For many of us, gushing over rows of indescribably adorable dogs has become a Thanksgiving Day tradition of oohing and aahing in front of the television while watching the Annual National Dog Show.
This Thanksgiving, perhaps some of you might have even recognized one of those dogs or his charming young handler strutting across your TV screen during this year’s 17thAnnual National Dog Show, receiving the Sporting Group title as millions watched.
For the last 14 years, Annie Henshaw of Mattapoisett has been training and showing dogs. That’s no small feat when you consider that she’ll be turning 21 in a few days. That’s right – Henshaw has been working with dogs since she was only seven years old.
Growing up on the Mattapoisett family farm and kennel known as Poisett Kennel, Henshaw learned at a very early age just how important it is to breed animals from healthy stock as well as training them.
Henshaw’s grandparents, George and Paulie, have been breeding, raising, training, and showing dogs for decades. But it wasn’t until she was seven years of age that Henshaw became aware of how much she enjoyed the whole process. As her grandparents prepared to leave the farm one day, Henshaw asked, “Where are you going?” Her grandmother replied, “To train the dogs.”
“Can I go too?” And with that simple request to tag along, the course of Henshaw’s life was set, even if she didn’t really know it at the time. “I loved it and wanted to keep on doing it.”
Though her grandparents have raised a variety of breeds over the years, it was the Chesapeake Bay retriever that became the main breed the Henshaws would be drawn to.
“My grandmother saw one at a show and said, ‘I have to have one.’”
The rest has become history.
Henshaw said the Chesapeake Bay retriever is an intelligent animal, one whose loyalty can only equate to its protective tendencies, something that can prove dangerous, even, Henshaw commented.
“They can be extremely stubborn, so early training is mandatory.” She said the breed has the ability to problem solve, a unique trait in dogs, but, again, one that can get them into trouble.
Still, their hardworking natural talents coupled with their devotion to their owners can produce a well-balanced family dog if the humans do it right, attests Henshaw.
The family breeds their dogs once every two years at the Poisett Kennel, but not for profit, said Henshaw. While some dogs are in fact sold, the cost of breeding and raising healthy animals quickly outpaces any compensation they receive from the sale of a single dog.
“My grandmother doesn’t make any money,” she chuckled.
Currently, the kennel is home to eight dogs.
As for the dog show circuit that Henshaw has just recently returned from with Ducky, not unlike other competitive endeavors, it is a sub-culture unto itself, she explained.
“For dog show people, it’s all that matters,” she said. The shows can be a drudge to those who don’t enjoy the atmosphere and the competition, she added. “There’s a lot of hurry up to wait.”
One upside of showing these sporting dogs is that their grooming is effortless – au naturel. Henshaw said that the judges look for the water-resistant coats to be oily, making it unnecessary to bath them prior to showing. Just a quick combing and brushing and they are ready to go.
The two big dog shows most people are familiar with are the Thanksgiving Day Annual National Dog Show, which is the most heavily attended, Henshaw said, and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show that she described as the most “prestigious.” Over the years, Poisett’s dogs have earned nine titles, with Ducky taking a championship in addition to Grand, Silver, and Gold.
Working with animals and doing it well takes a special type of person whose passion supersedes all other endeavors. For Henshaw, as much as she has enjoyed the dogs and all that showing them entails, she always felt it was just a great hobby. So after she graduated from Old Rochester Regional High School in 2016, she began pursuing a career in the health care industry.
“I fought the feeling of working with dogs as a career for a long time,” admitted Henshaw. But now, as she is about to graduate from Bristol Community College, Henshaw is fully embracing dog training as a profession, but not just any type of dog training – the intense and critical training that prepares dogs and their handlers for security work known as Schutzhund, which means “protection dog” in German.
Henshaw also hopes to start her own business as training German shepherds. Comparing the shepherds to the Chesapeakes, she said, “The Chesapeakes are the only sporting breed mentally and physically strong enough to handle Schutzhund training.”
Because of her many years in and around the dog show and training circuits, Henshaw has gained knowledge of the dos and don’ts when considering the purchase of a dog.
“It’s extremely important to go to a responsible breeder,” said Henshaw. “Just because someone knows a lot about a breed doesn’t mean they are good.” She said that puppy mills might masquerade as quality breeders, so doing research is necessary. “If their main source of income is selling dogs, don’t get that dog!” She said that genetic testing for disease is another critical element in understanding if a dog is healthy.
“My grandparents gave me this gift,” Henshaw said. “I just always wanted to be with their dogs.” And now, as her future unfolds, it looks like the Poisett Kennel will one day be in good hands.
“When my grandmother decides she’s done, I’ll do it,” she said.
By Marilou Newell