CONTRIBUTED

Tri-colored Cavalier King Charles Spaniel CH Nickelby Rokirk Renewal will compete in the 138th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

CONTRIBUTED

Several dogs with local ties head to New York next week to compete in the 138th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (WKC).

North Carolina-bred Cavalier King Charles Spaniel CH Nickelby Rokirk Renewal, owned by Pinehurst residents Lisa and Fred Schrank, heads the list.

Nicholas Nickelby, as he is called, was born in Sanford, at the home of AKC judge David Kirkland and Steve Roman. He was the winner at the Central Carolina Cavalier Specialty this past year, held in conjunction with the MCKC's September show.

Nicholas Nickelby is handled by well-known North Carolina handler, Ken Wall.

Pinehurst resident Beth Dowd takes to New York two new dogs this year, Welsh Springer Spaniel Grand Champion Clussexx Red Dragon, and the English Toy Spaniel Grand Champion Royalist Ready To Reign.

Both dogs are handled by Scott Sommer from Spring, Texas, who is remembered for his Best In Show at Westminster with the Sussex Spaniel, Stump, co-owned by Beth Dowd, and for his Best with the Bichon, JR.

Shetland sheepdog breeder and trainer Jane Hammett-Bright from Jackson Springs, will have a top junior handler on her dog at the WKC this year.

Junior handler Samantha Heiser will show her Shetland sheepdog Grand Champion Shadow Hill Star Chaser, which she co-owns with Hammett-Bright.

Heiser has studied at Hammett-Bright's summer camp in Jackson Springs since she was 11 years old, and went Best of Opposite at the Eukanuba Championships in December in Orlando, Fla., with Star Chaser.

Hammett-Bright's summer camp is a well-respected proving ground for handlers in all aspects of the dog fancy, including conformation, obedience and agility.

After back-to-back breed wins at Westminster, the Black Russian owned by Laura Jordan, of Aberdeen, BIS GCH CH Petr Pervy iz Russkoi Dinastii, is taking a year off.

"Mackx and I wish all of the other entrants the best of luck," says Jordan.

Renowned judge and local resident Jane Forsyth will step off the golf course and onto a plane to head to New York as a repeat nominee for the highly coveted award of Judge of the Year, to be presented at the Purina Pro-Plan dinner.

Forsyth belongs to an elite group of judges referred to as all-rounders, meaning they adjudicate over all 174 AKC registered breeds.

Karolynne McAteer hops on a plane for the eighth consecutive year to direct the streaming video of the dog show. All breeds will be streamed to the Westminster website www.westminsterkennelclub.org for viewing all day on Feb. 13-14.

The groups of the nationally televised dog show will be shown live on USA commencing at 8 p.m. on Feb. 13 and 14.

"It will be a great two days for dogs and dog lovers, and we are naturally, hoping that the locally owned dogs prevail," says McAteer.