NEED TO KNOW
- The cast of Best In Show gathered in New York City to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary on Thursday, June 12, 2025
- Attendees included director Christopher Guest and a majority of the mockumentary cast
- Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins and Michael Hitchcock spoke to PEOPLE about their all-time favorite, personal pet stories
It was paws, laughs and plenty of nostalgia at the 2025 Tribeca Festival, where Best in Show marked its 25th anniversary with a special screening and cast reunion.
The 2000 cult classic, directed by Christopher Guest, was honored with a lively panel discussion moderated by Stephen Colbert.
Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael McKean and Guest took the stage to reflect on the film’s enduring charm and absurd brilliance. Fans were treated to behind-the-scenes stories, plenty of laughs, and a reminder of why this mockumentary still holds a special place in comedy history.
PEOPLE caught up with Jane Lynch, John Michael Higgins and Michael Hitchcock before they joined the panel to discuss their all-time favorite pet stories, both heartwarming and hilarious.
Lynch — who played the professional dog handler Christy Cummings in the dog show parody — is known for training Rhapsody in White, a standard poodle also known as ‘Butch.’
In reality, the 64-year-old actress has a soft spot for senior dogs. She shared that her beloved Belgian Malinois, Mildred, recently passed away, but her home is still filled with the gentle presence of two elderly black Cocker Spaniels she continues to care for.
“Everything they do is funny. Charles is about 12 years old, and his ears float… I don’t know what’s wrong with him,” Lynch tells PEOPLE. “He’s clumsy. So even sitting down, he’s like this and his ears are floating and he goes to jump on you and he falls… Charles is the funniest dog out there.”
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Higgins played dog handler Scott Donlan in the mockumentary. He and his beloved Shih Tzu, Miss Agnes, brought a burst of energy to the competition.
The 62-year-old actor shared that his love for dogs extends well beyond the screen. He revealed that his beloved pitbull, Jimmy, who grew up around his kids, passed away two years ago.
“Jimmy was a very interesting dog… People were very attracted to Jim, and they called him the ‘doggy llama’ because he was so chill,” Higgins tells PEOPLE. “He was this sort of like perfect dog.”
Since Jimmy’s passing, the family hasn’t quite found the heart to welcome a new dog into their life just yet. “We’ve put the brakes on a little bit. We just need to get over him,” Higgins admits. “We will eventually.”
Hitchcock played the tightly wound pet-parent, Hamilton Swan, known for spewing his anxieties onto his Weimaraner named Beatrice.
The 66-year-old actor shared with PEOPLE that while he’s definitely a dog lover in real life, he considers himself even more of a “mutt person” at heart. Hitchcock is an avid supporter of adopting pets and had a number of ridiculous pet stories to divulge.
“We spent a very long time lying to my little brother that our dog got adopted when it actually got run over… It’s not funny, but it’s true,” he laughs. “Then we had one dog that — the sweetest dog ever — but it started eating all of our doors in our house.” According to Hitchcock, the Boston Terrier had quite the appetite.
His last dog, Cindy, lived a long life and passed away peacefully from old age. “Sounds sad, except…in the past we had dogs that didn’t make it that long… So to have a dog for a very, very long time. And to be there, you know, when she was literally an old lady. Yeah. That was really sweet.”
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