Brielle Duprat was two-and-a-half when her grandmother Karen took her to her first dog show. She remembers watching all of the different breeds, and the grooming prior to competition. Then, at four years old, her aunt Lori had Brielle show her Havanese, Maggie, in the Pee Wee Juniors class. "That started my handling career," says […]

Donna and Douglas LaBarge always dreamed of traveling the U.S. with their Conformation dog, Branson the Belgian Tervuren After Douglas' sudden death, Donna and Branson went on the road trip in his honor The breeder/owner/handler and her dog traveled more than 107,000 miles to U.S. landmarks and dog shows Shortly before Douglas LaBarge retired in […]

On Friday, Feb. 1, at 5 p.m., I received a call that would change my life. "Hello, Ms. Stephenson?  This is Officer Penny with the Burleson County Animal Control.  We have your dog." We all cringe at the sound of those words. But this one was something else. “Officer Penny, where is Burleson County Animal […]

The first step in navigating any culture is learning its etiquette: Never blow your nose at the dinner table in Japan, avoid public displays of affection in Sweden, and expect to encounter close talkers in Spain. A vibrant subculture in its own right, the dog-show world also has unspoken rules of conduct that might not […]

When the Borzoi is characterized in books or on breed webpages, you see glowing adjectives such as affectionate, loyal, aristocratic, and graceful. Lifeline or liberator are terms not included in the profile toolbox. But for Joy Sargis, of Encinitas, Calif., these more aptly capture the heart and soul of what her own Borzois have meant […]

It's kind of fitting that a dog named "Snowhill’s Zygmund Marley" is a Polski Owczarek Nizinny (PON in the United States) who answers to a name like Ziggy. Chances are, this is a breed (Polish Lowland Sheepdog) many of you have never heard of. In 2019, the breed ranked 173 out of 193 in popularity. […]

Sisters Lian Chase and Jade Chase from Peyton, Colorado, are powerful competitors in the show ring—and they're still teenagers. Lian, who is 18, got involved with showing dogs through 4-H when she was 9 years old, and began with AKC shows when she was 11. Younger sister Jade, 15, also began showing dogs through 4-H […]

Cassidy Hayes first stepped into the ring as a toddler—and this year she'll be competing at Westminster for the second time. While she still might be considered young, this 16-year-old from Indiana is already deeply committed both to the sports of purebred dogs and to making dog shows welcoming for newcomers. Family Fun "My parents […]

Patti Stanley and 18-pound Lucy, her Miniature Poodle-Miniature Schnauzer mix, were the leaders in the Run for Music 5K in Lakewood Ranch, Fla., and were a tantalizing quarter mile from the finish line when Lucy stopped in her tracks and licked Stanley's leg. “She pulled me to the side of the road and refused to […]

Silver GCh. Pleasant Hill Magnum of Samara, HC, aka "Magnum." Credit: In Focus by Miguel The Canaan Dog, also known as Kelev K’naani, descends from the Middle Eastern “pariah dog,” feral canines that date back to pre-Biblical times existing in the Land of Canaan, where they first originated. The Israelis first used the dogs for guarding and tending […]