I have never lived without a dog – actually multiple dogs – until I moved away to college. The last two years have made it very clear to me that once I’m finished with college, I never want to be outside of the dog circle. As a geology major, executive board member of the Geology Club, and event director for InterVarsity (IV) Christian Fellowship at Occidental College, I stay pretty busy. Through field trips into the desert, lab reports, and IV events, most of my weekends are booked solid, so I am unable to attend many dog shows while at school. This adjustment to my involvement in the dog fancy has reaffirmed how important this community is to me. Since before I can even remember, I have been attending dog shows with my family. While mom was in the ring with her Ridgebacks, her friends would pass me around ringside, where I would happily gnaw on a Nylabone or play with dog toys. By the time I was three, I was showing at pee-wee matches, though sometimes it looked like our veteran Ridgebacks were actually showing me. And on my ninth birthday, I was able to show in the junior showmanship ring for the first time, where I won my class and was hooked for life.
As I continued showing in juniors for the next nine years, I learned vital life skills and made life-long friendships. Showing in the best junior ring at the Sunflower Cluster Scholarship show taught me how to keep a level head under pressure. Dropping my bait in the middle of the examination at Westminster taught me that the sun will always come up tomorrow. Having six dogs in the breed ring at 8 AM and juniors at 9 AM taught me how to manage my time. These lessons and more will stay with me for the rest of my life. In addition to these important lessons, I also gained many friends both two and four legged. From the junior handlers I saw weekend after weekend to the juniors I only saw at Eukanuba and Westminster, the competition of the ring strengthened our connection outside of it. I have so many fond memories of potlucks at the RVs, karaoke on the long car rides, and tanning by the hotel pool with my junior friends. Participating in junior showmanship not only taught me valuable life lessons, but it also gave me the opportunity of make life-long friendships.
When I see my future in the dog fancy, I see a judge, a breeder, and a rescuer. I’ve been lucky enough to judge at fun matches and 4-H events in the past, but now I am able to judge at AKC events, having obtained my juniors’ license in April of 2016. I now appreciate just how difficult this task is. In addition to judging, I plan on pursuing breeding. My mom has been breeding Rhodesian Ridgebacks since I was a toddler, but in the fall of 2014, I had the opportunity to breed, whelp, and raise my own litter of smooth fox terrier puppies. I was lucky to have two experienced breeders to show me the way, my mom and High Mountain Fox Terriers owner Carrie Snavely. I have always been taught that breeders rescue, and I have taken this lesson to heart. In the past, I helped run the Winter Fair Charity Dog Show for our local shelter, fostered and walked dogs from the shelter, and worked with breed rescue. Although my time is limited while in college, I enjoy visiting a local shelter near my campus that has a coffee shop, so visitors can sip coffee and play with the homeless pets. No matter my schedule, family life, or career, I intend to continue my work in the dog fancy as a judge, breeder, and rescuer.
The dog fancy, in both 4-H and AKC, has been a huge blessing, helping shape my character and guide my actions in all aspects of life, not just in the ring. At school, in athletics, at church, and in relationships, I apply these lessons of working hard, not making excuses, putting friendship over wins, and focusing on how to improve after a loss. And, most importantly, I’ve learned that I never want to be without dogs in my life.