
The 1883 actor — along with his wife, Faith Hill — have owned several Bracco Italiano dogs through the years. In addition to Lepshi, the pair currently share pups Caesar and Stromboli.
“He’s a glorified bird dog is all he is,” McGraw quipped of Stromboli during an August 2020 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I think he’s called an Italian Bracco. We had a family of those dogs and he’s the last one left [and] we named them all Italian names [because of their breed].”
After host Kelly Clarkson further gushed over footage of Stromboli singing with McGraw’s daughter Maggie, the country crooner replied: “To be fair, he sings a lot better than me. I’m probably the worst singer in the house.”
McGraw and Hill, 55, later welcomed Lepshi into their brood before he eventually joined the competitive circuit.
In addition to being proud puppy parents, McGraw and Hill have had their hands full raising daughters Gracie, 26, Maggie, 24, and Audrey, 21.
“They’re all completely different creatures, but they all have big hearts,” the “Just to See You Smile” singer gushed to Good Morning America in June 2022. “They are all very polite and they really respect people, and they all feel like they wanna make a difference in the world. Hopefully, we’ve instilled that into them.”
Sign up for Us Weekly's free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
He added at the time: “I think we see each other in all three of ‘em. There’s little parts of us in all three of ‘em. … We’ve always also given them the opportunity to sort of explore themselves and find out who they are and try things.”
