Page 208 - ShowSight - December 2019

Jennifer Bell continued
How do I travel to shows and how many do I attend in the aver- age year? I actually drive a minivan after driving a Sprinter for years. I prefer to keep my carrying numbers low and prefer indoor shows. I attend at least 40 weekends of shows per year.
The best thing about being a professional handler? Dogs!
The toughest part about being a professional handler? Humans! Is my family involved? No. I have full support from my husband
and parents but they are not physically involved.
Am I involved with an all-breed club and held positions within
the club? Yes. I am a member of the Baton Rouge Kennel Club but more involved with my National and Local Breed clubs. I have held many offices in my breed club.
What can Clubs do to make handlers’ job easier? I don’t think it’s the clubs’ job to make a handler’s job easier.
What can Clubs do to make handlers want to enter? Hospitality, excellent judge panel and many offerings.
The most amusing thing I’ve ever witnessed at a dog show? Amusing? All day every day.
CHEYENNE CALVERT
My website is facebook.com/SiriusHandling and I live in Vancouver, Washington.
How I got started in dogs: my mom got my siblings and I started in 4-H dogs as kids, I was the youngest of three so that meant I got to start as young as four years old! My mom let me pick my own dog when I was 9 years old, I picked a beautiful red English Cocker and started to transition into AKC showing him in breed and juniors. I now compete professionally in AKC and volunteer as a 4-H leader.
What made me know that this was where I belonged? I’ve just always loved animals and have been passionate about purebred healthy dogs. I’ve also always been extremely competitive so dog shows are this perfect combination of adorable dogs and the thrill of competing and being surrounded by people who share and under- stand that passion.
Who were my mentors? Professional Handler Randy Schepper, Breeder/Owner/Handler Kay Belter, my mom Kari Smith-Schlecht and my sister, Jessica Miller.
Do I breed? I have bred a couple litters under the guidance of Kay and Doug Belter.
Do I like to stick to any particular breed or group? No, I tend to show a lot of sporting breeds but I really love showing all breeds! I love constantly learning and stretching my skill set and not just staying in a comfort zone.
How do I travel to shows and how many do I attend in the aver- age year? I attend about 35 shows a year all ranging from two to five days long. I love staying on the grounds except in the winter months. I think both indoor and outdoor shows have their pros and cons. I love the outdoor shows for my big dogs as I feel they have a better opportunity to move out but I like indoor shows bet- ter for my small dogs because the grass can throw off the propor- tions on small dogs making them look shorter and longer then they really are.
The best thing about being a professional handler? Getting to work with so many different breeds! I feel like a kid in a candy store that gets paid to try out different candies! It’s my husband’s favorite part too, he loves when I come home with new breeds!
The toughest part about being a professional handler? Clients (dogs and people) retiring, you build such a close bond with your clients over time it’s often very hard to say goodbye.
Is my family involved? Though my family got me started none of them are directly involved anymore. My sister is a groomer and my mom is a 4-H leader and ring stewards at local shows but most importantly she’s my dog sitter whenever I need her which has been
a life saver this year. My husband was looking forward to getting more involved but was recently diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoma on his spine that has left him a quadriplegic. Our lives have been turned upside down this year and we are still struggling to find our new normal.
Am I involved with an all-breed club and held positions within the club? No, I have stuck with breeds clubs for now as well as lead- ing a 4-H club. I love working with the 4-H kids and getting them hooked on AKC shows and teaching them more about the benefits of purebred dogs.
What can Clubs do to make handlers’ job easier? Start groups earlier on Sunday please! To be fair, I know that’s the superinten- dent’s job, but I think clubs should request that whenever possi- ble. Also, being up to date with technology. There are already a few clubs doing it but utilizing Paypal to make parking and groom- ing reservations and sending confirmations via email with maps of where your set up is so you can have all that info before showing up.
What can Clubs do to make handlers want to enter? Cater to your exhibitors and make it fun! We’ve been seeing more of this in the northwest in the last couple of years and I’m loving it. We have clubs that give fresh donuts and coffee daily in the grooming room, platters of finger food and water at the group ring, have fun themes and even play music throughout the venue. It’s really the little things that keep me coming back year after year!
The most amusing thing I’ve ever witnessed at a dog show? I mean I really don’t think you can beat watching a German Shep- herd specialty. With the bells and the whistles and people running around the outside of the ring, it makes you want to grab some popcorn and just enjoy the show! Just make sure you go incognito or you’ll end up in the ring running around with them!
SUE CANNIMORE
My website is Redfoxlhasas.com.
I live in Terry, Mississippi. I was a late bloomer in showing, hav- ing not grown up in a home with parents or other family members involved in the sport. In fact, I had always had cats until about 1993, and I bought a pure-bred Lhasa pet for my daughter. The Lhasa had a champion sire, and a good friend of mine was involved in showing and talked me into showing him. I had never even attended a show at that time, but entered him in some nearby shows with knowing very little about handling. He started winning at his third show. It took almost a year to finish him, but he took his final major win by going over champions in San Antonio, Texas (yeah—I had started to travel longer distances by then since I was definitely hooked). I still worked as a full-time advocate for students with disabilities and was only able to show on weekends or when I had vacation time until I retired in 2017, but I started handling for others on a small scale and after seven years applied and was accepted into the AKC Registered Handling Program.
What made me know that this was where I belonged? My two children were going off to college, and I was suffering “empty nest syndrome”. This was the logical answer and just felt right.
Who were my mentors? The late Barbara and Frank Trujillo. Do I breed? Not since I started handling more or less full time. Do I like to stick to any particular breed or group? I only handle
small breeds, under 20 pounds.
How do I travel to shows and how many do I attend in the aver-
age year? Right now I travel in a Honda Odyssey mini van with rear and middle row seats removed, but I aspire to upgrading to an RV. The best thing about being a professional handler is working
with the dogs. The toughest part about being a professional handler is the long hours of travel.
204 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019
Professional HandlerQ & A