Billy Hodges, Joel White earn spots in American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship

ALBANY — Next weekend, Leesburg’s Billy Hodges and Joel White will load three Toy Fox Terriers into a van and head to Orlando, Fla., to show their dogs in the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championships.

Hodges and White, along with dogs Nicholas, Flirt and Gemma, who earned spots in the invitation-only National Owner Handler Series are looking forward to the prestigious event.

In a record entry, more than 4,177 dogs will compete for the title of National Champion at the 14th annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship over the weekend. The show is held in conjunction with the AKC Agility Invitational and the AKC Obedience Classic (entries of 598 and 202 respectively) making for a combined entry of nearly 5,000 dogs competing in the three events.

“The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship week is a one-of-a-kind experience for any dog lover,” said Dennis B. Sprung, AKC President and Show Chairman. “With thousands of dogs competing, nearly 160 AKC Meet the Breeds booths, seminars and Judges Institutes, and new events like our Veterans Competition and the NADD/AKC Diving Dog Championship, there is nothing that can compare to this complete canine extravaganza.”

The Leesburg duo will be pinning most of its hopes on Nicholas, an 18-month old Toy Fox Terrier who in October won Owner-Handled Best of Breed in its division during a competition at the Suwanee Valley Kennel Club Of Florida. The dog, however, was lucky to be competing at all.

“Nicholas is a special dog. He fractured three of his legs before we ever had a chance to show him,” White said. “He’s a hellion puppy who likes to jump around.”

“Our vet, Charles Land of Countryside Animal Clinic in Sylvester, did a wonderful job healing the fractures,” Hodges recalled. “He’s a true miracle worker and we owe him a lot.”

While Hodges has been showing dogs for more than 15 years, White is a rookie with just a year under his belt. During that year, White said he and Nicholas have built a special relationship.

“We’ve bonded and both of us have a ‘want to show attitude,’ White said. “We’d like to win in Orlando, but I think it’s more important to just do our best. We have to work together as a team, and it’s important that I don’t get nervous because if I do it will ride right down the leash.”

Hodges will be showing Flirt in the Puppy Division and and Gemma in Open Bitch.

“With Flirt we want to win the Puppy Sweepstakes and with Gemma, we just want a good show,” Hodges said. “But we are going to give it our all. We don’t go to a show just to have fun, we go to win. We hope we represent our area well doing what we love to do.”