From the moment she saw her first dog show on TV as a child, An Tu knew that she wanted to do conformation dog shows. The 30-year-old, who lives in Florida, set her sights on Doberman Pinschers from a young age and shouldn鈥檛 be underestimated. The 5鈥�1 handler finished her first Doberman herself, motivated in part by those who didn鈥檛 believe she could handle the breed.
Her two Dobermans, 鈥淣oah鈥� (GCH Holloway鈥檚 Fantastic Beast BCAT CA DS WAC) and 鈥淩ani鈥� (GCH Holloway鈥檚 Rose Royce CGC), both excelled in the ring, proving that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and put in the work.
Learning Dogs First
Tu was born in Vietnam and moved to Boston, Massachusetts when she was about 4 or 5 years old. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really speak English that much, and I was mostly at home with my parents,鈥� Tu recalls. She and her younger brother spent a lot of their childhood watching TV at home, and dog shows like the AKC National Championship and Westminster captivated her like nothing else. 鈥淚 was just amazed by it, all of these beautiful dogs, especially the Doberman Pinscher,鈥� she says. 鈥淓ver since I was young, I was captivated by their beauty and how sleek they were, their intelligence, their expression, their movement.鈥� Dobermans quickly became young Tu鈥檚 dream dog. One of her clearest memories of childhood was a drawing she did when she was about 7 years old, a hand-drawn Doberman 鈥� in her favorite color, blue.
She moved down to Florida with her family in elementary school, then to Gainesville for college at the University of Florida. 鈥淚t was never really a good time to get a big dog,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淚 knew they needed a lot of time, dedication, and training. But it was always in the back of my mind.鈥� After finishing her undergrad, Tu decided to take some time off before starting pharmacy school and take the leap, becoming a dog owner for the first time. She had about nine months and had been waiting her whole life. 鈥淚t was the perfect gap for me to get a puppy 鈥� finally.鈥�
From Childhood Dreams to Reality
Before Tu graduated, she started saving up money and getting in touch with breeders. She knew that Dobermans were challenging. With no experience owning a dog, especially a big dog and a working breed, many breeders didn鈥檛 reply to her queries. 鈥淚 understood because I was a high-risk person. I was a student living with my parents. I had no prior experience,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淚 was extremely fortunate to come across Joe [Guinta] of Holloway Dobermans and saw that he posted a litter announcement.鈥� Tu had done her research: she knew of the sire and a few other dogs in their family tree. 鈥淭hey were just gorgeous.鈥�
Tu decided to give it a shot and drove from Florida to New York to meet Guinta. She told him she wanted a companion rather than a show dog but was still interested in showing. Guinta introduced her to the calmest dog in the litter: a male, whom she named 鈥淣oah.鈥� Tu was excited the whole drive back down to Florida with him. 鈥淗e was just the best puppy. He was so easy; he never chewed anything.鈥�
Guinta recommended a show near them in Florida so they could go in person to see what conformation was all about. It was the first time Tu had ever been to a dog show in person 鈥� and they were even better than they were on TV. Someone approached her at the show, asking if she planned to Noah. When Tu told them that it was not only her first show dog but her first dog, they laughed. 鈥淭hey said it was really, really hard, and that really sparked a fire in me,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淚 was like, 鈥業鈥檓 going to show you that I can do it.'鈥�
Balancing Conformation and Pharmacy School
A few months before she started pharmacy school, Tu started doing handling classes. She was about 22 years old and attended as many dog shows as possible. She found mentors and a lot of great support within the conformation community. 鈥淚 had no idea what we were doing,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淏ut if you show that you鈥檙e willing to learn, there are so many people that are willing to come up and help you,鈥� Tu admits she made a lot of mistakes early on, but eventually, they got better, together. 鈥淓ach point was just the biggest celebration ever,鈥� she says. 鈥淓very point has a memory behind it. I finally finished Noah, and I was hooked.鈥�
She got Rani upon graduating from pharmacy school in 2021. But she never took a break from showing dogs. In fact, there were no breaks of any kind in sight. 鈥淚 was a nail technician, I was an intern at CVS Pharmacy, and then on the weekends when I didn鈥檛 have work, I would take Rani and Noah to shows,鈥� Tu recalls. 鈥淪ometimes, I would be listening to the lectures while I was driving to the show and then listen to another lecture on the way back. You just have to find a way to make it work.鈥�
Rani proved to be more challenging to show than Noah. Tu says Noah was completely into showing and loved it. 鈥淎s soon as I put his show collar on, he would bounce a little bit, putting that extra pep in his step. He knew exactly what he was doing as soon as he got into the ring,鈥� she says.
Facing a Devastating Diagnosis
Tu knew that Dobermans were at a higher risk for Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and got Noah and Rani checked every year as . And unfortunately, Noah had it. 鈥淲e were lucky we caught it, but it was just the worst feeling ever,鈥� Tu remembers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge weight that gets put onto your shoulders, and time has begun to tick.鈥� Tu says they were fortunate to get into a leading DCM clinic, where the doctor helped tweak his medication accordingly. 鈥淏ecause he was on that, I think we really extended his life for a couple more years.鈥�
Noah was 5 years old when he was diagnosed, right before they were going to compete at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. During treatment, he never gave her an issue when taking his medication. Tu knew that she had to make the most of their time together while they still could.
While she was at work, her parents would take care of Rani and Noah. One day, about 20 minutes into her workday, she got a call from her mom. 鈥淢y mom never calls me when I鈥檓 at work. She was just screaming at the top of her lungs,鈥� Tu recalls. Tu immediately rushed home, but she was too late. Her mom told her it had been a normal morning: Noah and Rani played in the yard, and Noah even peed on the lawnmower. But when Tu鈥檚 mom called him into the kitchen to take his medication, he just fell to the ground. 鈥淎nd that was it,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淚t was quick, and he never suffered. He was himself to the very, very end.鈥� Noah passed away shortly before he would turn 7 years old.
Continuing Noah鈥檚 Conformation Legacy
While Tu continues competing with Rani, she can feel Noah鈥檚 presence every time they step into the ring. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a very specific kind of loss,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淚t was so hard to go back to a dog show after he left because I鈥檝e never been to a dog show without Noah. You can just tell he鈥檚 there. I know he鈥檚 watching.鈥�
Even a year later, she鈥檚 still adjusting to life without Noah. 鈥淪ometimes, I still miss him and I cry randomly, but I look at Rani, and I see so much of Noah in her because he raised her,鈥� Tu says. 鈥淪he picked up on a lot of things that Noah did, so I鈥檓 glad to have her to help me through this.
Tu is grateful to have made so many friends through conformation, and she attributes it all to Noah. 鈥淚 felt like my dream came true with Noah. We were able to go to Westminster together. My first Doberman, I finished him myself, it was just so cool.鈥� Even though showing Rani is very different from showing Noah, Tu knows the ring procedure, how to bait and groom them, and so much more because of how forgiving and patient Noah was with her. 鈥淭hings with Rani are a lot smoother because I know how it works,鈥� Tu says.
Rani just turned 3 and competed with Tu at the 2023 AKC National Championship in Orlando, Florida. They took home the Award of Excellence in the Doberman ring. 鈥淣oah loved to show. Rani鈥檚 not a huge fan. But because of all of those stepping stones that Noah laid down as my foundation for showing, showing with Rani is a lot easier. I was really very lucky to have him as my teammate.鈥�