In her final entry as a junior handler, Marilyn Dempsey wore a shimmering suit that matched the silver hairs dusting her veteran Chihuahua’s face. The 150th Westminster Kennel Club show marked the end of an era for the team — Dempsey, 19, had aged out of Junior Showmanship, and “Vader” (GCHP CH Terlingua Dark Side Dazzler BCAT) was retiring from the show ring.
Her final months as a Junior were huge for her and Vader. “Every big win I’ve ever had has been on that dog,” Dempsey says. Just a few weeks prior, she and Vader placed fourth in the Junior Showmanship competition at the 2025 AKC National Championship, presented by Royal Canin. And over the course of her show career, Dempsey won more than 200 Best Junior awards, earned multiple scholarships, and bred group-placing, Grand Champion Chihuahuas.
Now, Dempsey is beginning her next chapter as a freshman at Texas A&M University, studying neuropsychology. But she isn’t bidding farewell to the fancy — while some former junior handlers go on to handle professionally, Dempsey says she’s chosen a path that suits her passions and priorities in this stage of life.
“I got a lot out of it,” Dempsey says of the dog fancy — like friends, life experiences, scholarships, and beloved pets. “To me, it doesn’t feel right to take that and not try and give something back.”
From the Stage to the Ring
Born and raised in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, Dempsey grew up competing in pageants and cheerleading at the highest level. “Cheer is a very high-intensity sport,” she explains. “It’s something that can take a real toll on your mental health.” As a preteen, she hit a “mental block” in cheer, so her parents looked for a lower-pressure activity that could serve as a respite.
AKC Breeder of Merit Cara Ryckman, a family friend through pageants, suggested Dempsey try Junior Showmanship and invited her to a dog show in Dallas. “They put this little fluffy Chihuahua in my lap,” Dempsey recalls, “and we took her home.” That puppy, a 6-month-old longhaired Chi named “Sriracha,” became Dempsey’s first Juniors dog.
The dog world was new to Dempsey, but the concept of showmanship wasn’t. Years of cheer and pageants taught her poise and presentation. She took handling classes, asked questions, and studied other handlers to sharpen her skills.
Her hard work paid off almost immediately. “I had a lot of luck,” Dempsey says. “My very first show, I went Reserve Best Junior out of like 40 kids.”
Others noticed her potential, and some gave feedback that she’d hear throughout her Juniors career: “You’re really going to go places in the sport, but you need a different breed. You’re not going to be successful with Chihuahuas. They’re just not a good Juniors dog,” Dempsey recalls being told. “And in my brain, I went, you’re not going to tell me what I can and can’t be successful with.”
Chihuahuas are an unconventional choice for the Juniors ring, but it’s the breed Dempsey loves. She felt it was important to stick with Chihuahuas — to stay true to herself and to show other Juniors that they can succeed with a breed they’re passionate about. “I don’t think I would have enjoyed Juniors if I had done it with any other breed, but especially with any other dog. With Vader, it was very personal,” she says.
Giving Back to the Dog Fancy
Now that she’s aged out, Dempsey wants to give back to the community that has shaped so much of her teenage years. One way she’s staying involved is by chairing the Chihuahua Club of America Juniors committee. Every year for their national speciality, Dempsey solicits donations for snacks, dog beds, toys, snuffle mats, grooming products, dog carriers, water tumblers, and more. These items fill incredible gift bags that are given to every junior and Pee Wee handler who attends.
“They just kind of let me have the lead, and I’m very grateful for it. The only thing I use club funds for is ribbons,” Dempsey says.
Another way Dempsey plans to stay involved is through judging, for both Junior Showmanship and Chihuahuas. She has already bred the required number of litters and Champions to earn her Chihuahua judging license, and recently judged Sweepstakes at the 2025 Chihuahua Club of America National Specialty.
“For a lot of kids, especially depending on when they start, it’s pretty easy to get a judging license, especially for Juniors,” she says.
Dempsey also encourages young handlers to keep an open mind about what it means to be a breeder. For her litters, Dempsey worked closely with her mentors, Cara Ryckman and Kristi Green, to study pedigrees and match parents. But she’s sensitive about seeing blood, so when it was time for the puppies to be born, her mentors handled the whelping.
“[Breeding] has to do with learning, the knowledge, [and] the skills of putting dogs together,” Dempsey says. “Just because it wasn’t born at my house, every other aspect and work of finishing the dog, putting them together, raising the puppy, training it — it doesn’t get rid of any of that.”
Keeping Perspective and Getting Involved
Dempsey’s advice to young handlers: Focus on your “why.” Showing an unconventional Juniors breed and being a first-generation fancier is what motivated Dempsey to stay true to herself and her goals. “Once you find that purpose, it’s going to be a lot easier to get over the hard times,” she says.
She also encourages juniors to take initiative in getting involved with breed clubs or the fancy at large — don’t wait to be asked. “That’s what I did for a lot of shows,” she says. “I’d march up to whoever I was told was in charge and be like, ‘I’m here to help. I’m going to help you. How do you want me to help you?'” The tasks that are commonly overlooked are often the easiest way to get involved, she says.
Finally, Dempsey advises young handlers to be willing to put more into the community than they think they will get out. Actions that may feel small or insignificant can have a broader reach. Dempsey realizes her impact when she hears of Juniors who are learning to handle toy breeds by watching videos of her, or when she receives a Facebook message from a parent thanking her for their child’s Juniors gift bag.
“Anything that you do — whether you do it with passion or not — people are watching, and people are learning,” Dempsey says. “And what you put out into that sport, you’re giving to other people.”