“I HAD FALLEN DEEPLY IN LOVE WITH THAT BAT-EARED BREED.”
also with the bonding process. I also feel so blessed to be able to say I have worked for some of the best breeders in the world of dogs. Not just one breed but several different breeds. And they have provided me with some of the greatest dogs I have ever seen even to this day. My accomplishments in this sport have been many. I have hundreds of Best in Show wins and innumerable group wins, but my pride is my national specialty wins. I have won four French Bulldog nationals, one Whippet nation- al, one Siberian Husky national and the 2016 Akita national specialty. My life spent in the sport of the pure- bred dogs has always and will always be a part of my life. It hasn’t always been easy, but nothing that is that much a part of your life ever is. I wouldn’t change it for the world. It is who I am and I am proud of who I became as a result of this wonderful life. Also most of the people I love and respect are a part of it and the dog world. When each of us realize that even your competitors are part of your large extended family it changes your life really. Great competition brings great dog people together in the end. Hope- fully our sport of showing purebred dogs will continue indefinitely.
love her, but don’t touch because she will bite you!” She then said, “I think someday you will have a Frenchie of your own.” Boy, that was music to my ears, because I had fallen deeply in love with that bat-eared breed.
Later on when my handling business was in full swing it was not uncom- mon for me to have upwards of 30 or more dogs a show. I find now I have become more selective and keep my numbers down, which I believe is bet- ter on the animals I carry and it’s easier
96 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2017
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