Audrey Boyer
A JUNIOR’S JOURNAL
1. Where do you live? Where do you go to school?. My name is Audrey Boyer and I live in Cupertino, California. I go to school at Monta Vista High School. It’s a beautiful two-story brick school with some amazing teachers. It has a great art program as well. 2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? Do you have a job? More than a hobby, art is my passion that I am going to be pursuing as a future career in character design and animation. As of right now, I do pet portrait and online digital art commissions to help build up my college funds. I guess my art is my self-employed job since it’s freelance. In my free-time, I enjoy playing classical and electric guitar, sewing, and archery with my dad. 3. Have you grown up in a doggy family? What is your breed(s )? We have had dogs all our lives. Growing up, we had a Pitbull and a Pitbull-Pointer, a Bantam Bulldog, a Frenchie, and now we have three Whippets. “Disco” is the oldest of the three and our first Whippet. He is the father of our second oldest, “Yoshi.” I finished Disco’s Bronze Grand Championship (we had help to get his Championship), and I got Yoshi’s Championship and Grand Championship on my own. Currently, we are training up my newest endeavor, “Juno,” who is nine months old and my new partner for Juniors as Disco is now older, happy, and retired. I also show “Diamond” (Disco’s daughter) in the Breed ring, so you can usually find me in the Whippet ring. My other regular breeds are Bor- zoi, Doberman Pinchers, and most recently, Boston Terriers. 4. How were you introduced to Junior Showmanship? When did you start competing? My mom and I were first introduced to showing when we bought Dis- co and were given the option of a show dog or a pet. It sounded like a great opportunity to us and a fun new hobby for the both of us to enjoy. It took me a couple years before I was able to compete in Junior Showmanship, but I was practicing in that time and really being able to learn how to connect with my dog and what it meant to show dogs. 5. What do you remember about the first time you showed as a Junior? The first time I showed in Juniors was seven years ago in Napa under Bill Shelton (against five others) and I went second in Open Junior. I was so overjoyed when that happened, I might as well have been bouncing off the walls! That day, I was wearing a little white dress with English riding and horse decorations and patterns, which was one of my favorites at the time. Disco was my Juniors dog, and he was so good for me that day.
Audrey and Deja Vu in Juniors
6. How do you prepare your dog and yourself for the ring? Any rituals? Any good luck charms? Since I am now working with the puppy (who is now just nine months old), I try to get her happy and con- nected. We play a game where I ask, “Juju, what do bad girls say?” In the sassiest bark you have ever heard, she responds with a BIG “RAFF” followed by a small pop up with her front legs. I’ve had other fun games with all of my dogs, and we make sure to have fun in the ring. They always show better because of it. We really don’t have any lucky charms going into the ring; however, if we have some big wins, or memorable wins, the lead we used becomes the “lucky” lead. They have to “earn” their magic! 7. Do you have a mentor in the sport? Have you assisted any Professional Handlers? I have had several mentors over the years, from Con- formation class instructors to my best friend, but I would have to say that my mom is my biggest champion
162 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2023
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