Perspective of a Junior Handler

©Lisa Croft-Elliott

By Reegan Weninger

I started showing dogs when I was only eight years old. My first dog was my grandparents’ Pembroke Welsh Corgi, which I showed in the conformation ring. I was committed to the Animal Inn Training Center; I would attend class every Tuesday night. That is where I learned all the skills that formed me into the handler I am today. In addition to lessons in handling, we learned basic grooming. Animal Inn Juniors can all grind nails, bathe, dry, and brush their dogs. We also develop life skills. The Junior program has held seminars on personal grooming, hair, nails, appropriate dress for the ring, accessories that work, and above all, sportsmanship. When you are a young handler, showing is a big part of your weekend agenda, because you don’t really know anything else. As a young handler, you have watched your role models and colleagues walk out of the ring with that winning ribbon. That is what you have always thought about for your future. When you are young and walk out of the ring without a ribbon, you often have no idea what you did wrong. But as we grow older, it becomes less about winning and more about the experience and skills that you learn, both in and out of the ring, which help to prepare you for the real world.

The Animal Inn Junior Program also does a lot of outreach. We have made baskets for people who are in the hospital, going through chemotherapy or recovering from surgery. We have made baskets for silent auctions, and collected dog food for local food shelters and rescues. The juniors have trained and shown dogs for other people who were unable to show themselves. We have adopted many families at Christmas. This year we baked cookies and sent them to the troops in Afghanistan. When I was 12, I began to work with a professional handler who has taught me everything I need to know about the dog show community. I started traveling all over the country for many dog shows, and had the opportunity to see monuments and national landmarks that I never would have seen had I not been in this sport.

In 2009, I started handling my new breed; Smooth Fox Terriers, and I immediately fell in love. I can say with complete confidence that I am a terrier girl, and I wouldn’t want to have any other breed. Why? -Because I love the challenge. If you have ever had or shown or even just cared for a Terrier for a day, you know that they will drive you up the wall. But I love their amp and their attitude, and they can brighten anyone’s day in a heartbeat. In 2012, I campaigned my Smooth Fox Terrier, GCH GreenAcersReadytoRide, and at only 16 years old, I ranked him number 23 in the country and qualified to show him in the conformation ring at the National Eukanuba dog show.

The Junior Program offers stipends to help pay for some of the big shows (Eukunuba, Westminster, and your breed national specialty). With this help, I have been able to attend all three of these events. The Animal Inn Junior Handling Program also has scholarship fund. Scholarships are available to juniors who meet the qualifications and want to continue their education after high school.

As someone who is still young but been involved in the dog show community for several years now, I think that the next generation of handlers needs to know is that there is a lot more to the sport of dog showing than the ribbons that you receive. To me, this sport is about family, friendship, leadership and sportsmanship. It’s about all the friends that you make that eventually over time become like family. Without them and their positive vibes every weekend, it would make going to a show feel dreadful. Without these people in your life, there is no real improvement and no meaningful achievements. In order to improve and achieve in this sport, you need someone to lead and teach you. Personally, my favorite thing about walking into the ring every weekend, whether it’s the junior ring or the conformation ring, is seeing my dog light up. I love seeing my dogs do what they love and show off everything I have taught them. I don’t care so much about the ribbons anymore – that is the least of my concerns. I just love going out there in the ring and showing off my skills to the juniors that look up to me, helping them achieve the goals that I did. I would rather see one of the juniors that I helped to train beat me in the show ring, because that means I did my job and I influenced them. Sometimes in order to truly “win”, you have to lose. Some juniors may not understand this now, but in several more years you will realize there is a lot more to life than winning.

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Posted by admin on Feb 18 2014. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.