For love of a dog
Misty McKamey’s passion for her boxers has landed her on grand stages
Handler Kimberly Calvacca poses with her daughter-in-law and New York Met Pete Alonso after boxer Reba had a meet and greet and a game of catch with the baseball all-star. Reba was named “Best of Opposite Sex” at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show earlier this year.
“My father had hunting dogs, and that’s kind of how it started – with him, when I was very young,” said McKamey, owner of Paws Pet Salon in Clinton.
“Some people are just born to love horses, but my thing was, I love dogs, and that’s what piqued my interest as a small child.”
As an adult, McKamey’s passion for dogs led her to begin working with the Labrador Retriever Rescue of East Tennessee, fostering and rescuing several labs, including a special one named Colleen. When Colleen passed away at age 13, however, McKamey began to look into different breeds.
“When I lost her, I just kind of decided I didn’t want another labrador because I just couldn’t replace Colleen,” she said. “So I got into boxers, which I always loved ever since I was a young girl.”
McKamey got her first boxer, Jemma, in 2009 from Kim and Cliff Hall of Blue Monday Boxers in Powell.
“When she saw me, she ran across the grooming table, up into my arms and was licking my face,” she said, noting that an arrangement was made to co-own the show dog with the Halls. “Jemma was my first champion.”
After finishing her, Jemma was bred, giving birth to two puppies: a solid white pet puppy and a “beautiful little fawn boxer girl” named Suri, another champion, who went on to win 13 Best in Shows, four Reserve Best in Shows and multiple specialties over the years. She also was named Fourth in Group at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2014.
“Because of Suri, I got to do what I had always dreamed – going to Westminster,” she said. “She was a phenomenal, phenomenal girl.”
Little did McKamey know, she would be attending Westminster again years later with her two-year old boxer, Reba. Just this past May, Reba was named Best of Opposite Sex at the world-famous dog show.
“She’s kind of young and starting out, but she’s doing quite a bit of winning and she’s a spectacular girl,” she said. “You know, without Blue Monday Boxer agreeing to let me have Jemma, I would not be where I’m at today.”
In addition to being shown at Westminster, the second-longest continuously running sporting event in the United States, Reba experienced another rare opportunity: playing ball with the New York Mets’ Pete Alonso during a meet-and-greet arranged by the Westminster Kennel Club.
“She caught seven baseballs that she got to keep and take home,” said McKamey. “She kind of stole the show.”
Preserving the breeds
Although showing dogs is a sport, McKamey, who co-owns the Brisbane’s Boxers kennel with her daughter Elizabeth Sotomayor, stressed the importance of preserving the different breeds.
“In today’s time, you have all these breeds out there and these breeds need to be protected with health testing and making sure that if you’re going to breed an animal, you’re doing it for the right reasons,” she explained. “It’s not for selling puppies; that’s not what it’s all about, that’s not why a true breeder breeds.”
As a result, McKamey said it’s essential that those looking to breed their dog understand proper practices in order to ensure the survival of that breed.
“Breeding is fun and exciting but to preserve that breed, you need to make sure that you’re not producing dogs that have health issues or have mismarks… It’s about finding those puppies that meet the standard and keeping the health going,” she said. “That’s why a lot of people in the show world breed – it’s to preserve the legacy of that breed.”
And, for those interested in learning more about showing dogs, McKamey recommends attending Oak Ridge Kennel Club competitions and researching the history of the different breeds and pedigrees.
“There are so many variables that go into a dog,” she added. “It all comes together in a package and that’s what makes a breed… I mean, it’s just amazing to go and sit and watch all of these different breeds in the ring and do what they do best.”