CORNELL VETERINARY STUDENTS TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO FINGER LAKES DOG SHOW WORLD
Alanna Horton, Class of 2024, also had limited experience with dog shows. She says her mentor’s enthusiasm was similarly contagious. Horton was partnered with mentor Julie Luther, Hamlin’s daughter, who introduced her to fellow exhibitors and let her shadow the preparation process. “It was very clear to me how passionate the people at the dog show were about their dogs—and how much they loved talk- ing about them!” Horton says. Talking to the exhibitors about their motivation to enter dogs into shows like this was also a high point for Vivian Shum, Class of 2023. “I was surprised to find how much of a time and financial commitment it is to participate, and many of them do so because they love the entire process, from training to qualification,” Shum says. Hamlin likewise has been passionate about dogs since a young age, starting a junior kennel club at age 13. She says she was happy to facilitate this opportunity for the Cornell students. Over lunch, students were also able to meet with Kern as well as Sandy D’Andrea, the American Kennel Club field representative. “They were able to ask lots of questions and get a really good feel for the whole thing,” Hamlin says. BRUSHING UP ON BREEDING While students basked in the excitement of the event and met an array of unique people, they also saw a door to a wider world open—a deeper understand- ing of dog breeding. The show’s mentors gave students an inside look at their own motivations and goals for breeding. Srnka, for example, notes that health, structure and tempera- ment are equally important in a performance dog. “As a breeder and exhibitor, it’s important to me to have all the genetic testing done for my breed to ensure that my dogs lead as long and healthy lives as possible,” Srnka says.
top row, left to right: Michelle Greenfield, Emmy Luo with Splash, a Champion Lhasa Apso second row, left to right: Vivian Shum and Leah Ramsaran; Ivanka Juran; bottom row: Dr. Thomas Kern speaks to students during lunch
214 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021
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