Husky News

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Charleroi native Kim (Miller) Young is new to the world of dog shows, but she and her dog “Nikko,” are proving to be rising competitors.
Young, along with her husband, Dan, also a Charleroi native, recently took their Samoyed, Nikko, to a dog show hosted by the Langley Kennel Club in Hampton, Va., where he won first place in his class and was awarded a ribbon as a “winner’s dog,” because he won over a large number of other dogs.

The couple now live in Newport News, Va.

Kim Young is a 1985 graduate of Mon Valley Catholic High School and a 1990 graduate of Carlow College.

Her husband graduated from Charleroi Area High School in 1980.
The couple met while Dan was in college and working in the summers as a lifeguard at Pine Cove Beach Club. Kim was still in high school and had a crush on him.

“I brought him a plate of spaghetti to eat on his break,” she recalled with a laugh.

The couple continued dating while she finished college. As soon as she graduated, she moved to Virginia to be with her future husband.

Dan Young works at Triumph Aerospace as a senior design engineer for airplanes and government contracts. He is the son of Angelo and Patricia Galatoulas, of Charleroi.

Kim Young has degrees in nursing and psychology. She is the daughter of Yolanda and Gene Miller, of Speers Hill. A lifelong diabetic, she underwent a kidney/pancreas transplant on June 21 in Wake Forest, N.C.

She said her kidney had been working on a “borderline” level, and she has experienced going blind several times over the years because of her diabetes. At the encouragement of her nephrologist, she went on the waiting list for both a kidney and pancreas.

The couple lived in Wake Forest several weeks as she recovered and were able to stay at a hotel where Nikko could tag along.

She even got a visit from friends they made on the dog show circuit.

She is still home recovering, but has not had to take insulin since the surgery, something that was part of her daily life.

“I feel pretty good, but I still get tired pretty easily,” she said.

Having Nikko and preparing for dog shows has helped her recover.

Nikko, whose full name is White Magic’s Saint Nikkolas, is a 1 1/2-year-old Samoyed, a breed whose Russian origin makes them naturals at herding and sled pulling.

Her husband proudly notes that all of Nikko’s wins were under the handling skills of his wife, who got the dog ready to compete in less than a year.

Dan Young is a self- professed “roadie and coordinator.”

“What people see on television is only the tip of the iceberg for a dog show,” Dan Young said. “They see the final product. What they don’t see is the behind- the-scenes setup of all the grooming equipment and how long it takes to groom and prepare a dog prior to the show.”

Although dog shows are hectic, the couple said they are now “addicted” to participating.

They went to Lancaster Sept. 12-15 for the 2007 Samoyed Specialty competition. Nikko took second place in the novice weight competition for pulling 411 pounds.

“There were over 500 dogs there and for Nikko to do that well as a young, inexperienced dog, he did a really good job,” Kim Young said.

She said they are looking into getting another Samoyed as a partner for Nikko.

Source: The Tribune-Review Publishing Co.