Sara Carson and her dog Hero have captured the enthusiasm of many North Bay supporters with her outstanding success on America's Got Talent, but we haven't seen anything quite like this.
You can expect that friends and family will go one step further...and so they have, but Sara's grandmother Elaine Carson and unofficial self-proclaimed fan club president Naomi Sanderson have really gotten into the spirit.
"Every time she's been on we've watched together right from the beginning," Naomi told BayToday from her home in Victoria B.C.
The two met when Sara was in the Pet Expo in Victoria where Sara was a featured performer and Elaine and Naomi became fast friends.
"Sara put us together and we had big hugs and it's great to make new friends. I was going to watch the first show and I thought 'maybe she'd like to come over and watch it because she lives alone.' So I called her up and said 'would you like to come over and make some signs?"
Sara is aware of the ladies extra work and has posted on Facebook "you're my two biggest supporters."
"She loves all the pictures and she's really liking that we're connecting," explained Naomi.
Competition has been getting stiffer for the young dog trainer from North Bay but judges on America's Got Talent felt her latest act was the strongest yet.
"We were thrilled and started jumping up and down and started cheering. We paused it and I said to Elaine 'I've got this bottle of champagne in the fridge, let's hold that up' but we didn't open it, we just took it out and held it up for a picture."
The two spent a number of hours before Sara's first appearance making signs and blowing up balloons. They excitedly gathered bristol board and markers and went to work.
Things are only getting more exciting for Naomi as Sara has set a ticket aside for the final show, so now she's planning a once in a lifetime trip to Hollywood.
"I'm pretty excited.This girl has put everything into what she's doing and we believe in her 100 per cent."
Carson was given a number of tickets by the show's producers to distribute to friends and family.
Her grandmother Elaine would also love to go but doesn't have a passport and there's not enough time to get one.
Update: Naomi is taking a picture of Elaine with her so she can be there "in spirit." see our photo gallery.
See: They did it! Sara and Hero off to the finals of America's Got Talent!
Sara appears in the 10 act finals tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Her America's Got Talent bio says, "Training thousands of dog owners and trainers around the world, this duo has made it their mission to inspire people to do more with their dogs. At the age of 12, Carson advanced her dog-training skills using YouTube videos as a guide. After struggling with depression as a teen, Carson welcomed Hero into her world, and the collie quickly turned her life around for the better. In 2012, the duo appeared on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' and was quickly picked up by Stunt Dog Productions, which set the stage to begin performing for larger shows and events."
See her latest act here: Life's a beach for Sara and Hero. Will it be enough?
