As we walked towards the Herding Group ring at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on Saturday, November 16th, amid the 7,000 people who came to The National Dog Show to meet some of the 2,000 dogs from 205 breeds that day, I turned to my friend Susan and said, “Pinch me. No, I mean it. REALLY pinch me!”
It had been a fairytale week for me and my dog, Kanji, and a once in a lifetime experience that I will never, ever forget. The week started with a press conference, and the wonderful PR team put together a TV appearance for us each day leading up to The National Dog Show to introduce the newest breed in the AKC, the Lancashire Heeler. I was honored and excited to be a part of it.
At the press conference, we were welcomed by Steve Sansone from the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and the PR Team. Everyone was excited to meet Kanji, the Lancashire Heeler. The press took pictures and asked many great questions about the breed, and it was here that Kanji was introduced to his first big, black TV camera! At first, he didn’t know what it was and he poked it with his nose. Then he backed up, growled, and made a little bark at it. NBC10 opened up the segment they played that afternoon with Kanji addressing the camera with the voiceover saying, “They do what all dogs do. Love and protect their owners, play, and bark.”
During the rest of the press conference we were interviewed by many interested media representatives, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, KYW Newsradio, and NBC10. We participated in a “Smile Off” with a Samoyed, since both breeds are well known for their fabulous smiles! Another enjoyable activity was being sworn in as “Bark Rangers” by an official Valley Forge Park Ranger. All dogs had their paws up and their official green bandanas on.
Meeting National Dog Show expert analyst David Frei and his dog, True Dat, and getting to know them was a highlight of not only the press conference but of the entire week. In previous jobs, I have worked with a lot of famous people and it is impressive to meet a celebrity like David. He is genuine and kind, and it comes through immediately in his warmth and partnership with his lovely Cavalier, True. He and True could not be more approachable and welcoming. After the many hours we spent together going to and from TV studios in Philadelphia traffic, I am very privileged to be able to call him a friend.
The first live TV appearance on the schedule was PHL17. David and I were starting to get to know each other, and Kanji was learning what a TV studio looked and smelled like. Well, this one smelled like “BACON!” They were preparing the next segment involving food ideas for Thanksgiving, and Kanji’s nose knew it. This prompted Kanji to use his vocal repertoire through most of the interview, which made it appear like he wanted to answer all the questions himself that the host was asking David and me. Fortunately, he didn’t have a microphone on like we did.
Our CBS spot with Tamar Paltin and Wasabi, the Bullmastiff who is the spitting image of Butkus from Rocky, was a lot of fun! Tamar has been attending The National Dog Show for many years and she was a wealth of information and had valuable suggestions for a rookie like me.
Our visit to NBC10 was an entirely different experience. The building was a skyscraper and we had to use revolving doors and escalators, which Kanji wasn’t convinced he could walk on at first. True Dat, the seasoned professional, showed us the way. When we arrived, we were told that only one person and one dog would be doing this interview. That changed things quickly because we had been used to having two of us, each with our own dog, on set. Kanji and David practiced quickly and ultimately did a great segment together while True Dat and I ate treats in the green room. Kanji wasn’t smiling as much as usual on set, but the footage they used from the press conference gave the audience a good look at the now-famous Lancashire Heeler smile.
The National Dog Show is like nothing I have ever experienced before. It is a magnificent display of everything canine and a paradise for any dog lover. As we entered the halls on Saturday morning for our 9 a.m. ring time, we saw beautiful dogs of every size, color, and variety, and countless booths with quality and creative merchandise of every kind for you and your dog. This was the largest Conformation show we have ever attended and the first benched show we have ever experienced.
Fox News came to interview us right before we went into the Breed ring, and Hank Flynn was an energetic and lively personality. I enjoyed talking to him very much and it didn’t hurt that he kept saying, “I just love this dog” about Kanji. We went into the Breed ring expecting to see three other dogs, but only two were there. Pico is a lovely black-faced Lancashire Heeler, owned and handled by Jean Turoci, and Gambit is a half-brother to Kanji, owned by Kelly Herrera and shown by her son, Felix. All of the dogs are Champions and it was a spectacular feeling when Judge Kathryn Madden indicated with a quick hand gesture that Kanji was Best of Breed on this day. Now we are back where we started when I asked Susan to pinch me on my way into the Herding Group ring.
When I tell you that this is the BIGGEST stage we have ever been on I am not kidding! There were lights and cameras everywhere and the Herding Group was the largest Group that day, with 34 dogs in the ring at the same time. And guess who was bringing up the rear as the 34th dog? Kanji, with me at the end of his lead in my bright orange dress. When it was finally time for us to take center stage, we set up on the table to wait for the judge. I have committed to memory what it felt like to parade up and down and around that spectacular blue ring with the crowd cheering for the newest breed, the Lancashire Heeler. It is a wonderful memory that I will cherish for a lifetime.
That was the conclusion to the magical week in Philadelphia, right? Not yet. On Sunday, Kanji took Best of Breed under judge Dr. Vicki Sandage, DVM and we got to go back into the big blue Herding ring.
David has asked us to join him and True on The Today Show the day before Thanksgiving and it sounds like the Lancashire Heeler will make an appearance on the Thanksgiving Day broadcast of The National Dog Show Presented by Purina at noon on NBC after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. What an exciting conclusion to a magical experience for Kanji, me, the Lancashire Heeler breed, and its growing number of fans at The National Dog Show.
