Heiress Patty Hearst’s Shih tzu dog Rocket almost steals Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club from beagle

THIS beagle won Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club but kidnap victim turned bank robber Patty Hearst’s dog almost stole the show.

Miss P, a 15 inch Beagle with handler William Alexander, looks on after winning the "best in show" of the 139th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York on February 17, 2015. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day, all-breed benched show that takes place at both Pier 92 & 94 and at Madison Square Garden. AFP PHOTO/ TIMOTHY A. CLARY

THIS is one regal beagle!

A 38-centimetre, 4-year-old beagle named Miss P won the Westminster’s Best in Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

This year’s competition was watched with a bit more curiosity than usual after heiress Patty Hearst’s Shih tzu, Rocket, won the toy category and competed for Best in Show.

Group winner ... Rocket a Shih tzu co-owned by famed and infamous heiress Patty Hearst is inspected by the judge in the ring during the toy group competition during the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Picture: AP

Hearst is the granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst and gained great notoriety in 1974 when she was kidnapped by the radical group the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was seen brandishing a semiautomatic rifle while robbing a California bank, pictured in the group’s poster holding a machine gun and later spent almost two years in prison.

Stockholm syndrome ... Heiress Patty Hearst aka Tanya shown armed with machine gun following her 1975 kidnapping by the SLA. Picture: Supplied

Her sentence was commuted by US President Jimmy Carter. US President Bill Clinton gave her a full pardon after deeming that she was suffering with Stockholm syndrome, a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy toward their captors.

“People move on,” she said, smiling at Rocket. “I guess people somehow imagine you don’t evolve in your life. I have grown daughters and granddaughters and other things that normal people have.”

Dog lover ... Patty Hearst, centre, holds the ribbon Rocket, the Shih tzu she co-owns won at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Picture: AP

She also has appeared in films including Cry-Baby and Serial Mom. She’s done television roles and charitable work.

Hearst has been involved in the dog show world for more than 10 years. She said many are surprised to find out she’s moved on to play with pooches.

Listed as Patricia Hearst Shaw, she turns 61 on Friday and is one of Rocket’s three co-owners. She’s mostly worked with French bulldogs and one of them won an award ribbon earlier in the day.

Early favourite ... Matisse, a Portuguese Water Dog, walks during the Working Group round of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Picture: AFP

A Portuguese water dog, that is a cousin of the Obamas’ family pet, Sunny, also narrowly missed out on Best in Show.

Matisse, the Portie, was an early favourite but couldn’t compete with the beagle, Miss P.

Originally published as Heiress Patty Hearst’s Shih tzu dog Rocket almost steals Best in Show at Westminster Kennel Club from beagle