From Lucan to Westminster: Local dog and owner compete on world stage

Dallas Hodgins and Brie at the Westminster Kennel Show.

By Meg Pearson

When Dallas Hodgins packed her bags for New York City earlier this year, she wasn’t going alone. Her four-year-old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Brie, was right there with her, tail wagging and ready for the adventure.

Together, they were about to walk into one of the world’s most famous dog shows.

Brie took her place at the 150th anniversary of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Top dogs show up from all over North America and beyond, but only 76 of the roughly 2,500 entries this year were from Canada.

Getting into Westminster isn’t easy. Every dog has to earn an American championship title first; Brie received hers a couple of years ago. After that, you either get an invite if you’re one of the best in your breed, or you cross your fingers and hope to get picked in the lottery.

Brie’s name came up.

“There’s obviously so much hype built up around it,” said Hodgins. “It is the longest standing U.S. sport that’s run and publicized. There’s just so much hype to it when you go.”

Hodgins has been showing dogs since 2012, but this was her first shot at Westminster, and her first time in New York.

Brie, who Hodgins called a “country dog,” was seeing the big city for the first time.

All the lights and cameras might seem intimidating, but once they stepped into the ring, everything settled down.

“Honestly, when you’re out there, it just feels like another dog show,” said Hodgins. “Except, you know, you’re on the green carpet and there’s a camera in your face.”

Her favorite moment? Brie’s individual exam.

“She was just so good,” she said. “She did everything I asked of her. For her to just be able to kind of ignore that and do her best, I was so happy with her.”

Brie didn’t place in the top five for her breed—there were 17 in the running—but Dallas said the experience mattered more than any ribbon.

“The goal is to go to Westminster,” she said. “If you get a ribbon, that’s just the cherry on top.”

Back home in Lucan, the support was overwhelming. Hodgins runs Collars and Combs, her pet grooming shop, and she’s been in business in the community for nearly eight years. When word got out, people from all over town reached out—even folks who’d never brought a pet to her shop.

“The support from the community was unmatched,” she said. “People from town who weren’t even my grooming clients were messaging me - ‘Oh, good luck,’ or ‘We watched the live feed.’ It was just so cool.”

Next up, Brie’s calendar is packed with Canadian shows including the breed national in Dorchester this June. But for one weekend in New York, Hodgins and her “country dog” stood on the green carpet.

It was proof that even a small-town team can find their place on the biggest stage.