Page 278 - ShowSight - December 2019

Professional HandlerQ & A
“MOST OF THE SHOWS I GO TO ALWAYS DO THEIR BEST TO MAKE EVERYONE’S LIVES AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
Running an all breed show is not an easy task so I always give props to the people that do so and keep these shows going.”
Kellie Miller continued
I do not like sticking to one breed or group. I like the challenge of being an all around dog person. Naturally, I know my strength is in the Sporting Group, but I feel fortunate to have the ability to cross groups with ease.
How do I travel to shows and how many do I attend in the aver- age year? I easily do 130-150 shows a year. I travel in my Ford Tran- sit with a Cargo Trailer. Living in Colorado, we don’t have a lot of options for shows, so you may see me in Florida one weekend and Washington State a month later. The driving is the most tedious part of traveling and I really wish I could sometimes travel in an RV.
The best thing about being a professional handler? I LOVE my dogs, grooming, training and being my own boss. Setting my schedule, or taking time off, not generally setting myself to anyone’s clock, but the official start time at the show.
The toughest part about being a professional handler? The driv- ing. If we lived on the East or West Coast, I would not spend near as much time behind the wheel of my van. I woke up this morning and realized that over the course of the last three weeks, I have spent seven full days driving. No wonder I rarely have time to catch up with myself. We only have nine weekends of shows in the State of Colorado, and one of those shows is actually held in New Mexico now. It takes generally three hours to drive out of this state any given direction from Denver. I’m exhausted.
Is my family involved? My mother and I are all that’s left of our family and our involvement in the sport.
Am I involved with an all-breed club and held positions within the club? Yes, I am the Show Chair for Arapahoe Kennel Club, in Aurora, Colorado.
What can Clubs do to make handlers’ job easier? I find most clubs to be very accommodating to Handlers, and if they aren’t I just don’t go back. My expectations as a Handler is to make my own life easier, by preparing for what the different clubs have to offer.
What can Clubs do to make handlers want to enter? This is a trick question in my book. People enter if they feel the judging panel is good. Everyone’s opinion of a panel is going to be differ- ent. Some years a panel is going to look good to a lot of people, and some years, not so much. The next best thing that dictates my path is time of year and weather. I don’t go too far of a beaten path in bad weather or to be outside.
The most amusing thing I’ve ever witnessed at a dog show? For the cleanliness of the audience—I haven’t laughed as hard as I did this past weekend at the American Brittany Club National Special- ty. They had a Balloon Dog Handling Class with five exceptional kids and four Pros. Each of the Pros animals were excused or DQ’ed for various reasons, but the kids were all working so hard to keep their balloon dogs upright and moving correctly. I laughed until I cried!
KRISTINA ROCK
I don’t have a website yet and I am located in Phoenix, Arizona.
How I got started in dogs? My sister and I were born and raised into the dog world, we are third generation dog people. Our father’s parents showed and bred Rough Collies and our mother’s mom bred and showed multiple breeds including Great Danes, Papillons, and Australian Terriers and our her father showed and trained in
obedience with all sorts of breeds. Both our parents also went on to become professional handlers together and bred Australian Terriers carrying on our grandmothers legacy in the breed.
What made me know that this was where I belonged? Dogs have always been in my life and without them I feel incomplete. Being at dog shows is where I’ve always fit in the most and being able to have a career where I can play with dogs all day every day is a dream come true!
Who were my mentors? I had many mentors along the way. My parents were a big help and always pushed me and helped me to suc- ceed and showed me the way of dogs. As well as Wood Wornal and Duke and Tina Donahue.
Do I breed? I have just recently started to gets my hands on a few breedings of my choosing with a few special dogs but I have not started breeding myself in my home yet. But I do plan to in the next few years.
Do I like to stick to any particular breed or group? Labradors have become my breed of choice. Over ten years ago I was fortunate enough to team up with wonderful breeders, Duke and Tina of QuailChase Labradors and ever since then my love for the breed has grown and I hope to continue in the Lab ring and start my own breeding path soon.
How do I travel to shows and how many do I attend in the aver- age year? Traveling to shows I prefer to use our motorhome but sometimes it is a van and a hotel stay for the weekend it all just depends on which shows and the dogs I am carrying. I do not have a preference on indoor or outdoor shows. It mostly just depends on the weather which one I prefer.
The best thing about being a professional handler? Getting to be around dogs all the time.
The toughest part of being a handler is the constant going. I am always on the road and even though I would not change it for any- thing it would be nice to have a little more time at home.
My family is very much involved. Although my parents are no longer handling professionally, they’re always at any local show they can make it to to come and cheer me and my sister on as well as show some of their own personal dogs in obedience and rally.
Am I involved with an all-breed club and held positions within the club? I am not a member of an all breed club but I am a member of my local Labrador club, Papago Labrador Club. But I have not yet held a position in my club.
What can Clubs do to make handlers’ job easier? Most of the shows I go to always do their best to make everyone’s lives as easy as possible. Running an all breed show is not an easy task so I always give props to the people that do so and keep these shows going.
LORI SARGENT
My website is www.professional-dog-handler.com and I live in Michigan.
How I got started in dogs? At the age of 15, I started working at a boarding kennel where Bloodhounds and Doberman Pinschers were also bred. I started conformation showing Bloodhounds. I purchased my own Doberman and showed him in conformation and obedience.
274 • ShowSight Magazine, DeceMber 2019