It has often been said when a family has such a strong commitment to any endeavor they claim the title, “The first family of … ” Area examples include the McConnells, who are labeled, “The first family of basketball.” The Rooneys are “The first family of football,” and list goes on and on.
Venturing off the beaten path, one could conceivably say, “Dog Gone It,” this family has you covered in all aspects of your canine needs.
So, I’ll bestow the title, “The first family of dogs,” to the Anthony family, from just down the road in Coraopolis and Hopewell, respectively.
Paul (husband & dad), Annette (wife & mom) and daughter Taylor are all associated with Puppy Face Pet Parlor LLC, located down route 376 in nearby Center Township and its subsidiary, Champion Canine in Ambridge.
Annette, who left a career in the medical field to pursue a career with animals, is the owner and groomer, while daughter Taylor and granddaughter Willow are groomers. Puppy Face was started during the COVID-19 years in the basement of the family home and within six months they began looking for a larger place to conduct business. The list of credentials Annette carries is impeccable to say the least. Among them, per the website, are professional groomer, pet CPR and first aid certified, canine fitness trainer, evaluator and masseuse, to mention a few. Paul is the mainstay who captains the Champion Canine ship, the focal point of this article. His credentials are just as impressive as his wife’s as he continues offering his services to a wide variety of local clients as well as those who regularly travel from several states away.
Paul’s love affair with our furry friends began at the age of 8 at the home of his grandparents, who of course owned and were dog lovers themselves. Was it love at first bite (playfully) or first sight? In any event, that encounter fueled the passion that led him to where he is today, a world-class competitor and trainer entering his 45th year of doing such.
At its inception, Anthony’s business was named Premier Canine, growing into AB (Anthony’s Balanced) Canine and currently bearing the name Champion Canine. Name changes aside, one thing remains a constant: Anthony’s dedication to man’s best friend. When speaking with Paul, his voice portrays his passionate love for dogs.
Champion Canine offers a wide variety of training and services for dogs of all breeds. Classes include basics of dog training, intermediate and advanced classes. There are also opportunities to have your canine trained in search and tracking, drug detection and personal protection (bite work). Any class places the focus of training the owner to train their dog while building a lasting bond between the two in conjunction with the ongoing training process.
The Anthonys also offer services at their facility aside from the obvious training classes, which include boarding and board and train as well as doggie day care for those individuals who choose not to leave their trusty companion home alone while they work. Champion Canine also believes in helping those in need by providing service dogs and training to people who have had difficult life challenges.
I recently sat down with Paul during a break in one of the hands-on working seminars that he hosts, complete with outside world-class trainers, to pick his brain with a quick interview. Even though our association has been ongoing for the last 25-plus years, the conversation, as always, was informative as I posed a few questions that I hadn’t asked in the past.
To begin I asked Paul what makes him and Champion Canine a cut above the rest in terms of dog training? He offered the following: “We teach the owner, the owner teaches the dog. We can see in between class sessions if they are actually working with their dogs as instructed.”
Easiest dog to train and why? Paul responded, “Tough one to call as most times the owners are more difficult than the dogs.” Toughest dog to train and why? Quick to respond, Paul said, “The Great Pyrenees and anything from the hound family, simply because of the breeds and their culture.” I already knew the answer to this question, but I threw it out there anyway. Favorite dog to train and why? That question brought a chuckle from his voice as he proclaimed, “The Malinois!” Anyone who knows the Anthony family knows they are a family of Malinois.
Both Paul and Annette are involved in competition with their own Malinois, competing in a sport known as mondioring. Paul competes with Apollo and Annette with Intro and Achilles, the younger of the pair. The sport is demanding, as it’s an all-breed working dog sport that tests a dog and handler’s team control, obedience and protection skills through a series of themed, unpredictable exercises.
Created to unite international dog sports, it involves three categories — obedience, agility (jumps) and protection — all performed without a leash or collar in a distracting, prop-filled environment. The sport aims to be entertaining for spectators, challenging for participants and a true test of a dog’s clear-headedness, character and willingness to work for its handler. Mondioring consists of 20 different exercises.
When speaking in terms of Paul’s years of training and handling dogs, it’s impossible to speak about him without mentioning his trusty canine, Finn. A medium-sized Malinois, Finn competed in mondioring with Paul at his side, a competition bond that lasted eight years. To compete in the sport, Paul said, “The timing has to be perfect; you deliver short, quick, precise commands that your dog must perfectly execute.”
Both were masters of the sport as Finn was one of the most decorated dogs in the United States six times while competing. Finn is one of only three dogs in the United States to qualify in the 3rd tier of the sport an unprecedented 10 times. He accomplished a phenomenal feat in the weight pulling competition as he grabbed, growled and pulled an unheard of 2,468 pounds.
The dynamic duo of Paul and Finn have traveled around the globe to compete in mondioring. The pair’s best finishes saw them place third in Russia and sixth in Czechoslovakia. At one point during their competition tenure, Finn was ranked No. 3 in the world. Yes I printed that correctly and you read it correctly – No. 3 in the entire world. I asked Paul during our sitdown, will there ever be another Finn? Instantly he responded, “No, never as he was truly one of a kind. There will never be another Finn.”
If you are so inclined, a quick You Tube Channel search of their names will enlighten you to not only the sport of mondioring, but the pairs competition action as well.
Champion Canine, as mentioned previously, from time to time will host and conduct seminars complete with hands-on training by some of the world’s most noted trainers and handlers. This past weekend offered a three-day stint at their Ambridge facility and training grounds with Joaquim Dovat from Switzerland. I had the opportunity and pleasure of spending two days photographing and chatting with participants of the latest seminar for the purpose of this column.
Within the next few months Francois Massart from France and Carlos Aguirre from Chicago will be conducting seminars. Forthcoming information will be posted on the website and social media.
The Champion Canine forte — or mission statement, if you will — is, “We help the owner understand the dog and the breed along with what the dogs needs are.”
On a side note, if you think this family and its love of animals doesn’t reach well beyond their business endeavors, you are sadly mistaken. So much so that you will be hard-pressed to name me a family who has had their dogs as part of their wedding party!
For more information on any of the companies’ enterprises, you can visit their web sites or stop by in person as their compassionate, caring, friendly employees will be happy to assist you with any of your pet needs.
By the way, Paul Anthony is the only trainer any of my dogs have ever been associated with. So with first hand knowledge of his expertise, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed with his style of training or his professionalism. However, you better be ready to show up dedicated to the task at hand and practice, practice, practice.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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