Whiz Kid: Manchester Fourth Grader is Tops in the Ring

Madeline (Maddie) Buehler

• Whiz Kids Age: 9

• Whiz Kids School: Carmen Trails Elementary

• Whiz Kids Accomplishment: Some kids spend their time playing video games and watching television, but not Maddie. Several weekends a year, Maddie participates in dog shows throughout the Midwest. Showing dogs is not something that you show up on the weekends and do, and it takes plenty of preparation.

  Maddie shows her two pugs, Flo and China as well as a friend's pug, Eja. During the week, Maddie works on a practice runway in her basement. She works on the presentation of the dog as well as her presentation to the judge of the show. During weeks when she is going to be participating in a show, Maddie starts getting China and Flo ready ready two days before. It starts with bathing them on one night and then grooming them the other night, which her mother helps her with.

Maddie participates in two categories of competitions, the breed competition, which judges the dog, and the junior showmanship category, which judges the dog handler. “The judge looks at the dog and sees how she looks.” Maddie said. “In the showmanship, they watch me and how I handle the dog.”

• Whiz Kids Key to Awesomeness: Maddie's hard work has paid off. Her room is decorated with the ribbons she has won in both types of competitions. She started showing dogs when she was 7 and nailed down a third-place ribbon. She has come in first in the breed competition as well as in junior showmanship.

Maddie loves working with dogs and “Seeing how they act and getting them to behave is a lot of fun and a lot of work,” she said.

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