TAMPA, Fla. — “Now is the time people start to get nervous — now is the time the anxiety starts building up,” said Aaron Wilkerson as he explains the walk to the show ring at a dog show.
Wilkerson, a veteran dog handler, says he doesn’t really get nervous anymore.
“Now it’s just the fun, now it’s just the fun part,” said Wilkerson, lining up a golden retriever into the competition zone at the AKC All Breed Dog at the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. The show started on Wednesday and runs through Sunday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For the golden girl he’s leading, preps started more than an hour ago with her hair. Her name is Sassy and she is competing as an open bitch golden retriever.
Wilkerson said that the flatter the hairdo, the better Sassy’s body structure shows for the judges.
“She shows every weekend, so her hair is pretty trained,” he said.
Wilkerson usually uses chicken meat to treat his dogs in the ring, but now it’s beef heart, thanks to a vendor buddy at the show.
Hair and treats down, Wilkerson is getting the dog into her show time routine, just as he has his own routine down pat.
Virginia Johnson
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