Best in Show: Meet Della Micah and Her Goldens

When Della Micah first came to the United States from Great Britain, she was expecting to stay just for a year. Ultimately, she decided to stay for good.

She was hired as a teacher at a private school in Germantown and settled down in Plymouth Meeting. Della taught English, Physical Education, coached the women’s lacrosse team, and eventually became the Athletic Director. Della was named Principal of the Upper School in 1992, and toward the end of her career was appointed Director of College Counseling, a role in which she remained until her retirement in 2015.

And this year, Della, along with her two golden retrievers, Calon and Astra, will become proud new residents of The Hill at Whitemarsh.

“I grew up on a farm in England, so the arable landscape at The Hill and nearby Erdenheim Farm really felt like home to me,” said Della. “It also doesn’t hurt that I live about three miles from The Hill and know many wonderful people within the community.”

Della acquired an apartment in The Terraces–the cluster of buildings currently under construction with thoughtful architecture and design elements. As part of her move-in process, Della has been able to customize her living space.

“It’s been a real adventure to help design the new apartment. I’ve never had the opportunity before and the design firm has given me great guidance–including choices that reflect my lifestyle with my two golden retrievers, Calon and Astra.”
– Della Micah

At six years old, Calon has become more than a furry best friend for Della; she was encouraged by Calon’s breeder to start competing in dog shows with her, and it’s proven to be a successful endeavor.

“Goldens are a highly competitive breed at dog shows, but Calon became an American Kennel Club Champion and Grand Champion and qualified to show at Westminster in 2022,” said Della. “We compete in Conformation–not Agility or Obedience–and dogs in that category are judged against the standard. The dogs who win most closely resemble perfection.”

Prior to her dog show experiences with Calon, Della had never stepped into the world of dog competitions. To prepare for the experience, she took show handling classes at a dog training club to help get Calon used to being in a ring with other dogs without running after them or leaping around.

“It’s really wonderful socialization even if you aren’t interested in competing,” said Della. “It teaches them to have good manners in public.”

In 2023, Calon had a litter of puppies and Della decided to keep one. Astra, now two, has also started competing in shows, although she doesn’t have the same obedient disposition as her mother.

“Astra is still jumping around, but we’re working on it. She still thinks it’s playtime when she gets in the ring,” Della said. “I’m competitive–I don’t mind losing, but I like to win a lot. You have to put in a lot of work in order to achieve excellence and since I’m planning to retire Calon, I will pick up Astra’s training.”

Calon is going out on top, though; this past fall Della showed Calon at the Golden Retriever National and made it to the final cut for Best in Show.

“The Golden Retriever National takes two days, and you have to make it through four rounds of cuts to make it to Best in Show,” Della said. “The world of competitive dog shows is such a parallel universe to what I knew for so many years in Quaker education. But I’ve met such wonderful people from all over, and all walks of life. And they all love dogs as much as I do.”

Della’s love of dogs was part of what made the decision for her to move to The Hill an easy one. As a pet-friendly community, Della is in good company with her neighbors, and the bucolic property provides plenty of open space for Calon and Astra to explore.

“The Hill is so welcoming to people with pets,” she said. “It’s very rural, with lots of trails and places to walk with the dogs, as well as the dog park.”

When asked about whether or not there were other communities she considered while preparing for this move, Della doesn’t hesitate before confidently announcing that she always knew it was going to be The Hill at Whitemarsh, it was just a matter of when.

“I know I made the right decision for me and for the dogs,” said Della. “It seemed overwhelming going into it, but looking back, it was all so easy.”