Local youth wins award at dog show

By Cindy Mindell

Hana Katz may only be 11 years old, but she’s already making the rounds at some of the biggest dog shows in the country.

Hana, the daughter of Debra and Gary Katz of West Hartford, is a 6th-grader at the Solomon Schechter Day School. She and her standard poodle, Brooke, were recently invited to contend for the Junior Showmanship title at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Florida. One of only two junior contestants selected from Connecticut for the 175-participant competition, Hana came home with a merit award in the Non-Sporting group.

"It was always a dream of mine to show a dog at the AKC/Eukanuba National Championships," said Katz, who has been competing for only a year and a half.

AKC/Eukanuba Junior eligibility requirements reflect success in the show-ring and the classroom alike. Entrants are required to maintain a 3.0 GPA at school, and win five prior Open Class dog-show competitions.

In addition to meeting those criteria, Hana finished first among all juniors showing standard poodles in AKC events in 2005.

Coach, mentor and aunt, Gladie Lauer, a canine therapist, travels with Hana most weekends to AKC shows along the East Coast. Hana and Brooke went to Madison Square Garden to compete in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, the oldest juried dog show in the nation.