From the moment she saw her first dog show on TV as a child, An Tu knew that she wanted to do conformation dog shows. The 30-year-old, who lives in Florida, set her sights on Doberman Pinschers from a young age and shouldn’t be underestimated. The 5’1 handler finished her first Doberman herself, motivated in part by those who didn’t believe she could handle the breed.
Her two Dobermans, “Noah” (GCH Holloway’s Fantastic Beast BCAT CA DS WAC) and “Rani” (GCH Holloway’s Rose Royce CGC), both excelled in the ring, proving that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and put in the work.
Learning Dogs First
Tu was born in Vietnam and moved to Boston, Massachusetts when she was about 4 or 5 years old. “I didn’t really speak English that much, and I was mostly at home with my parents,” Tu recalls. She and her younger brother spent a lot of their childhood watching TV at home, and dog shows like the AKC National Championship and Westminster captivated her like nothing else. “I was just amazed by it, all of these beautiful dogs, especially the Doberman Pinscher,” she says. “Ever since I was young, I was captivated by their beauty and how sleek they were, their intelligence, their expression, their movement.” Dobermans quickly became young Tu’s dream dog. One of her clearest memories of childhood was a drawing she did when she was about 7 years old, a hand-drawn Doberman — in her favorite color, blue.
She moved down to Florida with her family in elementary school, then to Gainesville for college at the University of Florida. “It was never really a good time to get a big dog,” Tu says. “I knew they needed a lot of time, dedication, and training. But it was always in the back of my mind.” After finishing her undergrad, Tu decided to take some time off before starting pharmacy school and take the leap, becoming a dog owner for the first time. She had about nine months and had been waiting her whole life. “It was the perfect gap for me to get a puppy — finally.”
From Childhood Dreams to Reality
Before Tu graduated, she started saving up money and getting in touch with breeders. She knew that Dobermans were challenging. With no experience owning a dog, especially a big dog and a working breed, many breeders didn’t reply to her queries. “I understood because I was a high-risk person. I was a student living with my parents. I had no prior experience,” Tu says. “I was extremely fortunate to come across Joe [Guinta] of Holloway Dobermans and saw that he posted a litter announcement.” Tu had done her research: she knew of the sire and a few other dogs in their family tree. “They were just gorgeous.”
Tu decided to give it a shot and drove from Florida to New York to meet Guinta. She told him she wanted a companion rather than a show dog but was still interested in showing. Guinta introduced her to the calmest dog in the litter: a male, whom she named “Noah.” Tu was excited the whole drive back down to Florida with him. “He was just the best puppy. He was so easy; he never chewed anything.”
Guinta recommended a show near them in Florida so they could go in person to see what conformation was all about. It was the first time Tu had ever been to a dog show in person – and they were even better than they were on TV. Someone approached her at the show, asking if she planned to Noah. When Tu told them that it was not only her first show dog but her first dog, they laughed. “They said it was really, really hard, and that really sparked a fire in me,” Tu says. “I was like, ‘I’m going to show you that I can do it.'”
Balancing Conformation and Pharmacy School
A few months before she started pharmacy school, Tu started doing handling classes. She was about 22 years old and attended as many dog shows as possible. She found mentors and a lot of great support within the conformation community. “I had no idea what we were doing,” Tu says. “But if you show that you’re willing to learn, there are so many people that are willing to come up and help you,” Tu admits she made a lot of mistakes early on, but eventually, they got better, together. “Each point was just the biggest celebration ever,” she says. “Every point has a memory behind it. I finally finished Noah, and I was hooked.”
She got Rani upon graduating from pharmacy school in 2021. But she never took a break from showing dogs. In fact, there were no breaks of any kind in sight. “I was a nail technician, I was an intern at CVS Pharmacy, and then on the weekends when I didn’t have work, I would take Rani and Noah to shows,” Tu recalls. “Sometimes, I would be listening to the lectures while I was driving to the show and then listen to another lecture on the way back. You just have to find a way to make it work.”
Rani proved to be more challenging to show than Noah. Tu says Noah was completely into showing and loved it. “As soon as I put his show collar on, he would bounce a little bit, putting that extra pep in his step. He knew exactly what he was doing as soon as he got into the ring,” she says.
Facing a Devastating Diagnosis
Tu knew that Dobermans were at a higher risk for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and got Noah and Rani checked every year as recommended for breeds prone to DCM. And unfortunately, Noah had it. “We were lucky we caught it, but it was just the worst feeling ever,” Tu remembers. “It’s a huge weight that gets put onto your shoulders, and time has begun to tick.” Tu says they were fortunate to get into a leading DCM clinic, where the doctor helped tweak his medication accordingly. “Because he was on that, I think we really extended his life for a couple more years.”
Noah was 5 years old when he was diagnosed, right before they were going to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. During treatment, he never gave her an issue when taking his medication. Tu knew that she had to make the most of their time together while they still could.
While she was at work, her parents would take care of Rani and Noah. One day, about 20 minutes into her workday, she got a call from her mom. “My mom never calls me when I’m at work. She was just screaming at the top of her lungs,” Tu recalls. Tu immediately rushed home, but she was too late. Her mom told her it had been a normal morning: Noah and Rani played in the yard, and Noah even peed on the lawnmower. But when Tu’s mom called him into the kitchen to take his medication, he just fell to the ground. “And that was it,” Tu says. “It was quick, and he never suffered. He was himself to the very, very end.” Noah passed away shortly before he would turn 7 years old.
Continuing Noah’s Conformation Legacy
While Tu continues competing with Rani, she can feel Noah’s presence every time they step into the ring. “It’s a very specific kind of loss,” Tu says. “It was so hard to go back to a dog show after he left because I’ve never been to a dog show without Noah. You can just tell he’s there. I know he’s watching.”
Even a year later, she’s still adjusting to life without Noah. “Sometimes, I still miss him and I cry randomly, but I look at Rani, and I see so much of Noah in her because he raised her,” Tu says. “She picked up on a lot of things that Noah did, so I’m glad to have her to help me through this.
Tu is grateful to have made so many friends through conformation, and she attributes it all to Noah. “I felt like my dream came true with Noah. We were able to go to Westminster together. My first Doberman, I finished him myself, it was just so cool.” Even though showing Rani is very different from showing Noah, Tu knows the ring procedure, how to bait and groom them, and so much more because of how forgiving and patient Noah was with her. “Things with Rani are a lot smoother because I know how it works,” Tu says.
Rani just turned 3 and competed with Tu at the 2023 AKC National Championship in Orlando, Florida. They took home the Award of Excellence in the Doberman ring. “Noah loved to show. Rani’s not a huge fan. But because of all of those stepping stones that Noah laid down as my foundation for showing, showing with Rani is a lot easier. I was really very lucky to have him as my teammate.”