Harley Makes the News

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article on Harley and I in this Saturday’s paper.

Local retriever hopes to pick up a national prize
By Sarah Newman

A little dog from St. Peters is one of the finalists in “the biggest canine
competition” in America.

Harley, shown at top, is a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever owned by Latisha Hancy. He beat out more than 14,000 other canines in Purina’s Dog Show USA, an online competition by NBC Universal that kicked off in conjunction with the National Dog Show in November.

Actor John O’Hurley, Westminster Kennel Club and National Dog Show analyst David Frei and dog trainer Bash Dibra selected the finalists. They named Harley top dog in the sporting group, one of the eight groups in the Best in Show category.

Now it’s up to the public to pick the pooch who’ll win the coveted Best in Show title. There also are three specialty categories, each with three finalists to vote on in the online balloting: best trick, cutest face and dog-owner look-alike. Prizes for the winners range from a year’s supply of Purina Pro Plan dog food to a trip to the 2006 National Dog Show in Philadelphia, complete with front-row seats.

Dog shows are nothing new to Harley, who has seen his share of show rings. The 6-year-old has earned his champion credentials from both the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club. Now Hancy is training him in obedience and retrieving.

“He has his basic obedience certification and his retrieving certification. That’s something I’m proud of,” Hancy said, because it means “he has been trained to do the job he was bred for.”

Hancy got Harley when she was vacationing in Florida. Looking for something to do to pass the time, she found a local breeder and made arrangements to “just look” at her puppies.

“I went up to knock on the door, and this puppy jumped on the screen to greet me,” Hancy said. “I’ll never forget, the first thing the breeder said to me was, ‘He’s available.’ I told her I was just looking, but by the end of the day I knew the dog was coming home with me.

“I’ve never once regretted the decision,” she continued. “Harley has turned out to be everything I ever wanted and more.”

Harley shares his space with two other members of his unusual breed: a 2-year-old named Zeppy and a puppy named Erin. Hancy is planning for a whole litter of puppies later this year.

To vote in the Dog Show USA competition (and be entered in a sweepstakes to win a video iPod), log on to www.dogshowusa.com. Voting ends Monday. The winners will be announced online Jan. 31 after an announcement ceremony at Purina’s Checkerboard Square headquarters.

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