If you ever find yourself at Nancy and Steffen Koury’s house and feel the ground start to shake, it’s not an earthquake — it’s their three 100-plus-pound dogs wanting to say hello.
Chiba, Freddie, and Rockie (the son of Chiba) are Swiss Mountain Dogs who are no strangers to the limelight. Chiba and Freddie have traversed the dog show ring, with Chiba now retiring at 7 years old. Rockie, the giant 11-month-old puppy of the group, is just getting his career started.
Chiba and Freddie have both strutted their stuff at the Westminster Dog Show. Chiba has been a top-20 dog in the Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Club of America since 2020, and Freddie landed himself on the list this past year.
Nancy Koury was sure to mention Chiba’s original handler, Brian Still. “He started showing Chiba, and little ways into his time with her, maybe about a year, he had a stroke,” she said.
Still suffered a second stroke, and Paul Levesque started showing Chiba.
However, Still managed to recover through physical therapy at Spaulding Hospital and fitness training at the Swampscott Jewish Community Center. Through more work, Stilll got back into the ring with Chiba to earn more ribbons.
While Levesque handles Chiba, Kaki Fisher is in charge of Freddie, the gentle giant who weighs around 138 pounds.
“Freddie was in the top 10 in 2023, and this past year, he was number three. So that was really neat. And he’s probably the youngest Swissy to ever win the working group…In 2023, he was only 2, and usually, you don’t even bring working dogs out until they’re 4 or 5,” Nancy Koury said.
She then went on to talk about how the American Kennel Club (AKC) has a program for young kids who want to learn how to show. There’s a Junior group and a Pee Wee group.
“We met this young boy. His name is Thad, and he just happened to come to a show, and we set up our crates outside the rings. Well, here’s this family: mom, dad, sister, and two boys who were there all day long from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,” she said.
Nancy Koury continued, saying she conversed with the family and learned that due to dog allergies in the house, they could no longer own dogs of their own. However, Thad had been inspired by the National Dog Show on Thanksgiving and asked to go to one for his birthday.
“All of a sudden, AKC changed the rules from May, June, to July. Kids were eligible to show a dog that they didn’t co-own,” she said.
Since Chiba was a well-trained veteran in the ring, the Kourys let Thad take her out and show her. Chiba was able to guide Thad through the ring and knew exactly what to do to make his first experience smooth.
Steffen Koury said that Nancy’s love for Swissies came after a trip to Admirals Park, where they saw one in action.
“Someone brought their Swissy, and he was going around being silly and trying to get treats. She said, ‘What is that? That’s an awesome dog,’ because of his personality,” Steffen Koury said.
Nancy Koury said she watched the dog walk up to a picnic table and put on a show to make people laugh. He’d earn a treat and move on to the next table.
“We found a breeder, and we had to agree to show him [the dog] because, in her opinion, they were all show quality. So, we did. We’d meet the breeder at the shows, and she’d show them…and then Nancy caught the bug,” Steffen Koury joked.
Nancy Koury said she was grateful to the dog show community, which ensured she knew what to do. “They just made sure I always had somebody,” she said.
She said that despite Chiba being retired, when she’s taken to shows, she still lets her personality shine and remembers exactly what to do.
“She would just march into the stadium like ‘pick me,’” Nancy Koury said. “I would try to tone her down and say, ‘Don’t you try to win,’ and Freddie’s just happy to be there, but Chiba’s there to win.”
She explained Draft Work, which is when a dog pulls a cart or a sled.
“Basel, our first male, really started this whole thing and showed Chiba how to do it… As he (Basel) got older, he was having trouble in the rear… He’d want to go to the beach, so we’d have him in the wagon, and Chiba would run full speed, pulling it. He would just have a blast,” she said.
Nancy Koury continued, saying that when Freddie came along, he and Chiba would pull Geneva, another Swissy the couple had. “They’re now teaching Rockie how to. It’s just so fun, and we take them pulling the cart around the neighborhood,” she said.
Steffen Koury said it didn’t matter who was passing by the cart-pulling dogs; even a guy riding a Harley would stop to comment on how cute the dogs were.
“All through COVID, we were just entertaining ourselves. There wasn’t a lot to do. They were doing pop-up lobster sales down at The Wharf, and we would take the wagon and put a cooler in it, and Chiba would walk over there. They’d fill up the cooler, and she’d haul it home,” Nancy Koury said.
One thing was clear when talking to Nancy and Steffen Koury: Chiba, Freddie, and Rockie aren’t just show dogs. They’re beloved pets and family members, which was visible through the fact that every time they saw their owners, their tails would wag a little bit faster.
