Top dog from Stewartstown competes Thanksgiving

Did you know that the country’s top Chihuahua is a York County resident? Stewartstown to be exact.

On Thanksgiving Day, you can watch Sonnito strut his stuff during the National Dog Show, presented by Purina.

Sonnito came from Mexico City to live with his handler, Erika Lanasa, so he could rack up the show titles.

While the two call Stewartstown home, they’re on the road … a lot.

In fact, on Monday, Lanasa pulled the RV into the driveway for the first time in several weeks. If she spends eight hours a week at home in York County, she said that’s a lot.

Being the handler to a top dog is no easy task. And Sonnito has a long resume to boot.

He is the No. 1 dog in the history of his breed -- a title he actually took from a dog Lanasa previously handled.

He’s won 45 “Best in Show” titles, at least 170 of what they call “Group First” wins, and two national wins.

Before his first show with Lanasa, Sonnito was the No. 2 toy dog in Mexico, and the No. 4 all breed there.

He’ll be 4 in December and started showing when he was very young, she said.

“A lot of dogs start early but don’t have this kind of success at this young age,” Lanasa said. “He’s a very exceptional dog of his breed.”

Lanasa has the background and experience to know when a dog’s exceptional -- she’s been showing dogs since she was a child.

Each dog is judged by the American Kennel Club standards, she said. Not only does Sonnito meet his standards, but he goes above and beyond.

“He embodies the temperament and personality,” she said. “He’s a joy to live with, a joy to be around.”

Lanasa says Sonnito is an “amazing animal on a number of levels.”

He came to her already loving dog shows and people, she said she just did some fine tuning.

“Not many dogs have the stamina to do the travel this dog has done,” she added.

Last year, Sonnito won top show dog of the year -- or what Purina calls “the winningest Chihuahua of all time” -- with the most number of No. 1 awards as a toy dog.

What’s next

While the National Dog Show has already happened in Philadelphia -- we won't spoil it by revealing the results -- you can watch it Thursday on NBC.

The next big show will be the Eukanuba National Dog Show in Florida, and in February, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.

After that, Sonnito will go home to Mexico.

The only record he doesn’t have at this point is what Lanasa calls a speciality record. So Sonnito may come back to add that to his resume.

As for Lanasa, she’s already got her next dog lined up.

She’ll be focusing on a long white coat Chihuahua she helped breed, and has a few others she’ll be handling as well.

“Most of us who do it, dedicate our lives to the health and well-being of our breed,” she said.

Handlers make sure the dogs are happy and healthy, and they live like a pet -- sleeping in a bed, living in the house.

For Lanasa, she drives a motor home so she can set the dog up so life isn’t interrupted.

“It’s a full-time job,” she said.

The National Dog Show

Purina’s National Dog Show brings in over 20 million viewers each year on NBC, according to a news release.

This year, on its 15th anniversary, some 1,500 dogs from over 175 breeds will compete for the title of Best in Show at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia competition.

Sonnito makes it to the final seven in the final round. Will he take “Best of Show?”

You can tune in on Thanksgiving Day from noon to 2 p.m. on NBC. You can also check it out online at www.NBCSports.com or www.NationalDogShow.com.