Colfax-Mingo student to compete in the 2019 AKC National Championship

A junior at Colfax-Mingo High School will be traveling to Florida in December to participate in the 2019 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin.

Riley Carroll isn’t your typical high school student. She travels the country showing dogs on some of the biggest stages to prove her supreme showmanship and the ability of her canine companions. Her interest in showing dogs comes from family tradition.

“We have been involved in showing dogs for years ... It is something that we do as a family,” Riley’s mother Denise Carroll said.

Riley was adopted by the Carroll family when she was 10. The love for dogs and showing them rubbed off on her at a very young age, with Riley entering into competitions at eight-years-old alongside professionals and performing well among them.

“Ever since then, I was like, ‘this is my thing,’” Riley said.

Denise added, “She does all her own training and grooming.”

It can be seen both Riley and Denise have a love for dogs, and Denise mentioned dogs give you unconditional love. Not only can dogs love immensely, they have taught Riley a thing or two along the way as Denise referenced a moment during Riley’s adoption proceedings.

“She got to take her Great Dane with her to the court hearing and one thing she told the judge, that the dog taught her how to trust again,” Denise said.

Showing dogs has done a lot more than allow Riley a way to see the country and compete in the sport she loves, according to Denise. When Riley was adopted, her personality was different than what you might experience today.

“She was a really shy, withdrawn kid and the dogs have really pulled her personality out,” Denise said.

Through her years of showing, Riley has regularly done well in the competitions. There, of course, are shows that are bigger than others, the 2019 AKC National Championship is one of them.

“This show in Florida, it is huge. There will be dogs from lots of other countries,” Denise said.

Riley added, “There’s like 20,000 dogs there.”

Denise said a lot of the dogs that are going to be present in Florida are dogs who have their individual championships. Not just any dog and handler can enter this tournament.

“Juniors, it is an invite only,” Denise said.

How does one get invited to this show? Riley had to compete and win in various shows and beat other people over the last year to receive an invitation. On top of that Riley had to maintain a 3.0 grade point average in school. Riley is one of two competitors invited from Iowa.

“The prizes for the juniors are scholarships ... They have to have the grades to be able to do this,” Denise said.

The wins Riley has amassed over her time showing is something she is quite proud of. These wins were all part of the process to get invited to the big show in Florida, as she traveled around the country to win shows.

“I was really excited,” Riley said. “When I figured out I qualified I was pretty happy.”

Denise attends the shows to watch Riley compete with some of the best in her sport and watches her get invited to some of the biggest shows in the country. Denise said it’s amazing to see how Riley handles it.

“She is amazing to watch because she makes it look so easy. She makes it look like a walk in the park,” Denise said.

When the sport you participate in and love is dog showing, one could imagine you might have a lot of dogs. Riley’s Juniors show dog is a soft coated wheaten terrier but they do have plenty of other canine companions.

“Pugs and Great Danes are our main focus,” Denise said.

Riley added, “We have a puppy right now.”

Riley will be traveling to Florida in December to compete in the big show, hoping to place well and continue to compete. She has the chance to prove she’s among the best and hopefully qualify for bigger shows like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

If Riley were to win the show, Denise said “We’ll faint first of all.”

Riley added, “I think the best junior scholarship is $20,000, and the reserve is $10,000.”

When Riley travels to Florida in December the goal is to perform the best and come out with a win, but more importantly, Riley will be representing Iowa and Jasper County. Win or lose, Riley will enjoy her experience and be proud of what she has accomplished.

“She is a really good sport. Win or lose it, doesn’t matter. She is proud of what she does ... She is a kind and caring person,” Denise said.

Riley added, “Whether we win or lose everybody is kind of there for each other because we are all so close.”

Contact Dustin Teays at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or dteays@newtondailynews.com