VGCC student balances studies with Dog Show career
Few people would guess that among the student body at Vance-Granville Community College is a champion professional dog handler who has taken part in the nation’s most prestigious dog show. But in fact, Jeremy Hohman of Wake Forest traveled to New York City’s Madison Square Garden for the 135th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in February. There, he saw his dog, a Shiba Inu called “Thunder” (full name “GCH Mo’s Grand Thunderstorm”), win “Best of Breed.”
Hohman goes to dog shows frequently, traveling as far away as Michigan, New York, Florida and Texas for events. A single father of two girls, ages four and six, he enjoys the fact that the shows are on weekends, allowing him to juggle a full-time student schedule with raising his children. Hohman has shown dogs since he was a young child as part of a family tradition. At first, it was “just for fun,” but since he was 18 years old, he has shown dogs professionally. “It’s a hobby but it’s also a job,” Hohman said. “It’s fun. It’s my niche in life.” By going to many different shows, Thunder won the title of number-one Shiba Inu in the United States in 2010 and broke several records for winning competitions. The culmination of that success in 2010 was this year’s Westminster show, which Hohman calls the “Super Bowl” of dog shows. He and Thunder appeared on live national television. This was actually his second time at the big event, but the first at which his dog came home a champion. “Thunder puts on a good performance, and he is a great example of the breed,” Hohman said. “He has a handsome head and physical features, and he has a spirited, bold character. He takes on a challenge willingly and has a go-get-it mentality.” Thunder is now retired, but Hohman plans to continue going to shows with other dogs.
Meanwhile, he was recently accepted into the VGCC Radiography degree program after having taken general education courses at the college. The Radiography program appealed to Hohman because of his past work experience. “After graduating from high school, I worked as a veterinary technician. I became interested in doing x-rays as part of my job and became fairly proficient at it,” he recalled. “With that experience, I eventually decided that I needed a career, not just a job, and I thought that an in-demand medical field like radiography was the way to go. I’ve loved my VGCC classes so far because they’re generally small and you don’t feel like just a number.”
Above: VGCC student Jeremy Hohman (center) smiles as “Thunder” is presented the Best of Breed award at the 2011 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. (photo submitted by Jeremy Hohman)
