Where it began
The door to dog shows was opened to me by a Cardigan Welsh Corgi named George. His owner was my math teacher, and she brought him in for the day to meet her students. I had always been a dog-obsessed kid and had seen Westminster on TV, but meeting someone who actually participated in dog shows made me feel like it was accessible to me too. At age 12, I started showing our family pet Yorkie in junior showmanship.
Pretty soon I had fallen in love with dog shows and welcomed a new English Cocker puppy, Spencer, into my life. My parents encouraged me to find handlers to work for so that I could travel further to shows and go for longer circuits in the summer, and I began working for Gina Currier at age 14. She specialized in Brittanys, and through her I got to see first-hand dual-purpose dogs — dogs who excelled in the field and in the show ring. Going to a field trial with her and riding in the gallery behind two working dogs was a formative moment of my life, and solidified the importance of soundness and condition.
At 16, I started working for Kellie FitzGerald and Chris Berg — a world-renowned handler team specializing in Sporting breeds. Kellie had just won Best in Show at Westminster with English Springer Spaniel CH Felicity's Diamond Jim, "James," and had also won it in 2000 with CH Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless, "Samantha." From them I learned the ins and outs of the business and how to condition and care for dogs at the highest level. I'll forever be grateful for the summers I spent living at the kennel and traveling to shows, and for their friendship and influence to this day.
After years apprenticing and learning how to groom and condition him, my English Cocker Spencer became CH Winsome Let It Be. After some success in our junior showmanship career — including making it to Finals at Westminster in 2009 and winning Best Junior at the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America National Specialty in 2008 — I graduated high school and departed for college.
