{"id":62007,"date":"2026-01-31T19:18:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:18:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=62007"},"modified":"2026-01-31T19:18:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T00:18:05","slug":"11-year-old-lakeland-dog-handler-sets-her-sights-on-westminster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/01\/31\/11-year-old-lakeland-dog-handler-sets-her-sights-on-westminster\/","title":{"rendered":"11-Year-Old Lakeland Dog Handler Sets Her Sights on Westminster"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Special to the Lakeland Gazette<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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While most 11-year-olds are still discovering their hobbies, Ava Silva has already found her calling inside the competitive world of dog showing. The Lakeland native is quickly emerging as a promising young handler in Junior Showmanship, fueled by discipline, emotional intuition with animals, and an ambitious dream: competing at the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raised in a family deeply committed to ethical breeding and breed preservation, Silva grew up surrounded by dogs \u2014 particularly Rottweilers and Toy Fox Terriers. Her early exposure helped cultivate confidence and understanding rarely seen at such a young age.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Her journey began remarkably early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt all started when I took the lead of my Rottweiler, Bronx, at age three,\u201d Silva recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By age seven, she entered Junior Showmanship competition, drawn by both the challenge and the opportunity to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like competition,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Silva competes alongside her Toy Fox Terrier, Prancer, a partnership defined by trust and connection rather than simple command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen pressure is on, I sing a song \u2014 any song,\u201d Silva explains. \u201cYour dog can feel the pressure through the lead. When I relax, so does Prancer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before entering the ring, Silva prepares with a breathing ritual and a quiet moment of affection, petting Prancer and giving her a kiss on the head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their bond extends far beyond competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe and Prancer are best friends in and out of the show,\u201d Silva says. \u201cWhen I grab a blanket, she\u2019s ready to cuddle. She\u2019s always right by me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside the ring, Silva maintains an active lifestyle. She mountain bikes with her brother, helps manage her mother\u2019s dog grooming salon, assists with bathing and fluffing dogs, and continues to expand her knowledge of canine behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy mom always educated me on behavior and every dog breed \u2014 not just the ones I like,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silva credits a strong support system for helping shape her growth in the sport, including mentors Kimberly Cardona, Scott Keffer, Kristina Criscoe, breeders Susan and Steve Thibodeaux, and her parents, Sheena and Peter Silva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite her competitive drive, Silva emphasizes resilience over ribbons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBelieve in your skills. Don\u2019t care if you lose or win. My way of showing is a win is a win and a loss is a win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her long-term aspirations extend beyond handling. Silva hopes to one day breed dogs herself, contributing to the preservation and advancement of beloved breeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do see myself doing this sport in the future,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is one of my passions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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With maturity beyond her years and a clear sense of purpose, Silva represents the next generation of excellence in the dog show community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lakeland may be her hometown, but her eyes are already set on the bright lights of New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Westminster is calling. And Ava Silva is ready.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Special to the Lakeland Gazette While most 11-year-olds are still discovering their hobbies, Ava Silva has already found her calling inside the competitive world of dog showing. The Lakeland native… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"9","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":true,"token":"eyJpbWciOiJodHRwczpcL1wvaTAud3AuY29tXC9sYWtlbGFuZGdhemV0dGUuaW5mb1wvbmV3c1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNlwvMDFcL1NjcmVlbnNob3QtMjAyNi0wMS0zMVQxOTE0MTIuODk0LndlYnA_Zml0PTI3MCUyQzM2OCZzc2w9MSIsInR4dCI6IjExLVllYXItT2xkIExha2VsYW5kIERvZyBIYW5kbGVyIFNldHMgSGVyIFNpZ2h0cyBvbiBXZXN0bWluc3RlciIsInRlbXBsYXRlIjoiaGlnaHdheSIsImZvbnQiOiIiLCJibG9nX2lkIjoxNjMwNDA2NjF9.4LWw7leq14GbhGl3hmkzJ1p96zPwUaX7YeDn9H9g8DsMQ"},"version":2,"attached_media":[{"id":62011,"url":"http:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-31T190422.584.webp","type":"image\/png"}]},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[9],"tags":[13439],"class_list":["post-62007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-11-year-old-lakeland-dog-handler-sets-her-sights-on-westminster"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62007"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62014,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62007\/revisions\/62014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}