Showing the best: Brittany makes dogs her passion at home and in the show ring

By Ken Luchterhand



What started out as a fear began a passion – a love so strong that it has fully enveloped Brittany Greendeer’s life.
Brittany used to be afraid of dogs, but three years ago that all changed.
Not only does she love dogs, they are her entire life, during her days and even when she sleeps. She loves her dogs so much, one of her dogs, Rhea, sleeps in her bed with her, often sleeping with her head on Brittany’s neck.
Brittany is the daughter of Jon Greendeer and Stacy Sieber.
Her boyfriend got a puppy and that experience has changed her life forever. Now, her passion to be with dogs, work with dogs, and show dogs is the most important aspects of her life.
By day, she is a dog groomer at Happy Paws in Wisconsin Rapids. On weekends, she hits the show ring, wherever it may be, as a dog show handler. She has four dogs: Rhea, Jinx, Jarvan and Karma. And her roommate has one, too, named Hailey.
Her new life came about by accident.
“It all started with Karma, a mixed breed,” Brittany said. “My boyfriend wanted one and I fell in love with her.”
She took Karma to dog obedience classes in Wisconsin Rapids and was introduced to showing dogs by the instructor. That’s when she got bitten by the show bug.
Since she started about three years ago, she figures that she has been in the ring hundreds of times in competition across the country. She began by showing Jinx just for fun, but then got Rhea, both Australian shepherds, and began showing regularly.
 “I’ll show every weekend, if possible,” she said. And she is very dedicated to the profession, making personal sacrifices along the way.
On Friday, January 8, she started driving out for the Land O' Lakes Kennel Club dog show in St. Paul, Minnesota at 2 a.m. in a snow and sleet storm, and sacrificed her sleep that night. Travel was extremely slow, sometimes going only 35 mph. She got to the RiverCentre with barely enough time to get herself and her dog ready for the show ring.
“I didn’t win anything,” she said on Saturday, minutes before the next show. “I wasn’t dressed properly and my hair was a mess. I didn’t deserve to win.”
But when she stepped into the ring on Saturday, she was ready. In her class, Rhea was second in her class and came very close to getting reserve winners bitch at the large and prestigious show. Brittany looked forward to a chance to do better the next day.
“I’m not nervous at all,” Brittany said about being in the show ring. “I’m too focused on presenting to be nervous, watching carefully to what I’m doing.”
Being in the show ring is only one small part of the entire process of showing dogs. More important is the preparation, to which Brittany spends a great deal of time and effort. It takes her about two hours of grooming and primping to make sure her dog is the best and makes a good impression to the judge and audience.
Rhea gets a bath before they make the trip to the show and when they get there, the fine details begin. Rhea is placed on a grooming table and hair is carefully groomed with a scissors, making sure both sides of the dog look even and balanced. Loose hair is vacuumed and then cholesterol, otherwise known as mousse, is applied to the hair to give gloss and smoothness to her coat. Then chalk dust is applied to certain areas, such as the lower legs, to make the hair stand out and to look fuller. Then some whitening spray paint is applied in the white coat areas to improve the color.
Even more expertise and grooming methods are applied to increase her chances of earning a blue ribbon.
“I spend a small fortune on grooming supplies,” she said.
The average cost of buying a show quality puppy is somewhere between $1,000 and $1,500, she said.
“The cost of the dog is the cheapest part,” she said. Many people think show dog show owners are rich, but usually the reverse is true, she said. It’s just that she puts everything she has into her passion, including all her money.
Before anyone ventures into the sport, it’s important to obtain a dog who is physically and mentally able to excel.
“It’s important to have a good dog,” Brittany said. “Being a good handler helps, but you have to start out with a dog that conforms to the standards of the breed.”
Not only do genetically appropriate dogs help the chances of winning, but also it helps the mental part of being judged – projecting a sense of bringing the best dog possible.
“I don’t want to be seen with dogs who aren’t good,” she said. “I want the judge to know that this is the best I have and I only bring you the best.”
Showing dogs isn’t all about being in the ring at judging time, she said. It’s also the social aspect, such as being with friends and all the people who share the same love of dogs.
One of those friends is Kelton Hatton, who now lives in Milwaukee and was born and raised in Appleton. He’s what they call a professional handler and a close dog show friend of Brittany. Because of his showing talent, he not only shows his own dogs, but shows dogs for other people.
At the show on Saturday, Kelton showed the brother to Brittany’s Rhea, Orion, and took home Best of Winners in the male category. Another brother to Rhea, Apollo, took Best of Winners in a national show in Tennessee.
Brittany travels anywhere in the United States to compete in shows and has been to Michigan, Chicago and Missouri. An upcoming trip to a Pennsylvania show will be the furthest she has traveled.
She doesn’t fly because, if she did, all her equipment would have to be shipped ahead of time. Instead she drives her van that has accumulated many dog show miles.
“Someday I would like to get a newer van, but that will have to wait for now,” she said.
When she registers for a show, she never knows how many other entrants there will be for that breed and in that category, so it is often a surprise how many will be in the ring with her. Sometimes there are many and sometimes there are just a few.
“It’s scarier when there are less dogs in the ring with me. Then there’s more pressure to win,” Brittany said.
And each judge has a preference for a different aspect, such as one judge will look at gait more heavily and another has a preference for a certain physical trait. That’s why it’s important for people to know what person will be the judge and what he or she likes.
“If you don’t know what the judge likes, you don’t know what to emphasize,” she said. “The first impression is the most important. The judge will see a dog that he or she likes when they first enter the ring, then the judge will go over each dog individually.”
While getting first place is important to Brittany, it’s not everything.
“Winning is a high, but it’s more important to make a good showing,” she said. “It’s what other people see, not just the judge.”
Brittany chose Australian shepherds as her favorite breed because she likes to have well-rounded dogs who also can work outside the show ring. Because she doesn’t have any sheep of her own, often she and her dogs will visit one of her friends who does have sheep. She finds that the Australian shepherds are very good with herding sheep, something bred within them. 
“I have other hobbies, but this is pretty much what I do,” she said.
 As for her future, she would like to have a few pups this year.
“I'll be taking a break to breed Rhea then get back to showing in full force after the pups have been placed,” Brittany said.
When she rejoins the show circuit, she’ll be anxious to get back out into competition and plans to make every event she can.
She loves her work with dogs so much that she wants to be an inspiration to young Ho-Chunk youth. There’s a program in the American Kennel Club called the Junior Handler Program which allows youth to enter into the shows with any dog, not necessarily a purebred or show dog, and learn the proper procedures.
Brittany said the Junior Handler Program will help young people enter the pastime of showing dogs, as well as teaching them responsibility and skills they will use the rest of their lives. Plus, it develops them in the social aspect and gaining new friends with the same passion for dogs.
If anyone is interested in learning what all goes into showing dogs, Brittany will do her best to help anyone. She can be contacted by email at bgreendeer@gmail.com or you can visit her Web site at riotaustralianshepherds.weebly.com.



 



Home