As an intern at Vizion Group Public Relations, I have had the amazing opportunity to be a part of The National Dog Show hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, and the job really has me thinking about how lucky I am to have my one-year-old puppy, Hank.
Unfortunately for me, my oldest sister was a cat person, so I grew up with a Siamese-mix cat named Sunny. I was always desperate for a dog growing up because my seven siblings simply weren’t entertaining enough. I longed for a furry friend, and at nine years old decided enough was enough. I created a PowerPoint presentation with indisputable points as to why I should have a dog, including heart-warming pictures and the benefits of having this dog for me, the family, and said dog (a golden retriever, of course), and presented it to my parents.
When I pictured how my junior year at Villanova University was going to go, I would have never imagined that by September I would be coming home to my two-month-old puggle, Hank. For months, I told my mom and dad that I was going to bring home a dog and there was nothing they could do about it except for fall in love with it. In September of 2019, I again decided enough was enough and went out and found Hank. Fortunately for me, my parents have one child left in the house after 28 years of parenting, so when they saw Hank, they couldn’t help but feel the need to make him their ninth child. Hank is a puggle, which is a mix of a beagle and a pug, and luckily for me, Hank got the neediness, noisiness, and mischievousness of a beagle, the insatiable appetite of a pug, and the face of a sweet, innocent angel (which makes it insanely hard to get mad at him for stealing my shoes and prancing around with them or chewing on the coffee table). Despite his crazy qualities, I have this little dog to t(hank) for a lot of good memories.
A little bit about Hank: Although Hank craves human attention more than any dog I’ve ever met, he does not exactly aim to please. Hank was only five pounds when I brought him home and has only gained about 20 pounds since then, but despite being small, he has the attitude and the fearlessness of a lion. When I take him for walks, he mostly walks me or will grab his own leash and walk himself. Since the National Dog Show Charity Walk is close to Villanova in the fall, I will have the opportunity to take Hank for the first time this year and I am so excited…although I will have to be sure to keep an eye on his shenanigans. If you want to join Hank and me at the walk, it is from 9 a.m. to noon on Sunday, October 13 at the Wilson Farm Park in Wayne, PA. Tickets and more information can be found at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-dog-show-charity-walk-2019-tickets-57525630710.
If Hank ever decides to put his smarts to good use (he really is a genius) instead of to trick me into giving him a treat, I think his sass, athletic ability, and his brains would honestly get him far in The National Dog Show. Maybe he will pick up a thing or two when we watch it together this year on T(hank)sgiving (his favorite holiday)!