When Starkville High School junior Kennedy Bearden was just 10 years old, she went to her first dog show. At first, she didn’t know what to expect.
But when she saw the junior handlers – other children between the ages of 9 and 18 – take the ring with their dogs, she remembers thinking, “Those kids are my age. Why am I not doing this?”
“I loved it,” Bearden said. “I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Three years ago, Bearden and her family moved from Texas to Starkville, and she joined the Golden Triangle Kennel Club. Earlier this month, when the kennel club hosted its annual dog show at the Mississippi Horse Park, her years of dedication paid off.
Bearden and her beagle, Pyro, competed in the conformation event, where dogs are judged on how closely they conform to breed standards.
Bearden won the conformation award for Best Junior Handler. Pyro placed fourth overall in the owner handled group.
Bearden joked that victories like that remind her why she loves showing dogs.
“But really, spending time with my dogs and seeing the training that I’ve put into it,” she said. “Winning is showing that you put in a lot of work.”
But winning a show takes hard work. Nathalie Bearden, Kennedy’s mother, said her success in the ring is a testament to the time she spends training Pyro, her other two other beagles and her brittany.
“Showing dogs from the outside may seem silly, but it takes a lot of time management,” Nathalie said. “It takes a lot of preparation for the dog, you know, daily care 365 days a year.”
For Nathalie, the best part of watching her daughter show dogs is seeing her take on the responsibility that comes with competing.
“For children to grow up doing that, it teaches them a whole lot of responsibility,” Nathalie said. “I think it’s a great environment to just learn those life skills. … That’s probably (my) favorite thing. It teaches them a lot of life skills and responsibility.”
When Kennedy doesn’t have a show on the schedule, she spends her time outside of school training her dogs and working on her showmanship. In summer, she travels full time with a professional handler going to different shows across the country.
Kennedy found a strong community in the Golden Triangle Kennel Club, which focuses on serving individuals interested in breed-related dog performance.
“It’s good to know people in the kennel club when you’re (at the dog show) because then I actually know people here,” she said. “It’s not like I just came here from out of town and don’t know anyone. It’s building bonds with people that you’re around all the time.”
Every Tuesday, she volunteers teaching a class for the kennel club where owners learn how to train and show their dogs. Kennedy said teaching the classes has been a fun way to introduce other people to the hobby she enjoys so much.
“We have a lot that show up, and I feel like it’s helped them a lot, especially just practicing continuously,” she said. “Because once you get in the ring, if you know what you’re doing it’s a lot easier than to go in there not knowing what you’re doing.”
Nathalie said she can see how working, showing and teaching others about dogs has helped her daughter become more confident outside of the conformation ring.
“Everything was built over time, and she’s had to put in a lot of work to prove herself,” Nathalie said. “I think that maturity has come because she’s had a lot more responsibility growing up because she has been showing dogs for so long.”
Kennedy hasn’t decided what her plans are after she graduates high school, but as for showing dogs, she won’t be stopping anytime soon.
“It’s a part of my life,” she said. “I do it a lot, so it would be hard to give it up.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 24 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
