Tom is a second-year student at Pace University in New York City, studying Communications and Media Studies. He is also pursuing a minor in Marketing and is part of the Pforzheimer Honors College. He’s always had a passion for advertisement, public speaking, and writing, ultimately drawing him to Public Relations. Previously, he was an email marketer for Pace’s Center for Student Engagement and was a Social Media Intern for Blue Note Entertainment Group. In his free time, he loves snowboarding, taking his dogs on late-night walks, and spending hours cleaning his car. He’s handling infographics and projects for the National Dog Show and the American Century Championship as part of his internship at Vizion Group PR this summer.
If causing chaos was a category of competition at the National Dog Show, Hank would win Best in Show.
Hank is a six-year-old Redbone Coonhound and he is always the primary topic of discussion at the MacNeel household. We think his name comes from Hank the Cowdog, a children’s book with an eerily similar-looking dog on the cover. He’s known for his vivid facial expressions, goofy personality, and always letting us know how he is feeling. Even though he’s goofy and always makes us laugh, he’s weirdly intelligent.
Redbone Coonhounds are bred as hunting dogs. They are known for tracking scents and having a strong prey drive. But, with their families, these dogs are friendly, loving, and wouldn’t hurt a fly. Hank is the same way. He comes off as calm, funny, and a loving member of our family. This all changes when he steps outside.
When Hank enters our backyard, he transforms into ‘hunting’ mode. But, it’s more of a pretend game. When we open the back door, he sprints at full speed outside heading for our shed. He seems to think there is an animal living under there, but we’ve never seen it.
He’ll spend hours circling around the shed, trying to track the scent of this mysterious creature. Once he gives up on that, the next task is to walk the perimeter of our fence. He’ll sniff different holes in the ground and look out for animals. This is cute until he actually sees something.
For about a year, until we upgraded our fence, Hank was able to use his back legs and climb over the barrier when he saw an animal in the distance that piqued his interest. He would run circles around the neighborhood, having the time of his life, while we frantically looked for him. Our neighbors began to know him as “Hot Dog.” Not because he looks like a hot dog – though he kind of does – but because that’s what we would yell out to try to get him to come home. He would always be lured back with hot dogs, which we would keep pre-sliced, waiting for the next escape.
We tried everything to stop his escapes. Every time we let him out, we would watch carefully to make sure he didn’t jump over the fence while we weren’t looking. But Hank was not easily deferred. He would charge outside, glance back at us, and still escape right in front of our eyes. We were quite the neighborhood embarrassment.
Eventually, we got a higher fence, and resorted to putting chicken wire above it. We constantly monitor the yard for holes or other ways that Hank could escape. Now, when he sees a deer right outside of our fence, all he can do is bark.
So, if Hank were to be a showdog, I expect nothing good would come from it. When my family and I watch NBC’s National Dog Show Presented by Purina on Thanksgiving Day, we see elegant, well-behaved dogs with confident eyes locked onto their handler.
Hank would do none of that, even with training. Instead, he’d probably be scanning for his escape route – a wall to jump over, a fence to scale, and maybe even an animal to hunt. He’s also a whiner. In a situation where he has to be a good boy, especially with so many people around, he would be very vocal about his disinclination.
This year, I’ll be watching the National Dog Show the same way I always do – looking on in admiration and wondering how on earth the dogs are so well behaved. The show takes place in Oaks, PA, just a couple of miles from my house. Each year, hundreds of breeds and varieties compete for the title of Best in Show, but Hank will not be involved 🙂.
Tickets for the event go on sale in June, and the show takes place November 14 and 15 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center. I know one thing my family and I have always considered when talking about attending is the affordability – tickets are only $20 for adults and $10 for children, and you can find them at nds.nationaldogshow.com.
Hank may not be a show dog, but he’s still #1 in my heart – and I guarantee he would win in the category of “Best in Escapability!”