Kaz Hosaka, a prominent Japanese-born dog handler who guided two miniature poodles to Best in Show victories at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — the second one just last month — died on Sunday in Langhorne, Pennsylvania. He was 65.

His wife, Roxanne Wolf, said the cause was a traumatic brain injury as a result of a fall.

Hosaka was a masterly handler for more than 40 years. Edge, a lifestyle magazine, recently said he was "to the poodle world what Michael Jordan is to basketball. Smooth, clever, elegant and nearly unbeatable."