Jonathan Laner didn't grow up showing dogs, but thanks to some hard work and a connection with Canine Design owner Dawn Jacobsen, he was recently able to take part in one of most prestigious dog shows in the country.
Laner competed with Jacobsen's dog, Guerin, who is a five-year old Irish Glen of Imaal Terrier, at the 149th annual Westminister Dog Show in Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Guerin was invited to attend the show after finishing as the number one Glen in the country in 2024. This breed of dog is very rare, with approximately 300 in the United States.
During this year's event, Guerin received an Award of Merit, which is given to dogs who are of high quality, but not necessarily the best of breed.
"I just do this for fun," Laner said. "The goal was just to get a ribbon, and so while I was up against some of the top handlers in the country, it was really rewarding to see the hard work pay off."
This was Laner's first time in competition at the Westminister Dog Show. This show has been in existence since 1877 and is America's second oldest sporting event, after the Kentucky Derby.
Lander took handling classes once a week in Omaha to get used to Guerin. Jacobson taught him all about grooming and upkeep so Laner could get him show-ready.
"It was just a wonderful experience and I was so happy I got to be there and experience it," Laner said. "It was a bucket list item and it's pretty amazing a small-town college adjunct in Nebraska got to go to the big city and promote a wonderful breed that's not well known."
Jacobsen said this was Guerin's third trip to the event. Last year he won the Best of Breed award.
However, this year Dawn was not able to travel to New York due to the fact that a female Glen she owns, which was bred by Guerin, was about to have puppies. The female recently gave birth to six puppies - three male and three female.
"I hope that at least one of these puppies is of show quality. I always try to improve the breed and have a dog that meets breed standards. We always look for a dog that has a good disposition because these are terriers who can get up to 40 lbs.," Jacobson said.
She went on to say that the puppies can start entering competition at four month so age, but are not able to start collecting points until they are six months old.
"We plan to go to the National Glen Show in Pennsylvania in October. I plan to continue showing Guerin this next year and try again to get to the 150th Westminster Show!" Dawn said.
