Harper the dog loves to grab her pink squeaky pig and play catch me if you can.
But this playful Parson Russell Terrier with dark brown eyes is all business when she enters a ring and competes in best of breed competitions.
This Canton dog will be one of 45 dogs from Georgia competing in the prestigious Westminster Kennel Dog Show in New York City Feb. 16-17.
“She wants to have a great time when showing but when it comes down to it, she turns it on. She is very competitive,” said Janie Smith, a PE teacher and co-owner of Harper.
Three-year-old Harper has a harsh wire coat, a trademark of the Parson Russell breed. She also impressed with a brown and black-colored patch around her left eye — and freckles on both ears.
The first time Smith, a breeder, saw Harper, she knew she was something special.
“The mother had to have an emergency C-section so I was right there looking at the little puppy and I remember thinking: ‘You are beautiful. You might really have a shot at something spectacular,” said Smith who co-owns Harper with Jane Gardner of Philadelphia.
While Harper is feminine with a nice bone structure, it was the way her dog carried herself that really stood out.
“From the very beginning, she had this show attitude. She would go into the ring like she owned the place. Always up on her toes, never really had her tail down, never acted frightened,” said Smith, who has been breeding this type of dog for 15 years.
The iconic dog show, featuring some of the best looking and most athletic canines in the world, airs live on CNBC at 8 p.m. Monday and at 8 p.m. Tuesday on the USA Network. It will also be live-streamed on the Westminster web site (www.westminsterkennelclub.org) and app.
Another one of the 2,711 entries in this year’s show includes a rescue dog from Georgia who now lives with his owner in Birmingham. Several years ago, Kathy DeLucas was at an agility competition in Perry when a friend happened to be there toting Spirit, a Border Collie dog (being taken care of by North Georgia Border Collie Rescue). DeLucas introduced the then 7-month-old pup to her six other dogs. The dogs got along fine, and Spirit joined the family.
Spirit, like most dogs, loves agility courses, which are like playgrounds for dogs. But DeLucas and Spirit also connected. Now 8, Spirit will be in the show's agility competition. DeLucas believes she is the key to their success. Spirit will follow her lead, she said, adding that it is critical she get the timing just right. She works with Spirit on agility courses a few times a week, having Spirit practice jumps, tunnels and weave poles.
Meanwhile, Cray, a 21-month-old Border Terrier, will compete at the highest level at Westminster.
Normally, breeders need to wait eight weeks to know whether a puppy might have what it takes. Not so with Cray. John and wife Debby Behan knew right away.
“Even before his eyes and ears opened up, we knew we were blessed,” said John Behan of Atlanta.
Besides Cray’s natural beauty, Cray is known for being a sweet, friendly little fella. And he has a good drive to hunt and dig, a common characteristic of the breed.
Behan said he and Cray (who has alert, dark eyes, and wiry, grizzle-and-tan coat) have been working toward this big moment since the day he was born. Puppy sensitivity and stimulation training help Cray handle stressful conditions and still perform at high levels. Behan, who will be Cray’s handler at the show, estimates he and Cray will be in the ring for up to 45 minutes, and judges will spend up to three minutes with each dog, including Cray.
And while this is a serious competition, Behan said vying for the top honors must remain fun for the dog.
“We try to keep it as fun as possible and take their natural beautiful movement by nature,” he said. “They want to please humans and will work to get better and better and they will work to understand what they are being asked to do. We don’t want them to hate it. We want them to be happy in the ring. If they are not happy, there is no sense in showing them.”
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