New York ? Posing like the very symbol of the Westminster Kennel Club, a German shorthaired pointer called Carlee became America’s top dog Tuesday night.

The 5-year-old female with the soft eyes and gliding gait won best in show, beating out a popular Norfolk terrier, a champion bloodhound and a wobbling Pekingese.

All seven finalists gave fine performances on the green carpet of Madison Square Garden. But the sellout crowd and judge Lynette Saltzman were clearly won over by Carlee’s “free stack,” the time when the dog stands alone and shows its stuff.

Paying rapt attention to star handler Michelle Ostermiller, Carlee pointed with perfection as the cheers grew louder and louder.

“She was spectacular,” Ostermiller said.

Last year, Ostermiller neatly guided a big Newfoundland named Josh to this best in show title. This time, she came back to be the tops among the 2,581 entries in 165 breeds and varieties.

“I’m stunned,” she said.

Carlee, with a brown face and white-and-liver spotting, now will retire to Castle Rock, Colo., with her ninth best in show title overall. Officially named Ch. Kan-Point’s VJK Autumn Roses, the sporting group winner wound up a champion in the nation’s most prestigious canine event.

Carlee became the second German shorthaired pointer to win at Westminster, and was a direct descendant of the other winner in 1974.

Asleep in her crate much earlier Tuesday, Morgan, an otterhound, hardly had a care in the world. Let the other dogs get cramped by the backstage crowds, this otterhound was taking a nap.

And certainly unaware of the pressure she faced.

A win could’ve brought much-needed attention to one of America’s rarest breeds. Instead, she lost out to Knotty in the hound group — too bad for a breed that keeps moving closer to extinction.

Yes, extinction.

Believe it or not, there were only 23 purebred otterhounds registered in the United States last year. That’s 23, compared to the 146,692 Labrador retrievers, the most popular dog.

“We don’t get a lot of exposure,” offered Morgan’s co-owner and breeder, Betsy Conway.

Conway currently owns or co-owns 10 of the 23 registered otterhounds. A career insurance saleswoman, she intends to ensure the breed sticks around.