LYNNWOOD — First, the toy fox terrier from Lynnwood won best of breed at the Super Bowl of dog shows.
Now he’s on his own version of a Wheaties box.
Champion Valcopy Kasey Kahne, named after the famous NASCAR driver from Enumclaw, will soon be pictured on cans of high-end pet food sold across North America.
The 3-year-old Kasey was chosen from hundreds of canines to appear on labels for Performance Pet dog food, a new brand introduced by American Foods Group LLC of Omaha, Neb. Kasey’s label, which shows him wearing a tie and sitting on a table against a purple background, will be used for the Greek lamb stew flavor.
In February, the Lynnwood dog won best-of-breed honors at the Westminster Kennel Club’s 132nd annual dog show in New York City.
“Kasey’s getting rewarded, and I just think it’s really neat,” said Rick Davis of Lynnwood, one of Kasey’s owners.
Kasey will defend his title this week at the American Toy Fox Terrier Nationals in Oklahoma City. He lives with owners Davis and Dana Plonkey, two big NASCAR fans, in Lynnwood. The dog’s other owners, Mike Smiley of Camano Island and Lynn McKee of Lake Stevens, help pay the costs of showing him.
Michele Francis, a spokeswoman for Performance Pet and American Foods Group, said her company combed through numerous publications and competition results to find the right dogs for its labels.
The company’s talent scouts saw an ad for Kasey in Top Notch Toys, a magazine for fans of toy breeds. They were wowed by his win at Westminster.
“He’s very adorable, and he’s very photogenic,” Francis said.
The toy fox terrier’s picture will likely remain on the Performance Pet label for at least six months. He will be permanently featured as a Performance Pet Star on the brand’s Web site.
Kasey’s owners are not getting paid by Performance Pet. However, the publicity for Kasey will be payment enough, Davis said.
When dog show judges see advertisements for canines in magazines — or, in Kasey’s case, on a can of dog food — the name recognition can be the difference between winning and losing a competition, Davis said.
“Judges go through these magazines and they read them,” he said.
After so much success, human competitors would be planning a trip to Disneyland.
Kasey’s owners have a different goal in mind. They want to introduce their canine to Kasey Kahne, the NASCAR driver. They’ve been in contact with Kahne’s mother, hoping to arrange a meeting.
“I told her to tell her Kasey that his little fan is becoming a celebrity like him,” Davis said.
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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