[imagesource: Kathy Willens / AP]

I can barely write this article because maximum gigil has kicked in.

You know, the untranslatable Tagalog word to describe how one feels in the presence of overwhelming cuteness.

All because of a little fluffball Pekingese named Wasabi.

Waddling through a small-but-mighty turn in the ring, Wasabi nabbed one of US dogdom’s most prestigious prizes on Sunday; Best in Show at the 145th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

A whippet named Bourbon was the runner-up.

But Wasabi had that extra “sparkle” needed to win, according to Wasabi’s handler, breeder, and co-owner, David Fitzpatrick:

“He has showmanship. He fits the breed standard. He has that little extra something, that sparkle, that sets a dog apart.”

Judge Patricia Craige Trotter, a veteran judge, trainer, and handler, announced the Wasabi as the winner because:

“What’s not to like about this dog? … He stood there as though he was a lion.”

I mean, sure:

The Pekingese wins #BestInShow! Wow! #Wasabi #WestminsterDogShow2021 #WestminsterDogShow2021 pic.twitter.com/A23nqBW7Ky

— m pappa (@soxfanmimi) June 14, 2021

Per CNN, the Westminster Dog Show is the second-oldest continuous sporting event in the United States, after the Kentucky Derby:

It has run through world wars, previous pandemics and economic depressions. Last year, amid the pandemic, the event was moved to June

Mr Fitzpatrick also had another dog who won Best in Show in 2012 named Malachy.

Wasabi will be celebrating with a filet mignon while Mr Fitzpatrick said he would sip on some champagne, after mentioning that he thought Wasabi would “never” win:

Except…

You know how when you eat the green spicy paste and you get one hell of a nose whiplashing?

Well, the same can be said about this dog show because critics on Twitter have a bone to pick.

There’s online criticism for allegations of animal mistreatment and cultural appropriation making the rounds after Wasabi’s win.

Here’s more from New York Post:

One user, Jemima Harrison, pointed out how the unnaturally overgrown dog had to be kept on a cooling pad, calling it “the terrible price these poor dogs pay for human vanity.”

That was a bone of contention for other users, too.

“I don’t hate, just wish we wouldn’t breed dogs to have such unnatural and harmful characteristics. We have it in our power to change this,” one critic said.

Others are going after what Wasabi looks like on the inside:

Wasabi wins the Westminster Dog Show in the US – sitting on a cooling pack to stop him overheating (in the air-conditioned arena…). Second pic, what a champ Peke looks like on the inside. The terrible price these poor dogs pay for human vanity. pic.twitter.com/NQrBZLkOwk

— Jemima Harrison (@JemimaHarrison) June 14, 2021

One Twitter user is crying cultural appropriation:

“Me, an hour ago: Yay, a Chinese breed won the Westminster Dog Show! Me now: Wait, this white man named the dog Wasabi,” James Yeung tweeted.

I am afraid the feeling of gigil has been dampened by a wasabi whiplashing.

[sources:cnn&nypost]