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| Melanie Powers and her dog, Winslow, at Fort Thomas Central. |
Fort Thomas has been home to many award-winning residents throughout its storied history. One of our current
award-winners is rather hairy, walks on four legs, and might bark at
a squirrel that crosses its path. Meet Winslow, a champion in the
world of competitive dog showing.
Melanie Powers and her 3-year old
Newfoundland, Winslow, moved to Fort Thomas recently. Winslow is not
only in the habit of winning competitions, but is also quick to win
over the affection of Fort Thomas locals.
“Winslow loves it. He
also enjoys seeing all the children that are walking to and from
school. He like children very, very much, and they always seem to
like him too. He always attracts a crowd of kids whenever they’re
around,” said Powers.
Powers and Winslow fell into the world
of dog shows after Winslow’s breeder pitched the idea to her. “I
did purchase him with the idea of him just being a pet, and he turned
out to be a really great dog,” said Powers. “The breeder asked if
she could show him and see what happened. It was just sort of an
experiment, and he won first place in his first ever show. So it kind
of took off from there.”
Winslow has now participated in five
shows, and has won almost all of them.
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| Winslow poses at a California competition in October 2015 with Powers’ son. |
When Powers isn’t busy with Winslow’s
competitions, she can be found enjoying Fort Thomas businesses or
walking Winslow through town. Powers decided to move to Fort Thomas
after a nationwide hunt for the perfect town to settle in once she
retired from her nursing career. “Well, I recently retired, and was
looking for a small town that was also close to cultural amenities,
such as symphony, ballet, good art museums, and also affordable. I
did a lot of research, looked all over the country, and just kept
coming back to Fort Thomas.” said Powers.
While searching for her next hometown,
Powers was reminded of a discussion she had while in nursing school
at University of Cincinnati, in which another nurse told her about
living in Fort Thomas. “Of course I knew where it was, but didn’t
know a whole lot about it. I asked her why she came all the way
across the river, and she went on to rave about Fort Thomas. Even
though I didn’t have children then, I never forgot about how she
described Fort Thomas. And so all those years later, I still
remembered it, and that’s how I ended up here,” said Powers.
Upon making the move from the San
Francisco Bay Area to Fort Thomas, Powers found that she was
especially impressed with local businesses. The local stores and
restaurants helped to make her cross-country transition easier.
“It’s
a big move, of course,” said Powers. “There’s no denying that
there’s some acclimation. In my feeling, because Fort Thomas is so
special, it makes the adjustment and the acclimation a lot easier.
Also, the thing I noticed right away, I think it was just the first
night that my little moving party that helped me move, we went up the
street to 15 North to have pizza, wine, and drinks after a long trip.
My older son and I were very impressed with 15 North. He immediately
said that it was as good as something you would get in San Francisco,
and here it is, right in Fort Thomas.”
Next time you’re out grabbing a drink
at Fort Thomas Coffee or visiting a local shop, keep a lookout for
Winslow and Powers. You don’t want to miss your chance to shake paws
with an American Kennel Club champion.
Lori Valentine, owner of Fort Thomas Coffee is a neighbor Powers and Winslow. She gets to see them frequently at home and when they stop into the coffee shop. She said Winslow’s got a face for politics. “I think we should elect him mayor!”
For now, dog champion will have to do.