Beulaville teen named world champion at coonhound dog show

Leah Penny, 13, of Beulaville has made a name for herself on the coonhound dog show circuit, recently winning the youth senior division world championship at the American Coon Hound Association (ACHA) dog show in Patrick, South Carolina. 

“Leah has been showing coonhounds for around three years now,” her dad, Brent Penny, told the Duplin Journal. “She has grown up around hunting dogs her entire life and has deer hunted and coon hunted with me since she was very young.” 

Leah began to take an interest in showing dogs after she attended a competition coon hunt with him, and there was a dog show before the competition. “Leah watched the dog show and became very interested,” Brent Penny said. “She started showing some of my coonhounds and done pretty good with them.” 

After showing her father’s dogs for a while, Leah decided to get her own show-quality dogs, since Brent’s dogs were bred for hunting. “She has worked very hard with her dogs and trained a few of them herself with no help from anyone, using pointers that she has asked seasoned experts,” Brent said. “Most every day after her schooling she will be found outside working with her dogs.” 

In addition to her most recent win at the ACHA show, Leah has won at the Southeastern Treeing Walker Days, Southern English Days, Virginia state championship, North Carolina state championship, South Carolina state championship, Bluetick Breeders of America, and the UKC Winter Classic, among others. 

She is homeschooled and lives in Beulaville with her family.