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E-mail This StoryCelina Middle School sixth-grader Lianna Hall will long remember December 2008 as the time she and her whippet, Stella, went up against the elite.
On Dec. 13-14, the best in the sport of purebred dogs and junior handlers will flock to Long Beach, Calif., to strut their stuff at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship. Lianna and Stella will compete against the top show junior handlers in the country.
The show will air on Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel on Jan. 31, 2009.
Lianna started competing as a junior handler when she was 10 years old. She completed her novice status by showing a smooth coat Chihuahua and quickly advanced to the open class of juniors. She started showing Chinese Cresteds and also American Eskimo dogs.
When asked about being selected, Lianna had this to say.
“I was so happy to receive the invitation to join the other competitors for the Eukanuba show,” Lianna said. “And as every day gets closer, I feel more nervous about the competition.”
Despite her pre-show jitters, she is taking the challenge in stride.
“I just turned 12 and there will be many handlers with a lot of experience since the age range for us is 9 to 18 years,” she said, adding that she is just happy to be invited to the championship, and will compete for the experience and for future competitions, but has hopes of doing well.
Her mother, Barbara Hall, said she is proud that both her daughters, adopted from China, enjoy participating in dog show events, and that her youngest daughter Brielle, can’t wait until next August when she will be old enough to follow in her sister’s footsteps. Brielle already has her show dog, and is learning the show business in anticipation of joining in the family tradition next fall. Hall has a long history in this arena having started showing dogs in the early 1980s.
For the National Championship, Lianna will show Stella, a lemon and white whippet that she co-owns with Amanda Clevenger. Lianna plans on showing Stella to achieve her AKC Championship title, also.
Lianna has shown several breeds in regular classes at AKC shows and has shown dogs for several additional people. She also exhibits animals with the Celina FFA chapter and is an A student.
The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is the largest prize money dog show in the world, with cash and prizes awarded totaling more than $225,000. The well-known competition is by invitation only. Dogs can qualify to attend by ranking the top 25 of their breed based on breed points accumulated at AKC shows, or by receiving an all-breed Best in Show win at any AKC show during the qualifying period.
Junior handlers can qualify by receiving five qualifying wins at any AKC show during the qualifying period, and the junior handlers must maintain a certain academic level or grade-point average.
