Searching for Miss P – The Beginning is Always Today

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90 – November/December, 2022

By Will Alexander

CHAPTER 2: “The beginning is always today”

Believe it or not, I haven’t always been the dog show giant you see before you. There was a time when I was the equivalent of the dog show ninety-pound weakling, continuously having defeats kicked in my face instead of sand. Okay, maybe I’m not a giant but I wanted to get my point across. Those of you that are still with me, let me explain.

My parents bred and showed Irish Setters, which meant my sister, Tracy, and I were subjected to dog shows on most weekends. My step-father, Dave, did the handling. My mother, Pamela, did a lot of the grooming and pacing while the dogs were being shown. My sister and me? Well, we carried stuff and tried not to get in trouble. At first, the thought of actually showing dogs scared the crap out of me–just like sports at school. If I wasn’t good enough, I was worried about ridicule. At age six, I’m sure I didn’t even know that word but I sure knew how it felt. Tracy tried her hand at junior handling, and as I recall she was pretty good. But it just wasn’t for her; she was older and already had other activities that interested her. My parents wanted me to try. The first in-ring experience was a disaster. I was sent in with our seven-month-old Irish Setter. Lance was his name. Lance had gone winners dog. With Dave on the special, a handler was needed. A quick decision was made; young William was to bring Lance back in for the breed. I didn’t have much time to think about it–I wasn’t even dressed to show dogs. I was there to carry stuff and not get in trouble until it was time to pack up and leave. I still remember being pushed in when the steward was calling the winners dog number. I had seen my step-father show the dogs, but I never really paid that much attention. And to be honest, at that precise moment in my life, it wouldn’t have mattered if I had been practicing every day. My mind went blank, my anxiety went through the roof, and total panic set in. When it came my turn to move, I don’t know what happened. All I remember is I gave the lead to the judge and ran out of the ring. To this day I have zero idea how that day ended, but I do remember the drive home, vowing to myself that I would never go in that ring again!

Click here to read the complete article
90 – November/December, 2022

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