Morgan Humphrey is the Pecos and Arkansas River Basins coordinator in the USACE-Albuquerque District's Water Management Section. Outside of work, she is an amateur dog owner-handler, as she shows her own two dogs at shows.
Originally from Naples, Florida, Humphrey studied Environmental and Civil Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University and earned a Master of Science degree in Ocean Engineering from Texas A&M University. While working on a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering at TAMU, she worked in water management in the USACE-Galveston District. She said she ultimately decided to leave the Ph.D. program and work full time in Galveston. A little over a year ago Humphrey transferred to the Albuquerque District.
According to Humphrey, a broad overview of her job is to “watch the dams and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to.”
A ‘normal’ day could involve checking the weather, to see if there are conditions that could impact the projects, and checking the current gage readings to make sure everything is going as expected in the river basins she manages. She might also be working on the Water Control Manuals, researching and collecting data. Or the day could find her checking models and determining necessary gate changes for a specific dam and coordinating the changes with other agencies and stakeholders.
Humphrey says one of the things she likes most about her job is this variety in her daily routine. “I never know for sure how my day is going to go,” Humphrey said. “I get chances to go in the field or work in the office. I have exciting Flood Risk Management (FRM) moments and slower report-writing moments, and I’m part of the amazing team that controls some of the most incredible dams in the world. Water Management really makes me feel like I make a positive difference in the world and help lives.”
Outside work, Humphrey spends a significant amount of time working with her two dogs and showing them at professional dog shows.
“I started when I was 9 years old,” she said. “My parents always had dogs and they had me take an obedience course with our old corgi, Trixie. I noticed they also had a conformation course and asked to take it. I showed Trixie for a year in Junior Showmanship, and when I leveled up to Open Junior (three wins in Novice), I was allowed to get my own dog. My first dog was a corgi named Edison.”
Showing dogs is a family affair. “My sister started a couple years later [after Humphrey did], showing Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers,” she said.
Humphrey said that after her last corgi passed away, she got a buhund dog from a friend who breeds dogs. Buhunds are a breed of herding dog from Norway.
Currently Humphrey has two buhunds, littermates Maxine and Erica, both 2 years old. “I show them because I love the connection I feel with them, and the ability to show them at their best,” she said. “I really enjoy the community as well,” she said. “Everyone at the show is ultimately there because they love their dogs and most people are excited to talk about their breed or help you, even if you’ve just met.”
Showing dogs takes a lot of time in training and practice and each dog is different. “It takes a while for you and your dog to be comfortable being approached by strangers in fast paced and overstimulating environments,” she said. “And it is important to focus on the signs your dog is giving you to make them comfortable and show their best.”
Humphrey explains what’s involved in showing a dog:
“Conformation is based on how well a dog conforms to the breed standard. It involves taking your dog in laps around a ring so the judge can see them move from all angles, stacking them so the judge can feel their musculature and bone structure, and having them stack alone so the judge can see their natural stance.
Stacking is how the dog is set up in a stand. A stack is just a stand where all of their feet are aligned so their bone structure is even. For example, if one back foot is much farther forward than the other, it would make the pelvis tilt and twist. This makes it harder for a judge to determine if the bone structure is how it is supposed to be.
Buhunds stack with their front ankles, elbows, and shoulders in vertical alignment, and their back ankles perpendicular to the ground. Most dogs are stacked similarly. All of this is alongside other dogs in the breed so the judge can determine which dog conforms best, based on gait, structure, and even personality.
Part of handling is knowing how to show off your dog’s best features and help them adjust around weaknesses. This can involve different stacking techniques, different speeds to run at, and more.
For example, I can set Max’s feet however I want, but Erica doesn’t like me moving her feet, so I have to walk her into a stack. Erica also tends to shy away if a judge reaches over her head, so I train with her and talk to her to hold a stand even when a stranger approaches her.”
Erica and Maxine have had some success in their careers. According to Humphrey, at the end of the 2025 show year (which ran Sept. 19, 2024, to Sept. 17, 2025), Erica was ranked 14th, tied with one other dog, and Maxine ranked 20th, tied with four other dogs. And as of their most recent show in Colorado Springs, Colo., Oct. 25-26, 2025, Maxine is now a champion. She received the final point needed for this ranking at the Colorado show, Oct. 26.
Humphrey said that Erica got six or seven points at the Colorado show. “But she still has at least 10 points to go to finish her grand championship,” Humphrey said. “Erica championed on July 6, which is really cool because I only started with her last December!”
In the future, Humphrey says she plans to do rally, scent work, herding, and maybe agility with her dogs.