Article out of the Orange County Register
Dated:
Lauren Hay-Lavitt, a 13-year old from Westminster, made a splash Monday at the 131st annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show – often described as the Super Bowl of American dog breeding – when she advanced to the finals of the competition's Junior Showmanship competition.
Her success at taking her German-shorthaired pointer Truman, whom she co-owns, through an hour long competition has put her into today's final against seven other dog handlers age 18 and under.
"What set her apart was that her dog was not behaving perfectly, so she really had to work very hard to handle him." said her mother, Alison Hay-Lavitt, who watched Lauren advance in a preliminary competition with 25 contestants.
Lauren began competing at 10 years old and spends a couple of hours a day at home working with dogs.
This is her second appearance at the Westminster show, but her first time in the finals.
The finals, starting at 4:30 p.m. local time today, will be overseen by veteran judge Nick Ubanek. "I will be looking for a handler who works quietly and smoothly with the dog, making the dog, not the handler, the focus," said Ubanek.
Lauren attends Stacy Middle High School in Huntington Beach, as does her sister Emily, 11, who is at the show and also showing a dog in competition today.