NAHANT — Dog-Handler Nancy Koury and her Swiss mountain dog Freddy, who live and train out of Nahant, spent Thanksgiving Day appearing on The 2024 National Dog Show.

While the show, which was hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia (KCP), aired on television on Thanksgiving Day, the competition was taped from Nov. 16-17.

“The whole thing is just a really special experience,” Koury said. “Our three-year-old dog, Freddy, loves all the activity and we’re honored to have made it as far as we have.”

Koury noted how, for dog-show enthusiasts, this was the equivalent of placing in a sporting-event as big as the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup. She also added how Freddy was invited to participate in the Westminster Kennel Club next year.

“We love every aspect of the dog shows,” Koury added, “but at the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to stand out in front of the judges, the goal’s to be invited to these big televised shows.”

Prior to appearing in the competition on Thanksgiving Day, Koury and her dog, Freddy, had won first place in a previous KCP competition, which took place on Nov. 10.

“You start training them and getting them used to everything as pups,” Koury said. “It’s a lot of work, but walking up in front of the judges and seeing them pick your dog is just a huge thrill.”

Competing among other dogs of the same breed, the dogs face a huge swath of competition with around 25 other dogs lined up in the same showing. Koury also added how, sometimes, there can be about 1900 dogs throughout the whole show.

Koury mentioned how, prior to the Thanksgiving-day show, Freddy was ranked #3 for Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs (“Swissy”) and was ranked among the top ten the previous year.

For Koury, making it all the way to Philadelphia was the culmination of nearly two decades of time and effort. “It was sometime around 2006, or 2007 when we first started looking for a good Swiss mountain dog. We found a girl, and have been doing competitions since our first one in 2008. We haven’t looked back since,” she said.

Proceeds from the KCP’s Thanksgiving Day dog show were donated to help with a variety of canine-related illnesses, according to the website. Past beneficiaries of the KCP include the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.