R.J.'S AN ORDINARY FAMILY PET -- AND A CHAMP.

Byline: RICK COCA Staff Writer

After winning awards at two major national competitions, you'd think R.J. would live in a palatial doghouse with a cadre of handlers waiting on him hand and paw and a training schedule to rival an Olympic athlete.

Not so, says David Murray, R.J.'s co-owner and sole handler, who lives with the dog in his Valley Glen home.

``This dog lives completely as a house pet,'' Murray said. ``He sleeps on the couch; he goes for walks. ... He's a normal, happily loved pet, primarily, (and) secondly, a great show dog.''

The Tibetan terrier recently won two top awards at a national show-dog competition in Long Beach, taking Best of Breed and placing first in the nonsporting group at the sixth annual American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship. Out of about 2,500 dogs, he was also one of seven dogs considered for the prestigious Best in Show award.

Earlier in the year, he took Best in Breed honors at the Westminster Kennel Club competition at Madison Square Garden in New York City and is currently the nation's top-ranked Tibetan terrier.

And the 4-year-old's success isn't accidental. Murray has raised show dogs since he was a kid growing up in Massachusetts, and R.J. comes from good stock.

He's the son of Rags, another one of Murray's award-winning dogs -- R.J. is short for Rags Jr. At 12, Rags' competition days are definitely behind him. He's living in Arroyo Grande and ``happily enjoying his retirement there with a female Tibetan terrier,'' Murray said.

Louis Krokover is R.J.'s co-owner. The Sherman Oaks resident provides financial support for R.J. and several others dogs. It can cost as much as $5,000 to purchase and prepare a championship-caliber dog.

Much more than a money man, Krokover is a third-generation dog show aficionado. His mother, Judith Krokover, is considered to be the sport's matriarch, he said.

Krokover teamed up with Murray after seeing R.J. in a show two years ago.

``When I saw R.J., I was extremely impressed with his attitude. ... I saw that sparkle, that twinkle, that I knew this dog could do anything we asked it to do in the ring -- and I was right,'' Krokover said.

Krokover helped train actors to handle dogs in ``Best in Show,'' the satirical film by writer-director Christopher Guest that pokes fun at show-dog competitors. Murray said the film definitely helped promote the sport.

``We love `Best in Show,''' he said. ``Are we that dissimilar (to characters in the movie)? No. You can take any group of people that's a little bit oddball and find something true. On other levels, (the film) is very much what we do. It's a pride of ownership in what we do.''

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R.J., a Tibetan terrier, recently won the Best of Breed award at the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship dog show. Owners Louis Krokover, left, and David Murray, right, with Krokover's mother, Judith, are proud of the Valley Glen family pooch with all the honors.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer