John Magenau, the Director Emeritus of the Sam and Irene Black School of Business at Penn State Behrend, will make the long trip from Erie to Madison Square Garden with his best friend, Train, to compete in the 139th Westminster Kennel Club All Dog Breed Show.

The show is set for Feb. 16-17, and according to Professor Magenau, Train is ready.

Train, otherwise known by his show name Jazzman Southern Pacific Big Boy, is a two-year old, 98-pound coonhound.

The coonhound is currently ranked nationally in his breed at No. 4, just high enough to earn him a spot to compete in this year’s Westminster Dog Show.

Prior to Train’s selection, he achieved the American Kennel Club bronze grand champion honor and was crowned Best of Breed from the American Black & Tan Coonhound Club’s specialty show in Las Vegas.

This upcoming competition will only be Train’s second, but Magenau believes he is ready this time.

“He was young and maybe he wasn’t ready for it, but there were more veteran and seasoned dogs out there. This year, he’s matured quite a bit and is more disciplined in the ring,” he said. “A lot will depend on the judging, and how Train does that particular day, but our dog is competitive.”

Train will compete against 3,000 other dogs in New York City, 185 of whom will be from the state of Pennsylvania alone. Needless to say, the competition will be fierce.

To see Train in action and learn a little more about him, check out this video created by Matt Mead from the Erie Times-News.

Photo: Andy Colwell/The Erie Times-News