Meet the Junior Handler: Michayla Hopkins

Meet the Junior Handler: Michayla Hopkins

1. Where do you live? Where do you go to school?

Michayla Hopkins: I live in Plainfield, Connecticut, and I attend Plainfield Middle School.

2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? Do you have a job?

Michayla Hopkins: I love to hang out with friends and play Roblox. I don’t have a job yet, but I make some money helping groom dogs with my grandmother.

3. Have you grown up in a doggy family? What is your breed(s)?

Michayla Hopkins: Yes, we have always had at least two dogs, and my gramma has three or four. We have also had rescued dogs in the past. I like Miniature American Shepherds and Rottweilers.

4. How were you introduced to Junior Showmanship? When did you start competing?

Michayla Hopkins: I was introduced to Junior Showmanship by my grandmother and our dog show family. I started competing in the Breed ring at seven years old, and then started Juniors when I turned nine.

5. What do you remember about the first time you showed as a Junior?

Michayla Hopkins: I was not really nervous because I had been showing, but it felt different because it was all kids… and so many of them. But I won my class, so I was so excited and couldn’t wait to enter again.

6. How do you prepare your dog and yourself for the ring? Any rituals? Any good luck charms?

Michayla Hopkins: I like to play with them before we go in the ring, so they feel relaxed and are a little silly. It makes them happier in the ring. I also practice free-stacking them and getting their attention on me.

7. What’s it like in the ring when the pressure is on? Do you have a secret for handling the nerves?

Michayla Hopkins: When I feel that the pressure is on, I get very focused and serious, sometimes too much and forget to smile. I don’t really have a secret, but I talk to myself and keep reminding myself what not to forget.

8. Do you have a mentor in the sport? Have you assisted any Professional Handlers?

Michayla Hopkins: My mentors are my grandmother, our friend Laurel, who I take classes with occasionally, and Sarah Crepeau, who is a professional handler and a friend who helps me a lot at the shows and gives me dogs to show. I have assisted a few professional handlers, but I generally help Sarah out most weekends.

9. Are there any wins for which you are particularly proud? Any memorable losses?

Michayla Hopkins: YES! In 2024, I was asked to show a Vizsla puppy for one of Sarah’s clients because she cannot show a puppy. I played a lot with her and she was so happy—but she could not stand still. I kept trying and trying, and when we went in the ring she was trying to jump on me and lick me, and just wanted to play. I was able to get her to stand for the minute the judge needed her to, and we won the class, then the Group, and by the time Best Puppy in Show went in, she was so tired, she actually kept her feet on the ground and we won…. Best Puppy in Show! When I went to get my ribbon from the judge, she was laughing and saying that I did an amazing job presenting her and never gave up on her, making it a fun experience. And that is what Puppy class should be. I walked out of the ring and everyone was clapping and telling me how good I did, and that I can show their puppies anytime. I will never forget that day.

I don’t have any losses that are memorable, I just watch the videos my papa takes and see what I can do better next time. I do feel bad when a friend loses a class that I feel they should have won. I know how hard I try, and my friends do too. Sometimes they get upset, so I feel bad for them.

10. How do you accentuate your dog’s breed type in the ring? How do you try to stand out?

Michayla Hopkins: I make sure they are stacked properly and focused on me. I also like to wear an outfit that has colors that make the dog stand out more and not get lost in the same color against me. I try to stand out by smiling and keeping my eyes on the judge as much as possible.

11. Is your breed generally well-suited for a Junior Showmanship career?

Michayla Hopkins: Yes, Mini American Shepherds are my main breed and is what we breed and what I started showing. They are extremely smart and very versatile. They are mostly confident and very easy to train.

12. Are there any breeds that you would like to show but haven’t shown yet?

Michayla Hopkins: I would love to show a Newfoundland and a Standard Schnauzer in the future.

13. What can be done to encourage more young people to participate in Junior Showmanship?

Michayla Hopkins: I feel that we should help other kids get involved by making dogs available to practice with and show. I also like to help kids with less experience and try to make them feel less nervous.

14. Have you bred or co-bred a litter? If so, can you share what you’ve learned from the experience?

Michayla Hopkins: I helped my grandmother two years ago when we bred our girl Keva and had a litter of five puppies. I was responsible for weekly measurements of height and weight, preparing mush, and helping to desensitize them to harsh sounds with a YouTube channel that has lots of day-to-day sounds that may be scary to puppies at first. I also helped to clean kennels, brush puppies, and trim nails weekly, so they would get used to it. My favorite part was holding them as they would fall asleep.

15. Is breeding something that you’d like to pursue? Is breed preservation important to you?

Michayla Hopkins: I would like to breed when I get older and have my own place to take care of them. Breed preservation is very important to make sure that good-quality dogs are available to people who want one and that they are healthy.

16. What are your goals for the future? Do you see yourself continuing in the sport once you’ve aged-out?

Michayla Hopkins: I would love to be a professional handler and maybe a veterinarian too. I will always show dogs, even after Juniors, and hope that I can compete at Westminster with one of my own dogs someday.

17. Can you share a word or two about your relationship with your current dog? What does s/he mean to you?

Michayla Hopkins: I show several dogs in Juniors and have a different relationship with each one. My favorite is our own Mini American Shepherd, Hazel. She is my favorite because she is so trusting and focuses so much on me when we train together. I truly believe I could teach her anything I want to; we are currently training for our first Agility trial this spring.

18. Is there a funny story that you can share about your experiences as a Junior Handler?

Michayla Hopkins: At my very first Junior Novice class I was used to being in Breed—but Juniors had a whole set of rules we had to follow in the class. The dog in front of me started its down and back for the judge, and I went over to the table and my dog jumped right up on the table by himself and I stacked him. When the judge turned around, he looked at me very strangely and then walked over and asked me to do the whole thing again, so that he could actually watch this time. I was a little embarrassed, but it was a good lesson and I never did it again.