An Owner-Handler’s Success Story
By Pilar Kuhn
While at a recent dog show, a friend and fellow Bouvier colleague sent me a text informing me how her day had gone. She had shown her class dog and won Best of Breed over the only entered special. Since the kennel club offered the Owner-Handler series competition at these two shows, this win also earned her the Best Owner-Handler breed ribbon and advancement on to both groups later that afternoon. She was ecstatic, and if you’ve ever wondered if there is a cloud beyond number nine, for her, this most certainly was the day she reached it.
It was a hot summer day at an outdoor dog show. My friend, Nick Hill, had her class dog “Trooper” at the end of the leash striving for his last two single championship points. Nick never expected to win Best of Breed from the classes. She had just hoped to go Winners Dog for another point or two. When she called me to tell me her good news, she was giddy and I was so proud of her. After re-telling me how Trooper had shown for her and how the judge found favor in her boy, she told me about an epiphany she had while eating dinner the night before at a restaurant with her husband.
While sitting at the bar eating good food and enjoying an adult beverage with her husband, Nick looked around and realized she needed to take in the moment and appreciate where they were. They were fortunate enough to be eating out and spending a weekend away from home with their dogs. They were fortunate enough that she, her husband, and their dogs were healthy. She decided in that moment to just enjoy showing her dog and quit worrying about the competition and the need of two single points. She was out enjoying a weekend with her dog at a dog show. She had a right to be there like everyone else that spent money on entry fees and parking and all the other elements of dog showing that whisks dollars from our wallets. And in that moment, Nick enjoyed the rest of her meal before Saturday’s time in the ring.
Obviously, the enjoyment paid off. The usual nerves didn’t transfer from the leash to her boy. They both enjoyed their time jogging around the ring and presenting themselves to the judge, and they walked away with the gold and purple ribbon. They then waited out the heat for the rest of the day anticipating the groups. Rod and I had discussed going to the show to watch, but had to stick to our original plans and would be visiting friends and vendors the next day. We chose to stay home but we kept an eye on my cell phone for more updates.
The next text came in that Nick and Trooper had won the Owner-Handler group. She was obviously floored and ecstatic at the same time. It had been enough that she had won Best of Breed and Best Owner-Handler, but now she had to wait for Best Owner-Handler in Show. Although she didn’t place in the regular group, she was just fine with the Owner-Handler outcome. Her day remained uplifting and her spirits were high to say the least! And it wasn’t over yet.
She finished her day by walking away with the ribbon for Best Owner-Handler In Show. This new series introduced by the AKC had a positive impact on a friend of mine who has never given up, even when she’s been discouraged. When she finally had a moment to call again, I could hear the smile in her voice. I could hear how the butterflies of happiness were fluttering around inside. And she said it loud and clear, “I just had fun. And look what that did for me and my boy.”
When counting points, campaigning dogs, or merely working toward that first Championship title, at the end of the day, we should all have fun. Whether it pays off with a sense of accomplishment or has a ribbon and a photo to accompany it, may Nick’s experience be a lesson to us all.
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