LINES FROM LINDA
ACCOLADES FOR DIEGO GARCIA AKC RHP HANDLER OF THE YEAR
BY LINDA AYERS TURNER KNORR
“It’s not the will to win that matters. Everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” —Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant
D iego Garcia was actually born into the dog world in his native country of Argentina, as his parents were Boxer breeders long before he came along. As a young boy, his passion was to enter the show ring himself. He dreamed about it, reading dog magazines every night. His favorite was the BOXER REVIEW .
By age 12, Diego secured his first client who allowed him to show their beautiful Boxer bitch. He fondly recalls his mother taking him shopping for a new pair of shoes to wear for the dog show. When Judge Betty Leininger traveled to Argentina to judge a Boxer Specialty, she observed the talents of the then 19-year-old Diego in the ring and was quite impressed. After the show, she asked Diego if she could speak with his father. The young man’s world was about to change.
L/R: AKC Vice President, Judging Operations, Tim Thomas, Mark Desrosiers, Diego Garcia, Mary Dukes, Larry Cornelius
92 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2023
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