Dog News, March 9, 2012

Dog News The Digest Volume 28, Issue 10

Of American Dogs $5.00

March 9, 2012

Honor *

Thank you to

Breeder-Judge Mr. Richard Beauchamp for this Best In Show

Multiple Best In Show Multiple Best In Specialty Show

GCh. Vogelflight’s “Honor” To Pillow Talk Owned By

Ellen MacNeille Charles Matt and Paula Abbott Co-Owned by Kathie Vogel and Lori Kornfeld Bred by Multiple Best In Show Multiple Best In Specialty Show Pillow Talk Bichons - Tracy And Lori Kornfeld Multiple Best In Show Multiple Best In Specialty Show Vogelflight Kennels - Kathie Vogel - Danielle Ardagna & Mary Vogel Presented by Lisa Bettis and Ryan Wolfe

Dog News 3

*

*The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed

Joe & Carla Sanchez present their New Working Team...

Best In Show, Best In Specialty Show

Giambi & Jorge Olivera

Owners: Breeders: Presented By: Joe Sanchez, Carla Sanchez The Tortorella Family Jorge & Susie Olivera SOUTHPORT, EST. 1982 Owners: JoeDe and Carla • Southport Mastiffs, Est. 1982 • southportmastiffs@aol.com Co-Owners Mary Lisa andSanchez Ericia Tortorella Handlers: • Jorge and Susie Olivera

contents march 9, 2012

10

editorial

14

irving’s impressions/ ronnie irving

18

the lighter side of judging/ michael faulkner

22

question of the week / matthew h. stander

26

a thought to consider/ seymour weiss

30

akc’s guidelines for radio public service announcements/ lisa peterson

34

bests of the week

38

ten questions / lesley boyes

42

coast to coast: two dogs are center stage/marsha hall brown

44

a terrier’s tale/ nick waters

46

all in the family / charles c. robey

50

hsus breeder group/ carlotta cooper

52

atlantic ocean classic/ sharon sakson

54

news from the kennel club in london/ fern howard

58

from a field show breeder’s perspective: the grand course 2012/ george bell

60

strange letters and phone calls, board stature and more /matthew h. stander

62

judges’ choice: pyrenean mountain dog /courtesy of the kennel gazette

66

off the leash/shaun coen

90

the gossip column / eugene z. zaphiris

92

click - detroit kennel club / booth photography

96

click - international kennel club of chicago dinner / booth photography

99

letters to the editor

100

click - the way we were /booth photography

4 Dog News

102 handlers directory 104 subscription rates 106 classified advertising 108 advertising rates

All advertisements are copyrighted and owned by DOG NEWS, Harris Publications, unless received camera-ready.

Permission to reprint must be requested in writing.

DOG NEWS (ISSN 0886-2133) is published weekly except the last two weeks in December by Harris Publications, 1115 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Periodical Postage paid at New York.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DOG NEWS, 1115 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10010

Dog News 5

contents march 9, 2012

10

editorial

14

irving’s impressions/ ronnie irving

18

the lighter side of judging/ michael faulkner

22

question of the week / matthew h. stander

26

a thought to consider/ seymour weiss

30

akc’s guidelines for radio public service announcements/ lisa peterson

34

bests of the week

38

ten questions / lesley boyes

42

coast to coast: two dogs are center stage/marsha hall brown

44

a terrier’s tale/ nick waters

46

all in the family / charles c. robey

50

hsus breeder group/ carlotta cooper

52

atlantic ocean classic/ sharon sakson

54

news from the kennel club in london/ fern howard

58

from a field show breeder’s perspective: the grand course 2012/ george bell

60

strange letters and phone calls, board stature and more /matthew h. stander

62

judges’ choice: pyrenean mountain dog /courtesy of the kennel gazette

66

off the leash/shaun coen

90

the gossip column / eugene z. zaphiris

92

click - detroit kennel club / booth photography

96

click - international kennel club of chicago dinner / booth photography

99

letters to the editor

100

click - the way we were /booth photography

4 Dog News

102 handlers directory 104 subscription rates 106 classified advertising 108 advertising rates

All advertisements are copyrighted and owned by DOG NEWS, Harris Publications, unless received camera-ready.

Permission to reprint must be requested in writing.

DOG NEWS (ISSN 0886-2133) is published weekly except the last two weeks in December by Harris Publications, 1115 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10010.

Periodical Postage paid at New York.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to DOG NEWS, 1115 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10010

Dog News Cover Story - MARCH 9, 2012 PUBLISHER

STANLEY R. HARRIS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SEAN K. GAFFNEY ADVERTISING MANAGERS

SHAUN COEN Y. CHRISTOPHER KING ACCOUNTING

STEPHANIE BONILLA GENERAL TELEPHONE

212 807.7100 x588 FAX NUMBER

212 675.5994 EMAIL ADDRESS

dognews@harris-pub.com WEB ADDRESS: www.dognews.com SUBSCRIPTIONS

Ian Miller 212 462.9624

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Contributing Editors Sharon Anderson George Bell Lesley Boyes Andrew Brace Agnes Buchwald Patricia Gail Burnham Shaun Coen Carlotta Cooper Geoff Corish Michael Faulkner Geir Flyckt - Pedersen Allison Foley Yossi Guy Ronnie Irving John Mandeville Desmond J. Murphy M. J. Nelson Robert Paust Sharon Pflaumer Kim Silva Frances O. Smith DVM PHD Matthew H. Stander Sari Brewster Tietjen Patricia Trotter Connie Vanacore Carla Viggiano Nick Waters Seymour Weiss Minta (Mike) Williquette Dog News Photographers Chet Jezierski Perry Phillips Kitten Rodwell Leslie Simis

For more up-to-the-minute results, video and photo coverage of the show, visit www.akc.org and to receive daily updates and show results via Facebook, visit www.facebook.com/americankennelclub. *The Dog News Top Ten List

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DOG NEWS is sent to all AKC approved Conformation Judges every week on a complimentary basis. No part of this publication can be reproduced in any form without written permission from the editor. The opinions expressed by this publication do not necessarily express the opinions of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit all copy submitted.

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*The Dog News Top Ten List

Dog News 7

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*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

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MARCH 9, 2012

the editorial

THE NEW JUDGING APPROVAL PROCESS Well the AKC’s new judging approval process went into effect March 1st and it is not the easiest document in the world to totally comprehend. It is fully 9 pages when printed out from the AKC web site (ten if one includes the AKC Code of Sportsmanship, which for some inexplicable reason is thrown in at the very end). These pages find it overall rather complicated and even after three readings we confess to not totally understanding all of it. One of the aspects involves the $25 fee that all new breed applicants must pay in addition to passing the breed standard test.

This applies as we understand it to new breeds added to the groups as well--that is the $25 and a breed test. This applies to all American judges but did this fee and test apply to visiting judges as well was the question asked. Previously a visiting judge (foreign judge) had to be eligible to do all the breeds in our group in order to judge that group here although we did allow the visiting judge to be missing up to four breeds provided they did not have those breeds in their own country. Now the visiting judge must still do all of the breeds in our group that they have in their own country to do our group. For those breeds not recognized in their own country, they must take the same open book breed standard test and PAY the same one-time per breed fee the American judge pays for new breeds to be eligible for the group. And why not we say after all if it applies to our judges why not to the visiting or foreign judge as well who thereafter may also judge those individual breeds too.

FOREIGN (OOPS VISITING) JUDGES REACTIONS It would seem that so far the reaction by the Canadian judges has been to accept without objection this aspect of our new approval process and while few judges from foreign countries have been heard to complain there has been no total rejection of the idea. Rumor has it that FCI is not happy at all with this new plan.

Indeed in the foreign press there is talk of “isolating American judges”. This comes at a particularly questionable time for the FCI and TKC in the UK due to the supposed withdrawal of the special preference clause for the 18 or so British anointed judges.

How FCI reacts, if it reacts at all should be of little concern to AKC since our primary concern must be an equitable treatment of our judges vis a vis foreign judges as well. This only reinforces the stand taken by these pages for years for the need to re-establish the development of an organization of the World Kennel Clubs as a means to discuss all elements of reciprocity among these organizations.

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REGISTERING DOGS WITH AKC Traditionally AKC policy has effectively been that it will register any puppies born to registered parents of the same breed. This is basically a policy based on strength which keeps track of a large proportion of the pedigree dog world both within and without the competitive side of our sport. On the other hand it takes little or no account of the quality or health of the puppies bred nor of the breeders who produce them. In fairness AKC has modified for years now its permissive stand of taking in all puppies by inspecting large scale breeders and we all know the effect of that policy combined with other aspects which have resulted in a registration implosion. Breeders have found ways of selling their pups without AKC papers primarily by offering paper registries to the unsuspecting or perhaps uncaring purchasers. Nonetheless the tradition of registering any pup born to registered parents of the same breed must be continued.

Candidate Feeney’s idea of throwing in the word healthy into the equation deserves looking into but smacks too much of a sort of Good Housekeeping mark of approval situation, should that be the object of a dog registry one may ask!! Nonetheless if he could broaden or at the very least explain just how he would implement the word health into the equation for dog breeding and dog registration perhaps the idea is worth exploring. The way it stands right now though he is proposing a boutique type registry which may not be his intent whatsoever and certainly is something which these pages stand four square against.

PETA ACKNOWLEDGES EUTHANASIA People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals acknowledged according to USA TODAY’S report that it did euthanize 95% of the animals at its headquarters last year. A group called the Center for Consumer Freedom which has taken numerous national adverts concerning improprieties about HSUS created a website, Petakillsanimals.com, which reports PETA euthanized 1,965 of 2,050 animals in 2011!!! According to this report “the killings took place at PETA’s shelter in Norfolk, Virginia and were not unique to last year”. Facts which were written about in DOG NEWS for years prior to 2011 these pages are quick to point out.

PETA has filed to the Commonwealth of Virginia information that it has euthanized more than 27,000 animals in the past 15 years. At one point several years ago, the Commonwealth considered changing PETA’s status from a shelter to a euthanasia clinic. Virginia shelters are required to file annual reports which indicate PETA did find adoptions last year for 24 animals-five cats and 19 dogs--Whoopdedoo is our reaction! For an organization which pitches hard-line campaigns against people who own purebred dogs or any dogs it certainly appears that it is more concerned with funding its media and advertising antics than it is in finding suitable home for dogs and cats. Just another case of PETA being the hypocrites we all know them to be.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK Well AKC has come out with its latest PSA which we understand was played at the last Delegate’s meeting and announced on its web site. This one is from Willie Nelson of Country Music fame and was organized as told to these pages through the efforts of Lee Arnold. DOG NEWS was sent the announcement through the kindness of a Delegate who thought we should be made aware of it as it is available to radio stations throughout the land. Too bad AKC did not see the need to communicate to the dog press directly about this matter. Whether the national press was alerted to this fact we do not know. Perhaps AKC expects the AP and other news agencies to read its web site where it is announced. For sure THE NEW YORK TIMES and WSJ to say nothing of other newspapers and communication outlets have nothing to do but scroll through the AKC’s website--Do you think!!!

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BY RONNIE IRVING

Irving’s

THAT TV SHOW – THE SEQUEL Three and a half years ago the BBC on one of its most popular TV channels (BBC2) aired a biased and scandal mongering anti pedigree dog programme in the UK entitled “Pedigree Dogs Exposed”. Not surprisingly, considering the bias shown by the programme and the selective use of some horrific shots of dogs suffering, there was an immediate public outcry against pedigree dogs, dog breeders, dog shows and the Kennel Club. As a result several canine charities abandoned attending Crufts, the BBC stopped televising the event after forty years, and a number of public enquiries were initiated. A parliamentary committee the “All Party Group on Animal Welfare” became extremely exercised by the issue and an independent committee was set up entitled “The Advisory Committee on the Welfare Issues of Dog Breeding”. The Kennel Club had to move into overdrive to stem the adverse media attention that the whole affair had, however unfairly, stirred up. It didn’t change its direction of travel in any way - but it certainly speeded up delivery of many of the initiatives that it had already been working on for many years. Many purists said that the KC had simply indulged in what they called ‘knee-jerk reactions’ and had gone too far. Others argued that the KC here had not gone nearly far enough. I, as Chairman of the KC during the three years following the TV programme, was in the centre of it all, and naturally think that almost all of what we did was absolutely right. I have no doubt that many will make the comment, “He would say that, wouldn’t he?”

Impressions THE KC REFUSED TO TAKE PART Eventually the BBC was forced, after a long investigation carried out by Ofcom its regulator, to apologise publicly to the Kennel Club and some breed clubs for some of the worst excesses of the program. That fact went virtually unnoticed by the public. Meantime the program maker became an ardent anti KC, anti dog show and anti pedigree dog campaigner and attacked the dog fancy at every available opportunity. The BBC was eventually persuaded to air a sequel to the program – but this time it didn’t describe it as a documentary. Instead it billed it as a ‘personal view’ program from the filmmaker. Of course the BBC jumped aboard the Crufts media frenzied bandwagon and chose the period leading up to the show as the best time to get the greatest public attention for the sequel TV film. The Kennel Club, because of the biased editing last time around, refused to take any part in the program on this occasion and I, having personally suffered from unfair editing last time, think that was very much the right decision. The KC’s lead was followed by a number of other prominent people in the dog fancy who also refused to take part.

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CALL FOR THE BREEDING OF CERTAIN BREEDS TO BE BANNED So the sequel program, again an hour long, was shown on Monday 26th February. It consisted – at least to the extent of about a third if not more – of nothing more than a rehash of material from the original program. It then brought in the issue of high uric acid levels in Dalmatians, reluctantly acknowledging the fact that the KC had admitted the Dalmatian with Pointer antecedents, to its register. This time the breeders, rather than the KC, were the subject of greater criticism. It went on to major on problems of brachycephalic breeds overall, and particularly on Bulldogs and Pugs. It had shots of a German vet saying quite bluntly that those breeds should no longer be bred at all, due to the degree of suffering that they experience. Judges were criticised for rewarding dogs with exaggerations, the KC was pilloried for not doing enough and for being incapable of leadership because of its ‘inextricable’ links to breed clubs.

Cavaliers were again subjected to scrutiny. So were Boxers where a major part of the film was taken up over what looked to me like an internecine squabble about the detail of exactly how to handle juvenile kidney disease in the breed. Some very successful and high profile Boxer breeders were subjected to pretty rough, and what looked to me like unfair, treatment. Inbreeding was strongly criticised and the likely fate of many breeds because of lack of genetic diversity was painted in a very poor light. The Continued on page 70

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*All Systems

Dog News 15

The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed points

16 Dog News

Dog News 17

The

BY Michael Faulkner

Lighter Side of Judging Perception vs. Reality

F

lying First Class en route to Scottsdale, Arizona to judge the Fiesta Cluster of Dogs show…a golden opportunity to acquire several hours of much needed rest in support of my upper respiratory infection and sleep deprivation (Perception).

At two-thirty in the afternoon on Tuesday, February 28th, my Droid signals I have a new message waiting in my “Mail In-Box”. Sliding and tapping the appropriate APP on the main screen selection display, I am thrilled to see the message is from US Airways--hopefully informing me of my upgrade for my two flights on Thursday, February 29th from Richmond, VA to Charlotte, NC and then from Charlotte to Phoenix, AZ. “We are informing you there are NO UPGRADES available at this time. You have been placed on a wait list. No need to contact us, we will inform you directly with all updates to your current schedule. “ No problem – two days remain until my departure. Something will open up. No sweat!” I say to myself (Reality).

Wednesday, March 1st---No message from US Airways!

Thursday morning, March 2nd ---between the hours of 1:00AM and 4:00AM--No message from US Airways!

6:30AM, Thursday morning, March 2nd ---I depart for the Richmond, VA International Airport. I choose to arrive much earlier than normal to facilitate my upgrade request.

“I am sorry, Mr. Faulkner! First Class is full on both of your flights this morning.

You are seated in the first row in Coach Class, bulkhead ---an aisle seat. Enjoy your flight and have a wonderful day,” USAIRKathy says in a scripted tone (Perception).

Actually, meaning---“I don’t give a shit if 18 Dog News

you are sitting in First Class, Coach or on the floor. I’m tired as hell and there are a hundred people behind you waiting to check in. Now get the hell out of my way (Reality).”

“Wow – Thanks,” I groan while gathering my carry-on roller bag and head toward the security check point.

“Good Morning!” greets TSA-Martin.

I hand TSA-Martin my boarding passes along with my Virginia driver’s license. Using his right, blue rubber-covered finger and thumb, TSA-Martin lifts a small magnifying lens to his right eye, and moves it across the two-inch by three-inch flat surface searching for criminal evidence (Perception). I suppress the urge to ask TSA-Martin exactly what he is looking for as he continues the Homeland-Securitytheatrics (Reality) with a small handheld florescent light, scanning my VA driver’s license for that criminal evidence. TSAMartin finishes the act with three random red marks across my boarding pass. His blue rubber-covered left hand returns my boarding passes and I remain in line for my individual screening opportunity.

“Take everything out of your pockets.

Make sure you remove your belts, your shoes and bulky outerwear. Take your laptop out and place it in a separate container for screening,” TSA-Ebony bellows across the room. Prior to reaching the stack of grey plastic containers, I remove my blazer, my shoes, my belt, all contents from my pockets, my watch, my eyeglasses and the pen stored in my shirt pocket.

“Sir, you are next. Step up, face forward with your feet placed on the yellow foot prints with your arms over your head – like this,” TSA-Theresa guides from the other side of the x-ray machine. Taking a

deep breath, I suck in my gut, stand tall, maintaining perfect posture for my picture and the public. Once I am visually raped---I step forward waiting to be cleared by yet another TSA employee named TSA-DICK. (Now I ask, “Do I really need to say any more?”)

“Sir, do you have anything at all that you have not removed from your body?” TSA-DICK asks in an accusatory tone. “NO!” I reply. “Well, sir, I am going to administer a pat down. Step over here and this will be completed in a matter of no time.” TSA-DICK starts at my ankles, slides up my legs to my crotch, then my back, my waist, my stomach, my chest, my arms, my wrists and ending at my shirt collar.

“O.K. sir you are free to go – we picked up some suspicious beads of sweat on your back, that’s all,” TSA-DICK shares. I look directly into his eyes and say “Thank You!”(Perception)--while really thinking---“You @%^$#^%” (Reality).

I engage in an OBE while I wait for my possessions to finish sliding through the scanner. “Would it not be a novel idea for TSA to be teamed up with major healthcare providers, cross sharing information? A TSA Radiologist could actually read the scans as people pass through, reducing government spending on healthcare!!”

I think silently to myself. Feeling TSA Dick’s hand on my shoulder and hearing---“Sir, collect your things and move forward!”---I refrain from sharing my award-winning idea, knowing full well that TSA-Ebony and TSA-Dick are not visionary (Perception). But, Continued on page 74

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question week

March 9, 2012

Do you believe there is a need for Group Re-Alignments? If yes how would you implement it and if no why are you against the idea?

the

of the

W. Terry Stacy NO. As the staff Liaison to the Felton committee that was charged with this task in the early 80’s, I was privy to many thoughts on how and why we need group alignment. There were many of the dog worlds top minds that served on that committee.

The one certain conclusion was that 7 is the maximum number of Groups we need.

First we need to think why dogs need to be aligned in Groups. Dog shows have a responsibility to educate the public and expose them to the finest dogs so that they might want to also find a way to own or participate with a purebred dog. The process needs to be efficient and timely so that we may keep the interest of our future participants. The 7 Group process seems to fill that need. Of course having 11 Groups aligns more similar types of dogs together.

15 Groups or 20 could even further accomplish this task. Why? Finding better ways to lessen the time and yet keep interest is what is needed, not expanding this process.

Currently, just look at who is left after the first one or two Groups judged at our average size shows and you will see it is very few. Perhaps, the new alignment could be used for study groups or events that want to attract dogs of similar kind but not dog shows which are already dwindling in size due to lack of interest. Time is a factor.

Having additional Groups will add time to shows that already go on too long. Many smaller shows would have Groups that only have 2 or 3 dogs and maybe none of quality. Just assembling another Group and getting it to its ring will be time consuming.

I predict this could add as much as an hour to some events. In the west this could be a real problem for outdoor shows that requite daylight. Clubs that are trying to exist by hiring smaller panels will have to either have more judges or time will become an additional factor when the panel must judge groups and they are still judging breeds. More time will be taken for photos.

BY MATTHEW H. STANDER

Expense is a factor. Average and smaller shows will now have to hire judges that can do the Groups and Superintendents and the AKC will need to change their computer systems to accommodate the change of alignment and additional Groups. More paper and printing is going to be necessary. It is my feeling that the judging of Groups should be in less time and more emphasis should be on breed judging. Groups can be judged as they are done in some European shows where all of the breed winners come in the ring for their Group. The judge simply selects 6 to 8 of the ones that he or she Continued on page 98

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*The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed points

Dog News 25

AThought

BY SEYMOUR WEISS

To Consider

Whose Company Would You Prefer?

I

n the conformation dog sport propriety and perception can sometimes differ considerably from the normal values of the larger society. For example, it is normal for a large segment of the fancy to stand in awe of individuals blessed with unusual skills in training, grading puppies, conditioning, grooming and a host of other talents many of us wish we had. Or we wish we had them in greater measure than we do.

At the same time we may recognize that we might think twice about sharing a meal or engaging in a meaningful conversation with some of those so endowed. Being able to groom or train or recognize show potential in a dog has no bearing on humanity or integrity. The talented dog person who can keep their abilities in perspective can make the most of them. The talented blowhard who sees him or herself as somehow above their peers because they can do something better than most others would do well to take stock and engage in a personal reality check.

Training future show dogs involves the ability to mold raw material into an animal brimming with self confidence and the reliance on its human partner to craft a winning performance.

The great trainers put themselves totally into their charges, never thinking about themselves. For them it’s a matter of getting into a dog’s mind and making it want to do what is being asked of it. For the blowhard, the dog’s showmanship must be a reflection of him or herself where the objectives of the trainer come before the best interests of the dog.

To me, such thinking is simply wrong. Is it not true that the best handlers are those we never notice? And the reason we never notice them is because they routinely get the dog to stand out

to such extent that the handler melts into the background. They become, in effect, the backdrop leaving the dog to appear to shine on its own.

Since the conformation dog sport came into being, it has been peopled, in part, by a small number of rare individuals who could become at one with the dogs in their care. Those people usually did not concern themselves with who was looking at them or talking about them or trying to get something out of them. They were the people who learned dogs from the ground up and eventually they appeared to exercise a kind of alchemy with the dogs in their care. The most gifted patiently molded their dogs to

26 Dog News

marked by a burning desire to get ahead in the shortest possible time and is willing to do so off the backs of his or her peers and on those who could be a potential source for dogs to show. Many exhibit a little knowledge (perhaps not enough) and, as we all know, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Others display strong natural ability to work with show dogs, and when they are properly focused they can accomplish amazing things.

Sadly, some have the talent, but lack the work ethic. In these situations those that suffer most are the clients who enter into a relationship in good faith and, more importantly the innocent, trusting dogs at the center of what has the potential to degenerate into abusive situations.

Fortunately, the majority of today’s handlers are competent, ethical and intelligent. These are the experts who will raise our sport to a new level of professionalism into the future. And we can all look forward to the day. If only there were more of them.

And it’s not just the professional handlers who have raised the dog sport to a new level of sophistication.

Today’s owner handlers also exhibit that new level of sophistication. Modern successful owner handlers know that to compete on a par with our pros, they have to cultivate the skills equal to that of our pros. There is no need to list their names. I would forget too many of them. But you know who you are. And participants in the dog sport will reach their greatest level of skill when we all share what we know for the greatest benefit of our entire community of the fancy now and into the future.

Everyone who embraces the dog sport finds their own level, their own personal comfort zone from which to function. When fanciers make the most of their opportunities to learn and grow and for all the right reasons, we can look forward to an ever-brighter future. Whose company would you prefer? Only you can answer that one.

Just make sure those with whom you associate will help you become the best dog fancier you can be.

Thank you for reading.

be great performers. And many of these also shared their talents and their wisdom with others who sought to learn.

Whether their protégés were preparing for a professional life in the sport, or sought only to become the best dog people they could be, those who pointed the way for them to develop their talents also left a legacy of gifted people whose names are household words to this day. They also brought to the dog sport an innate graciousness which seemed to become less evident as time passed.

If we accept that change is the only constant, it is inevitable that another kind of handler would eventually come upon the show scene. This person is

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AKC’s Public SerVICe Announcements

By Lisa Peterson

Radio PSA Guidelines What is a Public Service Announcement (PSA)? great way to get coverage for a cause or event in the media is through the use of a public service announcement (PSA). The PSA is similar to an advertisement in a newspaper, TV or radio commercial, but it features a cause or community event sponsored by a non-profit organization and is published or aired free of charge.

A PSA is a great vehicle for reaching out to the public with your club messages. A strong relationship with the media will help ensure that your club has the opportunity to play a leadership role in securing the continued approval of dog-related activities and the rights of dog owners.

The AKC is providing a new radio public service announcement (PSA) that highlights AKC affiliated clubs rescue groups and volunteers which features Country Music Hall of Fame performer Willie Nelson and is available in a 60-second format.

To share this with your local radio stations, contact the PSA director, Program Director or Station Manager. You can find contact information on the station’s website or contact AKC’s Communications department at 212-6968228 or communications@akc.org for assistance. We have created a sample cover letter email that can be used to introduce the PSA to your local station.

AKC also has television and print PSAs that you can use to promote responsible dog ownership in your community. Visit http://www.akc.org/press_center/psa. cfm to see what’s available.

When you send the cover letter email and PSA, you can also share the following information with the stations to promote your club:

A

Ed. Note: See “Thought For The Week” on Editorial, Page 10.

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• Your non-profit status and relation to AKC (member/ licensed/sanctioned) • The number of years your kennel club has been part of the community • The number and type of events your club hosts annually • The economic impact of dog shows on your state (http://www.akc.org/governmentrelations/state_ economic_impact.cfm)

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MARCH 9, 2012

Tupelo Kennel Club - Saturday and Sunday German Wirehaired Pointer GCh. Reece Afterhours The Buck Stops Here Judge Mrs. Anne T. Fleming Judge Mrs. Paula Hartinger Owners Kiki Courtelis, A Johnson, M Johnson, C Whitmore Handler Jay Kim for Frank Murphy Okaloosa Kennel Club Pensacola Dog Fanciers Association I & II Standard Poodle Ch. Jaset’s Satisfaction Judge Mr. Joe Walton Judge Mr. Robert Hall Judges Mrs. Gloria Geringer Owners Michele Molnar & Jamie Danburg Handler Ann Rairigh

Bests Week

Silver Bay Kennel Club of San Diego - Sunday Clumber Spaniel GCh. Clussexx Collaboration with Traddles Judge Mrs. Debbie Campbell Owners Missy Capone, J. Haverick, A. & P. Jaramillo Handler Jorge Olivera

Silver Bay Kennel Club of San Diego - Saturday Miniature Bull Terrier GCh. Dytona VIP Judge Dr. Richard Forastieri Gonzalez Owners Marilyn Jacobs, Andrey Klishas & Elisabeth Feuz Handler Jorge Olivera

Wisconsin Kennel Club I Brussels Griffon GCh. Knolland Amber Moon Judge Ms. Mary Anne Brocious Owners Susan Kipp, Beverly Wyckoff, & Charles Ginsberg Handler Susan Kipp

of the

Hilton Head Kennel Club - Saturday & Sunday Black Cocker Spaniel GCh. Casablanca’s Thrilling Seduction Judge Mrs. Keke Kahn Judge Mrs. Jacqueline L. Stacy Owners Bruce Van Deman, Carolee Douglas, Mary Walker, Linda Moore Handler Michael Pitts

Belle-City Kennel Club - Saturday Bloodhound GCh. Quiet Creek’s Kiss and Tell Judge Mr. Eugene Blake Owners Susan LaCroix Hamil & Heather Whitcomb Handler Tara Schultz Faith City Kennel Club of Wichita Falls I Golden Retriever Ch. Summits Sonny Side Up Judge Dr. Gerard Penta Owners Patty & Mike Wedding & Beth Johnson Handler Brianna Bischoff

Belle-City Kennel Club - Sunday Golden Retriever GCh. Summit’s Emery Its In The Bag Judge Ms. Beth Speich Owners Beth Johnson, George and Sue Dinges, Jeff and Kathy Sedivec Handler Beth Johnson

Faith City Kennel Club of Wichita Falls - Sunday Weimaraner Gold GCh. Win’Weim’s It’s My Grey Goose Judge Mrs. Loraine Boutwell Owners Dr. Dana Massey and Susan Line Handler Susan Line

Detroit Kennel Club American Foxhound Ch. Kiarry’s Pandora’s Box Judge Mr. Elliott Weiss Owner Ellen M. Charles and Lisa Miller Handler Lisa Miller

Greater Hattiesburg Kennel Club Whippet GCh. Karasar’s Remembrence Judge Mr. Don Rogers Owners Kerrie Kuper, Neil Barthelette, Dr.’s Manuel and Azalea Alvarez & Karen Mlynar Handler Kerrie Kuper

To report an AKC All Breed Best In Show or National Specialty Win Call, Fax or Email before 12:00 Noon Tuesday Fax: 212 675-5994 • Phone: 212 462-9588 • Email: Dognews@harris-pub.com 34 Dog News

Toy Dog Fanciers of North San Diego County - Friday Affenpinscher Judge Mrs. Sherry L Swanson GCh. Tamarin Top Banana Owner Myrna Kahlo Handler Jorge Olivera

*

*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 35

Dog News 37

ASKED OF Brian and Cindy Meyer

Questions

What year did you start showing dogs and what breeds were they?

Brian: Boxer, 1957.

Cindy: German Shepherd, 1958.

Which dog no longer being shown would you liked to have shown or owned?

Brian: Ch. Salgray’s Fashion Plate.

Cindy: The German Shepherd “Manhattan”.

Why do you think most people want to judge?

Brian: It is a natural progression from showing and breeding and to give back to the sport.

Cindy: To stay active in the sport they love.

Who are your non-dog heroes or heroines exclusive of immediate relatives?

Brian: Police, firemen and military personnel.

Cindy: First Responders to emergency situations.

If you could change one thing about your relationship what would it be?

Brian: Nothing.

Cindy: To be able to spend more time together.

Born: Brian – Oak Park, Illinois Cindy – Chicago, Illinois Reside: Cherry Valley, Illinois Married: 44 years

10 How would you describe yourselves in personal ads?

Brian: Quiet, family man, who loves animals.

Cindy: Quiet, but fun loving, animal lover.

Do you think there are too many dog shows?

Brian: Maybe in certain parts of the country, but not everywhere.

Cindy: Maybe in certain parts of the country, but not everywhere.

Which are your three favorite dog shows?

Brian: International – Rose City Classic – AKC National Championship.

Cindy: International – any National Specialty – out door shows in nice weather.

BY LESLEY boyes

38 Dog News

Do you think there should be a limit on the number of times a dog may be exhibited in a year?

Brian: No, not as long as the dog is up to it.

Cindy: No, as long as the dog is up to it.

How do you react to people flying in and out of shows on the same weekend?

Brian: It is ok with me if the dog’s safety and health doesn’t suffer, and they are not abusing the privilege of flying service dogs. However it was better in the days when the top dogs just went to the shows and competed against one another.

Cindy: It is ok with me if the dog’s safety and health doesn’t suffer, but it was better in the days when the top dogs just went to the shows and competed against one another.

Fanny

Grand Courser, Specialty Best In Show Winner, Ch. Huntington’s Fantasia

CC., CM.

She capped the season by her 2nd place win of the 2012 Grand Course just before her pups were 6 months old.

Photo by John Burchard

She tied for the win in the 104 year old MVCC Cup hunt for her second win of this cup, Dec 2011 Fantasia was top running Greyhound in NOFCA for the 2011/2012 season.

Fantasia won the 40th Annual Grand Course in 2010.

Specialty Best in Show Greyhound Club of Northern California October, 2011 3 1/2 months after her litter.

Breeder/Owner/Handled by George Bell huntingtongh@hughes.net Dog News 39

40 Dog News

Dog News 41

COAST

COAST

TO

by Marsha Hall Brown

Two Dogs are Center Stage

W

hen dogs are center stage there are many people who get them into that spotlight. And Cindy Vogels said it best at this 2012 Westminster Kennel Club’s Best in Show ring after she marked her book and walked to “center stage” carrying the red, white and blue rosette. Standing in elegance and speaking with eloquence, Cindy Vogels addressed the audience present and the audiences watching from afar with the following words: “As a native of Long Island being here tonight is just a tremendous thrill. On behalf of exhibitors, breeders, owners and dog lovers everywhere, I would like to thank the Westminster Kennel Club for providing a magnificent venue for our sport. There are seven wonderful and worthy contenders – I have but one ribbon.”

And, of course the rest is history. The Pekinese, Ch. PalaceGarden Malachy, walked in his own beauty to center stage to receive the awards and face the cameras. And, of course, he was guided there by his owner-handler, David Fitzpatrick. Others who were responsible for his rise to fame were Iris Love, Sandra Middlebrooks, and Jean and Jim Smith. Great dogs emerge from the concerted efforts of breeders, owners and handlers who have gained knowledge and experience from being in the sport over time. On the occasion of significant wins the devotion of human endeavors must be celebrated along with the dog.

Ten days later on the opposite coast another dog was center stage. At the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles the Motion Picture Academy held its 84th awards ceremony. With numerous awards presented during the evening for a myriad of categories, the final line up was for Best Picture. This year there were six nominations: The Descendents, Money Ball, The Help, Hugo, Midnight in Paris and The Artist. Two of them were “French toasts” to the beginning of movies and the same two starred dogs.

The Artist, a black and white almost silent film about the early days of Hollywood, was named the winner for 2012. Stars Jean Dujardin, who also received an Oscar for Best Actor, and nominee Berenice Bejo, ascended to center stage with the year’s Best Director, Michel Hazanavicius, and an entourage of talented and accomplished movie makers responsible for this extraordinary and unique production. And in the spotlight on that stage was Uggie the Jack Russell Terrier, a winner in his own right and wrapped in the arms of his co-star, Jean Dujardin. Uggie, more than a pretty face, is American born and bred. Owned by his general trainer, Omar Von Muller, Uggie was also trained for The Artist by Sarah Clifford. Yet the ten- year-old actor is not new to the spotlight. He won the Golden Collar award for best dog in theatrical film and received the Palm Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival for best performance by a canine. A star in movies and TV for five years, Uggie will retire in 2012 except for personal appearances.

42 Dog News

With an Oscar in one hand and a Terrier in the other)

Dog News 43

ATERRIER’S The earliest illustration of a black and tan terrier type dog appears in the illustrated manuscript, ‘The Hours of the Virgin’, dated to around 1500. The earliest documentary description comes shortly afterwards from Dr. Caius, once physician to Queen Elizabeth. In myths and legends though, black and tan terrier type dogs go back much further.

BY NICK WATERS

T

he oldest of the terrier breeds, once the darling of the rat pits, when tavern proprietors would have as many as 2,000 live rats on the premises at any one time to ensure a plentiful supply for a good evening’s sport. One of the most famous was Jack Black, who lived and worked in London around the 1850s and was once the royal rat catcher. A versatile dog, a warreners dog par excellence, and a ‘Gentle-

44 Dog News

man’s Terrier’ that fitted comfortably into the life of companion and carriage dog.

In the days before dog shows as we know them, when shows, or ‘leads’ as they were sometimes called, were held in taverns and inns, black and tan terriers were one of only a handful of breeds seen competing.

In name only the Manchester Terrier is a comparatively modern breed, it being as recently as 1924

that the Kennel Club officially adopted the name. However, it had been unofficially referred to by that name from the 1890s as historically Manchester and its surrounds were areas of the country where black and tan terriers were found.

‘A Terrier’s Tale, the Manchester Terrier through History’ is the title of the exhibition currently running at the Kennel Club Art Gallery in Mayfair and coincides with the 75th anniversary of The British Manchester Terrier Club.

It charts the breed’s development over the last 200 or so years. Sporting dog, companion, show dog, and not just at the ‘leads’ but at the very first recognised shows right up to the present time. The breed’s appeal to artists and sculptors alike and photographers who recorded the social fabric of everyday life. With a breed such as this, there has to be a degree of licence and in art it is a very fine dividing line between what is a Manchester Terrier and a Toy Manchester Terrier (known in the UK as the English Toy Terrier) as we know both breeds today. Arguably there are some of the latter in the exhibition but with both breeds historically having been one, that is not important.

TALE Highlights include an oil of the famous Tiny the Wonder in the rat pit at the Blue Anchor Tavern and R. Marshall’s oil of an early canine meeting at the Queen’s Head Tavern. Both taverns were owned by pugilist and entrepreneur, Jemmy Shaw, who, when the rat pits were made illegal, was quick to progress onto beauty competitions.

The Black and Tan Terrier was one of the first of the terrier breeds to be adopted by all levels of society as can be seen in the opulent fabrics in Carl Frederich Deiker’s painting, John Jackson’s posthumous portrait of Eliza Soane with her beloved pet, Fanny, or the engraving of Charles Enderby driving his dog cart with his famous Norfolk Trotter Artaxerxes in the shafts and his little dog running along beside them.

Edwin Loader, George Earl, B. Sands and others all portray the sporting terrier away from the rat pits, Steve Nesbitt, Peter Diment and Claire Kieran have their own individual take on the modern show dog and two Continental bronzes capture the terrier’s inquisitive nature, one with a tortoise and the other a snail.

In curating the exhibition probably the greatest find was an engraved silk handkerchief held at the Museum of London, delineating and celebrating the record of Tiny the Wonder who reputedly killed 300 rats in less than 55 minutes. This had been talked of but had become part of breed mythology as no one knew it actually existed.

Both the handkerchief and Tiny were mentioned in Henry Mayhew’s ‘London Labour and the London Poor.’ A smaller facsimile copy appears in the exhibition.

For my money ‘A Terrier’s Tale’ is one of the best single breed exhibitions staged by the Kennel Club for it is not over bolstered with a lot of modern day collectables which has been the fate of some. It runs until the 29th June.

Dog News 45

All In The Family HINDSIGHT IS 20/20

By Charles C. Robey Who hasn’t heard the expression, “Hindsight is 20/20 vision”? It’s as old as the hills. Sometimes expressions get so familiar that we lose sight of what they really say. What this one means, of course, is that whatever you look back on is in focus, because you can see what resulted from what went on. Looking back is different from looking ahead, of course, because you can’t know the result of whatever you’re doing until you can look back on it from the future, in which case you’re back to the old 20/20 adage. Pretty insightful for dog owners, huh?

S

o, how does this Hindsight 20/20 expression come into play, with respect to the decline of the dog registry statistics? If only dog registries, like the AKC, could have had foreknowledge of certain evolving demographic events, such as the economy slowdown, the need for corporate downsizing, the so-called not-for-profit dog rescue organization gaining a publicity foot hold or the lesser registries and corresponding breeders, playing on prospective pet owners. Then, maybe the dog registries could have prepared to do battle.

Now that I am retired, I tend to catch myself daydreaming of my old customers/breeders. Why did so many breeders jump ship, by switching from my prestigious dog registry to the sub-quality ones? Well, simply put, the lesser dog registries, and their corresponding breeders, continue to prey on the innocent and uninformed dog lovers.

I recently conducted an informal survey of dogs for sale in my local newspaper. The AKC (American kennel Club)and the CKC (Continental Kennel Club)registries were virtually evenly split. The AKC had a higher percentage of hunting dogs, such as the Labs and Retrievers advertised. Whereas the CKC had a number of the so called designer dogs, along with the normal purebred dogs, advertised. Additionally, a large number of dogs advertised, had no registry listed.

I once visited one of my most trusted breeders and was unpleasantly surprised to find that the breeder refused an inspection. When asked to explain her reasoning for switching 46 Dog News

registries, she stated that she no longer needed the services of my registry. The breeder continued expressing herself, by stating that dog registries were no longer important, as they were all alike.

The breeder’s remarks lead me to delve a little deeper into her thinking. She continued by stating she was tired of all the regulations, imposed by my registry, such as the required paper work and identifying the dogs to the records. She also stated she did not approve of having to DNA her dogs and puppies.

At the conclusion of our visit, the breeder finished by inquiring if I intended to visit certain other customers in the community, of which she named by name.

Before I had a chance to answer, she responded by stating it was a waste of time, as they too had switched registries. I then thanked her for her time and prepared to leave.

However, before parting, I left her with what I thought was a provocative comment. The breeder was simply told in order to have a first class operation or superior product, certain controls and regulations were needed. Even “fast food restaurants” had to have some form of checks and balances. Call them what you may, be it regulations or inspections. For example, if the hamburger industry was not regulated, how would she know if she were eating horse meat, or the real thing. The client just smiled and waved, as I drove off. I really felt sorry for this breeder. For she had been a very good customer in times past. Like so many other breeders, whom I have talked with, she was either misinformed, mislead or innocent of the valued results of a prestigious dog registry.

On another inspection, I was asked about a particular dog a breeder had ob-

tained as registered by an alternate, less strict registry. The dog was registered as a Poodle.

However, this dog would have passed for any Yorkshire Terrier. I politely advised her accordingly, as I had no jurisdiction with the alternate registry.

This trend of breeders changing registries continued to accelerate, even up until my retirement. The sad thing about losing good customers was that once a breeder changed registries, it’s virtually impossible to return to a better registry, such as AKC, as the breeder stops all controls, such as proper breeding, proper record keeping and the on-dog identification requirements.

Some substandard breeders and alternative dog registries are often referred to as paper mills for the puppy mills. This is, due in part, because they will “register” almost any dog, including mixed breeds or designer breeds, in accordance with the current whim of society.

From experience, the best way to curtail the onset of the lesser registries is through customer education. I know I’m probably talking to the choir but what better way to educate the general public than through experienced breeders. Experienced breeders will always be the first line of defense in promoting customer education.

Professional dog fanciers, as well as professional show breeders, must roll up their sleeves and rub elbows with the inexperienced dog customers. This will require devoting time with them, as they have a lot to learn.

Nonetheless, the professional will always be the better for having taken the time to educate the unknowing general public.

Author’s Note: IT’S ALL ABOUT EDUCATION, SO GET TO WORK The main or point of this article is the importance of quality dogs, which registries do not guarantee, as the registries only affirm, or to some degree, demonstrate the reliability of pedigrees. Unscrupulous dog breeders know and play on the fact that the general public could care less about a legitimate registration paper, as the main thing the public wants is a healthy, halfway breed identifiable pet.

As a consequence, breeders play on this fact by producing unhealthy “pet grade” puppies rather than “show quality” puppies. However, sadly to say, these halfway breed identifiable puppies sell for about the same as a reputable purebred puppy. Then, over time and after the puppies draw the owners’ love and affection, they often times grows up to have very improper physical characteristics.

Dog News 47

M M

M

Multiple Group, Best In Show and Specialty Winning

M

Ch. Winfall I Dream Of Style

Owners Keith & Cheryl Robbins George & Barbara Adkins Tina Porter Lee Stanton Jorge Pinson

48 Dog News

Breeders Tina Porter Lee Stanton

Handler Michael Shepherd Assisted By Dottie James

M

“Macey”

M

Style...

It’s Not Just A Fashion Statement, It’s A Way Of Life

Group First Judges Dr. Alvin Krause & Mr. Donald Booxbaum Dog News 49

HSUS Forms its Own Dog Breeders’ Group

By Carlotta Cooper

Y

ou have to give credit to the Humane Society of the United States. It doesn’t let obstacles like the truth stand in its way. For instance, when it couldn’t manipulate the AVMA to its satisfaction a few years ago, it created its own veterinary association called AVAR, or the Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, so it would have its own tame vets to rubber stamp its pronouncements. When it needs medical opinions about dogs in labs or to criticize agriculture, it goes to the PCRM, or Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. You know, the physicians’ group that promotes veganism.

Now, since HSUS has found it hard to persuade the AKC and other dog organizations that it has the best interests of dogs and dog breeders at heart, HSUS has formed its own dog breeders’ organization. Called the Breeders Advisory and Resource Council (BARC), HSUS says that it is “composed of responsible [sic] dog breeders from across the country.” These council members will supposedly advise HSUS about dog health and welfare issues.

Oh, and “talk to the general public about what constitutes proper breeding practices, promoting the health of the parents and puppies.” You know what that means. You can expect these HSUS shills to be in your face trying to tell you how to care for your dogs and breed them. Or not breed them, perhaps.

According to the HSUS press release which announced this front group, its first step was to post resources for consumers and a “How to Identify a Responsible Breeder Checklist.” Oddly, for dog breeders, they say their primary aim is to promote pet adoption from shelters and rescues. Only after that are they concerned with encouraging consumers to buy puppies from “responsible” breeders. Wouldn’t you think, as breeders, they might have those priorities in reverse order?

The press release quotes Wayne Pacelle giving a typical comment about “puppy mills.” It also quotes “Council member and AKC Breeder of Merit” Kathryn McGriff: “We want to protect our right to be responsible breeders and to enjoy and bond with our dogs in show and performance events, but if we think for one minute that ignoring the problem of cruelty to animals makes us responsible breeders and protects our rights, I believe we’re wrong. We can no longer sweep puppy mills under the rug.”

With all due respect to Ms. McGriff, no one is ignoring substandard breeding operations. Cruelty to animals is a crime in every state in the union, and in every local jurisdiction. Dogs that are kept and/or bred in substandard conditions are subject to already-existing laws against cruelty to animals. The AKC explicitly denounces substandard kennel operations and encourages people to report cruelty to animals. And so do other registries, for that matter. However, it is possible to raise puppies on a large scale to meet the demand for them, and to follow USDA regulations, without being a substandard operation. As has been written numerous times, and not just by me, hobby breeders and onetime breeders can never produce all of the puppies needed in this

50 Dog News

country by people who want to own a puppy. Even if every desirable puppy and dog in a shelter went home with someone tomorrow, there would still be many people who wanted a puppy or dog. We need commercial breeders who do their job well and follow the rules. That doesn’t make them “puppy mills” or substandard kennel operations.

HSUS wants to see an end not just to these commercial breeding operations but to all intentional breeding of dogs. They are one of the few organizations which still supports mandatory spay-neuter laws. They support breed-specific legislation. In various states they have supported commercial breeder laws which label breeders with fewer than 10 dogs “commercial breeders.” They have no problem labeling show breeders as “commercial breeders” in commercial breeding laws, or calling us “puppy millers.” And they are perfectly willing to keep lowering the number threshold until it includes all of us.

HSUS began its campaign against so-called “puppy mills” a few years ago, confident that it could count on support from more elite breeders in the show community. And, with breeders like Kathryn McGriff supporting them, they are continuing this trend. However, with their 2010 article “The Purebred Paradox” <http://www.humanesociety.org/news/ magazines/2010/05-06/the_purebred_paradox.html> they began to tackle the show and hobby breeder, specifically. It took aim at the health of purebred dogs, raising issues about a genetic health crisis among purebreds bred by elite breeders. HSUS is not aiming for people operating substandard kennels now. It’s aiming for the very best breeders, one way or another. Either by bringing them over to the HSUS way of thinking or by raising the bar so high that these breeders will stop breeding completely.

The 2011 conference on The Purebred Paradox followed this same pattern. HSUS brought in experts, largely from outside the U.S., who had already shown themselves to be highly critical of the show scene and purebred dog breeding. Where better to find people to go along with the HSUS agenda that purebred dogs were a genetic mess?

Now we have the HSUS Breeders Advisory and Resource Council, with some AKC breeders as window dressing. Does anyone really think this group intends to help purebred dogs? It’s more likely it will help them right out of existence. There may be some AKC breeders in this group and they may have good intentions, but if so, they are deluded about HSUS and its intentions toward purebred dogs. Some people are so upset by the idea of commercial dog breeding that they will follow HSUS even if it means the end of purebred dogs.

Please think twice before you join any group such as this one led by HSUS. It is no friend to purebred dogs. If you read information from this group, it’s best to consider the source and ignore it. HSUS never does anything without an ulterior motive and in this case its ultimate goal is to eliminate the purebred dogs we love.

Dog News 51

Atlantic Ocean Classic:

No Snow Party There was no snow party at the Atlantic Ocean Classic this year. After being blown about and icicled in 2010, many exhibitors are still anxious about what the weather will be at this southern New Jersey show site. But this year we were covered in sun. Arriving dog owners crept out of their cars, looked up at the sky, saw the clear blue and heaved a sigh of relief.

A

fter the freak snowstorm on October 30 that cancelled the show in Springfield, Massachusetts, everyone was prepared for a string of catastrophes. But it hasn’t happened. The fates suddenly turned gracious. The balmy weather in Wildwood was a pleasant surprise for Sand & Sea Kennel Club President Terry DePietro and Show Chair Tom Feneis. They just kept smiling. Sand & Sea holds two shows, Boardwalk holds two, and Union County Kennel Club presents the fifth.

Joe of JC Photography agreed to snap photos for this magazine. When I looked at what he’d taken, it was surprising to see how relaxed and at ease everyone looked, one of the grand effects of a bright sun beating down us, chasing away the early dementia of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Jimmy Mitchell, Melody Salmi, Betty Lou Parris, Tuni Claflin, Peter Kubacz, Janet York, Roslyn Mintz-Fosco were all smiling happily.

Not that everyone had a reason to smile. Mr. Mitchell spent much time frowning over various judge 52 Dog News

in-ring procedure errors. And Henry Odum of MBF had to sort out a clerical faux pas in which Select Dog and Select Bitch were awarded to two male dogs. But these things happen.

Joe Gregory must have taken his vitamins because he was hopping and dancing around the ring, full of energy.

He used that energy on Saturday to award Best in Show to the Toy Poodle, CH Smash JP Sakura, shown by Kaz Hosaka. It was a nice win at that moment because Kaz was dismayed that the tiny Poodle’s entry didn’t make it into Westminster.

Chief Steward Priscilla Gabosch had competent workers in every ring. She was fuming over an incident involving an exhibitor who wanted to become a judge. The exhibitor showed up at 11:30 am and asked, “Hey, can I steward today? I need the assignment for my judging application.” Part of the necessary resume to become a judge is 20 stewarding assignments. But not half-day assignments. “If you steward, you steward for the day,”

This Year

Priscilla said. “You don’t start at 11:30, when everyone else has been working all morning. Showing up at 11:30 is just showing up for a free lunch.”

The sounds of the Beach Boys floated through the convention center, appropriate to its beachside location.

One highlight was Saturday’s entry of 18 Leonbergers! There was a Leonberger judges’ education seminar that started ringside and gave potential judges the opportunity to go over many of these gorgeous creatures. “The Leonberger is a calm, non– aggressive, large, muscular, working dog with a proud head carriage,” the standard says. There are a number of notable breeders on the East Coast working with this breed. Alida Greendyk took the time to give pointers.

Another large, unexpected entry – 12 Bedlington Terriers! The mother/daughter team of Laurie Zembrzuski and Gaby Gilbeau were busy scissoring

By Sharon Sakson

PHOTOS BY JC PHOTOGRAPHY

their adorable LAMZ entries. Laurie explained, “She picked this hobby, about ten years ago, when she was in grade school. I looked into it and found Junior Showmanship classes nearby, and I thought, ‘This is okay. This will be a nice activity for her.’ I had no idea I would get so involved! That was not the plan!”

Laurie’s bitch Rigby looked at her adoringly then showed her heart out, winning the breed three of the four days she was entered. A lot of breed points there.

The Bedlington is a wonderful success story for the AKC Canine Health Foundation. Bedlington Terriers historically had an unusually high incidence of excess copper in the liver. One of the first projects of CHF was finding a test to determine whether a Bedlington was a carrier of the gene for Copper Toxicosis.

Laurie and Gaby swab their puppies’ cheeks at four weeks and send it in for genetic testing. In this way, carriers have been eliminated from their gene pool.

Continued on page 86

Dog News 53

News From The KC in London

by Fern Howard SECOND ANNUAL DOG HEALTH GROUP REPORT PUBLISHED he Kennel Club’s Dog Health Group recently published its second annual report. The report details the continuing progress that is being made towards improving pedigree dog health.

The work of the Kennel Club’s Dog Health Group (DHG) influences many areas of the Kennel Club’s activities, in various and diverse ways. As well as updating the initiatives introduced in the 2010 Dog Health Group report, the report also looks at new projects established this year and proposals for future work. Some of the achievements that have taken place mentioned in the report are: the introduction of veterinary assessments of General and Group Championship Show Best of Breed winners in the high profile breeds, a number of regulation amendments such as reducing the number of litters registered to one bitch from six to four, the ban on the registering of a third litter to a dog that has previously had two caesareans and the 250,000 donated by the Kennel Club Charitable Trust for health research.

The report also looks at the further development of some of the projects for specific breeds over the course of the year. Meetings with German Shepherd Dog representatives have continued and the initiative is proving to be a positive step in tackling conformational issues and enhancing the education of judges. Ongoing co-operation with the German and international breed organisations has proved particularly fruitful. The recent amendment of the German breed standard has helped to persuade some breed clubs to conform to the Kennel Club’s initiatives.

After consulting with representatives of the breeds affected by Chiari-like Malformation/Syringomyelia, a scheme has been launched jointly with the BVA for assessment of MRI scans and data collection. Once there is a substantial amount of data, results will be placed on the health test results finder of the Kennel Club website.

The report suggests that “perhaps the most significant step taken by the Kennel Club in 2011 is the launch of the Mate Select Service”. The service is intended to increase the chances of any puppies born having the greatest likelihood of living a healthy life. It is designed to be user-friendly for breeders and allows them to gain a better idea of the health of potential parents alongside the likelihood of defective genes passing to their offspring.

Mate Select includes a health test results finder, calculation of an individual dog’s inbreeding coefficient, the current inbreeding coefficient for a breed and prediction of the inbreeding coefficients of puppies from a hypothetical mating. Overall it will help to improve genetic diversity and enable breeders to gain a better insight into the impact of a potential litter, not only on the immediate bloodlines, but also on the broader population structure of the breed.

The Dog Health Group annual report will be available to read online from http://www. thekennelclub.org.uk/item/3671 shortly.

T

54 Dog News

‘THE KATE MIDDLETON EFFECT’ SENDS PEOPLE INTO A COCKER SPIN ust as clothes fly off the shelf after Kate has worn them, now interest in the Cocker Spaniel breed has skyrocketed since William and Kate bought Cocker Spaniel, Lupo, at the end of last year.

New figures released by the Kennel Club show that the number of searches for Cocker Spaniels on the Kennel Club’s Find a Puppy service has increased by almost 50 percent in January and February this year, when compared to November and December last year. Overall the number of searches for all dogs in the comparable period has increased by 32 percent (from 538,000 to 713,000 searches).

But as Crufts approaches the Kennel Club is warning people not to be influenced by celebrity dog choice when picking a breed or crossbreed dog and to look take the time to learn about a breed’s characteristics and care needs before they buy.

New Kennel Club research has found almost a quarter of all dog owners surveyed said that they did absolutely no research or very little research before they bought a dog (23 percent), often buying their dogs on a whim because of the latest fashion. People admitted that they did not find out information about their chosen breed’s likely temperament, exercise needs or grooming.

Despite the ‘Kate effect’, the Kennel Club is hopeful that not all of the interest in Cocker Spaniels will translate into sales, as its research has found pedigree owners are the most likely to do their research, with nine in ten researching their chosen breed before they buy. This is compared to one in five owners of crossbreeds such as the Labradoodle, owned by the likes of Jennifer Anniston, who admitted that they did no research before they bought their dog.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “We are concerned that the popularity of particular pedigree or crossbreeds can go through the roof after they have been pictured with a celebrity owner. Kate and William have chosen a working line from the Cocker Spaniel breed, which needs lots of attention and activity and so may not be suitable for all people.

“Thankfully many owners of pedigree dogs tend to do research before they buy so we hope that this will hold true now that people have seen Kate with Lupo. We have a Discover Dogs area at Crufts, taking place this week, and information on our website to help people choose the right dog for them, so that they don’t contribute to the already large population of rescue dogs.”

The Kennel Club’s research has also shown that almost one in seven people said that their dog did not turn out at all, or very little, like they expected. That is why it is crucial that people go to a breeder who will ask as many questions about the new owner’s lifestyle as the new owner should ask about the breed.

Angela Hunter, a Kennel Club Assured Breeder of Cocker Spaniels, said: “Disreputable breeders will jump on the bandwagon and try to sell their pups by advertising the names of famous owners, such as Kate and William. A good breeder will not encourage you to buy a puppy based on a celebrity name tag and will ask lots of questions to determine if the breed is right for you.

“Working Cocker Spaniels, as Kate and William have chosen, are highly active and need constant stimulation so they will not be suitable for everyone.”

Crufts takes place at the NEC in Birmingham on 8-11th March 2012. There will be a Discover Dogs area where people can learn about more than 200 breeds of dog. For more information visit www.crufts.org.uk Continued on page 94

J

Best In Specialty Show Winning

GCh. Mount Sinai’s Crusader St Amand

ANOTHER GROUP FIRST - Judge Dr. Ronald Spritzer

All Time Winningest Dogue De Bordeaux In AKC History with 38+ Group Placements !

st

9,

TRIPLE CROWN WINNER 2011

Best of Breed: 1. Westminster Kennel Club 2. Ddbsa Nationals 3. Akc/Eukanuba National Championship And #1 Dogue De Bordeaux Akc All Systems 2010, 2011, And 2012 To Date.

Crusader Bred and Owned by Dr. and Mrs. William E. Duvall Mount Sinai’s Kennel, www.mountsinaikennel.com

HANDLED BY KENT MACFARLANE Dog News 55

56 Dog News

*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 57

From A Field-Show Breeder’s Perspective

by George Bell

Photos by Herb Wells (unless noted otherwise)

The Grand Course 2012

I

t seems most sports have their version of the “Super Bowl” and the Grand Course is the open-field-coursing grand finale at the end of the coursing season and is our Super Bowl. The show worlds equivalent to be a Super Bowl event is “Best in Show” at Westminster. All Sighthounds must score a predetermined amount of points to be qualified to enter this invitational Grand Course.

Qualified contestants from all over the US and Canada make the journey to run in this 3-4 day event, usually held in southern California where the weather is predictable as the event must continue on until the 3 runs of the top hounds are complete. As in Best in Show, there is only one winner that will be crowned the Grand Courser, and this hound can come from any of the Sighthound breeds. A brief synopsis of the Grand Course procedural rules can be found at the end of this article.

In the 42-year history of the Grand Course, only hounds in 3 breeds have achieved the distinction of being named Grand Courser.

The past Grand Course winners have come from 31 Greyhounds, 8 Salukis and 3 Whippets attaining the title of NOFCA (National Open Field Coursing Association) Grand Courser.

NOFCA records show that only about 10% of the hares are caught and the usual species of hare that tests our Sighthounds is the Western Blacktailed Jack Rabbit.

This hare is never planted in any field and is never trapped or transported for this coursing test of the hounds. All hares live in their

58 Dog News

PHOTO BY GEORGE BELL

From the file of the typical top 10 placements of the Grand Course, none of the dogs pictured was over 60 lbs. There have been male Greyhound winners in the past that were about 70 lbs. and right in line with what the AKC standard requires.

NOFCA judges Linda Turner and Ernie Abresh have drivers transport them to advantageous field positions to score the trios of hunt dogs in a course. Some of the course runs can cover up to 2 miles on rare occasions.

own natural habitat and make a living at evading predators such as coyotes, birds of prey, hunters with guns, or road kill accidents. It has been estimated that less than .01 % of hare deaths are attributed to coursing with Sighthounds. That being said, the coursing enthusiasts use and respect the hare as they have for thousands of years to develop the skills of testing the hounds.

In most cases, we are glad if the hare escapes. It is the test that the hare gives

the hounds that is of paramount importance. If a kill happens, it is almost worthless in points to the test of the hound.

The reason for the greater success of the Greyhounds, Whippets, and Salukis is these 3 breeds were developed in some cases for thousands of years to course hare while some other Sighthound breeds were developed to course larger game, but still course hare within their breed as a test for their animals.

Our Grand Course records show that no Continued on page 68

Thank you Judge Mrs. Robert Forsyth

*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 59

BY MATTHEW H. STANDER

andmore

First company governor’s foot guard athletic association PHOTOS BY kim langlands

STRANGE LETTERS AND PHONE CALLS, BOARD STATURE...

I

must say that I found Carl Ashby’s letter to the Delegates a strange communication between a Board Member and the Delegate Body at-large unless of course it was Carl’s way of telling everyone without really saying it that he is running for Board Chairman and here’s what I think of what’s been going on at AKC for the last decade or so. Entitled WHERE DOES THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB STAND TODAY-A PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE…LONG it sort of sums up the successes of the Menaker-Sprung administration without crediting them directly at all and almost reads as though the successes were his as well. And in a sense they were since he was a contributing member of the Board as were all the other Board Members. Why this is so unusual is that I do not recall any Board member taking such a stand before the Delegates discounting of course Steve Gladstone’s setting up his own web site for people to answer questions about the proposed Judging System as though he was acting unilaterally without any Board input whatsoever. That was sort of my reaction to Carl’s letter-a unilateral type plea for support. What would happen one must wonder if all other 12 Board members took similar action? Sort of chaotic don’t you think! In any event I have decided to reprint the letter since it is a good summation of what went on during the past several years and of course interesting to note that the architect of the entire thing Mr. Menaker is supporting Mr. Kalter and not Mr. Ashby to succeed him.

Another reason to really wonder about what Carl is attempting to do here, don’t you think!!

60 Dog News

Where Does the American Kennel Club Stand Today-A Personal Perspective.... Long Since early February I have been giving a good bit of thought to what was written about the state of the American Kennel Club and whether it reflects what my personal perspective. I have come to the conclusion it doesn’t and would like to share a few thoughts, which might put some context around where I believe we are today.

There is no question we are challenged but I would not characterize it as a “terrible” state and I hope you wouldn’t either. In spite of a significant decline in litters and registrations, management has brought a number of initiatives forward which are having an impact.

Through the leadership of the executive staff we have been able to remain positive cash flow and end 2011 with a very small operating loss…much less than budgeted.. &nbs p; The good news is, because of the focus on building our reserves, we are in a good position to take advantage of any investment opportunities which may make sense and could result in additional revenue streams. It is critical we find ways to deliver the services our fancy and the dog owning public demand without further taxing our core constituency if at all possible.

Over the past 20 years our world has changed… essentially from a monopoly to a highly competitive marketplace. We have seen the number of mixed breed dogs adopted into homes outpacing the demand for purebreds and that has a chilling impact on our breeders and the associated purebred gene pool. Research data supports this fact. In spite of these changes we slowed the registration decline in 2011 to only 2% less than 2010 from double digits in prior years. & nbsp;We,however, were not able to stop the double digit decline in litters…and litters are the lifeline for registrations. Creating demand for purebreds to support our breeders is absolutely an imperative and is getting attention. The Board is updated monthly on our efforts to build our core business and is providing the leadership and resources staff needs to accomplish the goal of growing our registry. However, the inconvenient truth is no one expects our registry to return to the level of 1992 and thus the imperative to expand our revenue streams beyond our registry.

Board and staff have worked diligently to strengthen our conformation events as they have suffered the most in entry decline (almost 20% over the past 5 years.)

Tom Davies and I, working closely with John Lyons and Robin Stansell and with Board concurrence, have been actively working to stabilize and grow conformation entries and, in 2011, we stabilized entries through a number of new initiatives. In 2012 you will see many of these become a regular part of dog shows and I believe these are sustainable enhancements to events. All of our events (companion, conformation, and performance) are integral to the American Kennel Club and I see no circumstance where their administration would be “turned over” to anyone.

There have been some who worry that our system of judging approval and Executive Field Staff would be eliminated in an effort to contain costs. What sets our conformation events apart, as well as what distinguishes our shows from shows around the world, is the way we mentor and approve our judges. Our judges are readily recognized as the best in the inter-

national dog world. Just recently the Board adopted an enhanced approval process whic h just became effective.

No approval process is perfect and certainly staff will undoubtedly bring forth recommendations as we gain more experience with it but it is an excellent start. Likewise Executive Field Staff is a critical part of putting a face on the American Kennel Club to our fancy. They serve a vital role in assisting Clubs as well as play a significant role in our judging approval process. All of our field staff for all three divisions are important to our fancy and to carrying the American Kennel Club message.

The average dog show entry has declined about 20% and that is challenging for all clubs. Smaller clubs which, in this case, often translate into holding smaller shows that are potentially less profitable. This can have a significant impact on their viability and community outreach.

The fact is that even in the face of the declining entry mos t of these Clubs have found ways to continue to hold shows. To my knowledge a very small number of clubs have decided not to hold a show during this difficult economic period and that says a lot for the terrier spirit of our clubs. I do believe that changing involvement of people in Club activities is declining and our clubs face membership challenges. The American Kennel Club is unique with 5000 clubs….and these clubs are essential to carrying our message of responsible dog ownership throughout the United States. NO other organization has this infrastructure and making all of these clubs feel a part of the American Kennel Club is essential.

One of the most significant initiatives of the past 3 years has been Canine Partners. Canine Partners has provided us with a way to reach beyond our traditional purebred base and that is essential in todays companion animal world. I mentioned earlier that data clearly shows that adoption of mixed breed dogs is growing at a high rate. The bulk of these dogs are adopted from shelters and we are in shelters with our Canine Partners program.

We are approaching 100,000 listings and the majority have been shelter dogs. We are connecting these “adopters” with the American Kennel Club through our Canine Partners effort and these new owners are now part of the American Kennel Club community. My personal view on Canine Partner listings was based on it not being a significant revenue stream. My thought has been it would open doors and provide opportunities not previously available to us. These includes shelters, increasing our political base, plus provide the potential of future revenue through marketing efforts to theses “adopters” over the life of their dog.

Turning a 128 year old ship is a delicate task. I believe this Board, along with staff, has taken the challenge and the ship is turning. In the world of today the environment is constantly changing requiring us to constantly adjust our strategy. This often means a high rate of change and accepting change can be difficult.

What is important is setting the course, communicating to the all the stakeholders what the course is and why, assuring the resources are in place to attain it, and measuring progress. I am a glass half full guy. I see the challenges as opportunities and making lemonade out of lemons is why you elected this Board of Directors. Expect some rough seas but know that there isn’t a more dedicated group for you and dogs 24/7.

Carl Carl C. Ashby Delegate United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club, Inc Continued on page 103

Dog News 61

Judgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Choice The Pyrenean Mountain Dog

Reprinted with permission from The Kennel Gazette

We asked a number of Championship Show judges to select their three greatest Pyrenean Mountain Dogs of all time. The dogs could be from the past or the present and from anywhere in the world. We have asked our judges to avoid choosing dogs with which they have been closely associated. However, they can make reference to them if they are significant.

Continued on page 105

62 Dog News

Number One Scottish Deerhound for 2011* Best of Breed Westminster Kennel Club 2012 Judge Mr. William Sahloff

“Brumby”

GCH. Brakenshire

Scotch N’

Ice

OWNED BY GAYLE BONTECOU Gayleward Shown By Lesley Anne Potts *The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 63

64 Dog News

Dog News 65

A

whole host of canine legislative actions were being considered or proposed this week and not surprisingly, the majority of them have negative results for dog owners and breeders and the dogs themselves. Before tackling some of those issues, let’s start on a positive note and mention some of the recent canine legislative successes.

Two bills have passed Missouri committees and are awaiting action by the Missouri House of Representatives that are beneficial to dogs and those who breed and own them. In recognition of the contributions that breeders make by providing healthy purebred dogs as canine companions, House Bill 1404 would declare December “Pet Breeders Appreciation Month”. It’s also a nod to the impact that responsible breeders have on the local economies in Missouri. HB 1404 unanimously passed the House Agricultural Policy Committee and is headed to the MO House of Representatives. To fully appreciate the scope of this endorsement of purebred dog breeders, one must consider the about face that has taken place in Missouri since the ballot initiative Proposition B passed in November of 2011 and was later repealed. From condemning and placing limitations on breeders to acknowledging their contributions and dedicating a month to laud them is quite a turn of events in so little an amount of time.

House Bill 1513 would prohibit state laws in Missouri from conferring “upon any animal a right, privilege or legal status that is equivalent or that exceeds a right, privilege or legal status” that the state confers upon humans. Furthermore, the measure states that this exclusion of rights for animals does not limit laws that protect the welfare of animals

Offthe

in Missouri. In other words, HB 1513 protects the proper legal status of animals. Dog owners and breeders in Missouri should contact their State Representatives and ask them to support both HB 1513 and HB 1404.

Now, onto some bills that responsible dog breeders and owners must oppose. As was recently experienced in Maryland, there is a movement afoot in Massachusetts to change the term “owner” to “guardian” in Massachusetts. Contrary to HB 1513 in Missouri, such an alteration may actually reduce the legal status and value of dogs as property should owners become guardians. That is just but one issue that responsible dog owners and breeders may take exception with in Massachusetts House Bill 2809.

The bill, which was being considered this week, also requires that outdoor pens/enclosures meet a rigid engineering-based space requirement, which would be difficult to enforce not to mention expensive to implement. Here’s an area where common sense and a common ground should be ascertained. Instead of engineering-based requirements, the American Kennel Club advocates performance-based standards that provide appropriate space for exercise while taking into account the size, age and health status of the dog(s) contained.

The AKC has voiced other concerns with the bill, which would impose a vague and potentially dangerous standard for tethered dogs that may actually result in dogs slipping out of collars. The bill would also mandate that no dog be left securely maintained outdoors between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am, regardless of the breeds of dogs, the facilities in which they are kept and the location. Seems like a misguided piece of legislation,

ignorant of some accepted practices of animal husbandry, which may have unintended consequences as well.

Also on the legislation docket this week was one of the usual suspects: breed specific legislation. This time it reared its ugly head in Dunn City, North Carolina, where the City Council was to discuss whether to proceed with a proposal to ban “pit bulls”, which in this instance are defined as any dogs over six months of age “known by the owner to be a pit bull terrier”, including the following breeds or any dog identified as “partially” of these breeds: Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or American Pit Bull Terrier. Not quite sure how the Dunn City Council plans on enforcing that bit about the dog “known by the owner to be a pit bull terrier” or if claiming ignorance would be a valid defense. Probably not, if the other part of the measure adds to the definition “or any dog identified as ‘partially’ of these breeds: Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, or American Pit Bull Terrier.” It’s unknown who would be making these determinations because when the Dunn City Council met for its annual budget retreat, the meeting was not open to the public. Sounds like something John Q. Public would want to know, if his dog is illegal or may be deemed illegal by some authority, regardless of whether or not said authority knows a bull terrier from a bulldozer. The AKC reports that other such incendiary misinformation in the measure refers to these “pit bulls” as “twice as strong as any other breeds, virtually impossible to confine without ‘fortress-like measures’ and that leash laws are ‘ineffective and useless with respect to these breeds’.” (Where’s Rufus, the colored bull terrier that was awarded Best In Show at Westminster in 2006 when you need him? Oh, right, retired and doing therapy work with his owner, Barb Bishop.)

Regardless of the fact that BSL has been ineffective (not to mention difficult to enforce) wherever it has been implemented, dog lovers are continually faced with vaguely worded and utterly misguided attempts to institute it. The ink has barely dried on Governor John Kasich’s signature (House Bill 14 was signed Feb. 21st) on the bill that repealed BSL in Ohio – the only state in the union to implement the ban on the state level – and it’s already rising up again, in a state where the American Kennel Club houses its Operations Center, no less! Incredible. The AKC’s Government Relations Department has certainly been working overtime to help defeat such discriminatory measures against a very formidable opponent all over the country, but to see BSL crop up in its own backyard while not totally surprising is certainly disheartening to say the least. Maybe it can enlist the help of more celebrities like Willie Nelson, who was recently recruited to record a Public Service Announcement on behalf of the AKC’s good deeds towards all dogs that was distributed to radio stations nationwide. Then again, Willie’s wound up on the wrong end of the law on several occasions himself, so maybe the AKC needs to rethink its PR and marketing strategies, but that’s fodder for another argument altogether.

Leash

BY SHAUN COEN

66 Dog News

Mystic

2012 National Open Field Coursing Association Grand Course Winner

HawksViewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Kept Secret, CC, CM Form follows Function HawksView Salukis

Field and Show Champions Karen and Lauren Chen www.hawksviewhounds.com Dog News 67

From A Field-Show Breeder’s Perspective Continued FROM page 58

Borzoi thus far in 42 years has placed in the top 5 of the Grand Course. On the other hand, I look forward to the day in the near future when a Borzoi one year will win the Grand Course! There are sensational Borzoi out there that can run like greased lightening, but don’t always enter the Grand Course.

Another look back at Grand Course records shows us there is a sweet spot, or a typical size of a Sighthound, regardless of breed or gender that is most successful in coursing hares. It is the hound within the range of 45-70 lbs that was bred for coursing hares that is the most frequent winner of the Grand Course. There have also been cases where a smaller Whippet than 45 lbs has won this event.

It has taken me 43 years, but I have come to the personal conclusion that the Sighthound bred for the show ring with TRAD (Tremendous Reach And Drive) does not excel in the coursing field. I have spent periods of my life where I have bred Salukis and Greyhounds for either the ring or the field, and my anecdotal experience proves to me the extended hesitation and over stepping of TRAD is a detriment to coursing speed specifically in the coursing hound.

If you want to find the best, typical, most economical profile gait of a breed of Sighthound you need only to look at the best of the best within the Sighthound breed in the field, and see how they trot in the profile gait and

Grand Courser, Hawksview’s Best Kept Secret CC, CM (Mystic) A haunting, almost totally in black picture of this gorgeous bitch. Photo by Karen Chen

68 Dog News

you will find the most efficient trot for that breed.

The profile trotting action in the ring is used mainly to detect lameness in the dog. I believe because of this fact, the Saluki and Greyhound standards do not mention the typical gait of these two breeds.

This year’s winner of the Grand Course is an interesting case in point.

She is a unique black smooth Saluki that has no TRAD. For the second time, I judged an American Saluki Association TSE (Trophy Supported Entry) at Lompoc in July of 2011 with an entry of 94 Salukis. The ASA is the club that had up to 200 dog TSE Saluki entries at Santa Barbara in the 70’s and 80’s.

This 2-year-old bitch was my choice for WB and BOW for the major and her first show points and this show win was 6 months before she won the Grand Course. This Saluki Grand Courser has almost the speed of a great coursing Greyhound. Her mother was one of the then 5 Saluki Grand Coursers when she won the Grand Course in 2007. Like her dam, once she honed in on the back of a hare, she is hard to shake off. When I was breeding field Salukis on a regular basis, in the early 70’s, we didn’t have anything to compare to her in the field.

I make her out to be one the futures influential Salukis in the breed’s history.

TRAD is a flashy show ring gait and has nothing to do with great coursing Sighthounds. In fact, TRAD is a detriment to coursing efficiency. When my Salukis were placing in the group at Westminster shows of the late 70’s and 80’s I was breeding for TRAD. Our great coursing line in the early 70’s continued to be tested in the field generation after generation by others up to present day. We lived in the 80’s and 90’s in an area where we didn’t have the opportunity to course our hounds on live game. As a result, we lure coursed our hounds during this period of time. We always vowed to return to the coursing fields of southern California when we retired. When we did return in the year 2000, we were shocked to find our so called coursing dogs (now

Mystic Tastes a bite of the traditional Grand Course cake with owner Karen Chen, while NOFCA Judges, Ernie Abresh and Linda Turner, admire the Saluki and the Grand Course trophies. Photo by Herb Wells

show dogs) couldn’t qualify for the Grand Course as they lacked speed after breeding for the ring for more than 20 years.

We then bred our best running TRAD Saluki bitch to one of the best coursing Salukis that was bred down from our original coursing line of the early 70’s. This Stud dog had no TRAD but ended up a few years later as the top scoring Saluki of all-time in NOFCA with an amazing 1,506 career points.

This top coursing Saluki also won 4 Specialty BIS’s. The resulting litter all had no problem qualifying for the Grand Course and had me rethinking the TRAD theory. What does this show ring trot have to do with speed or coursing ability? All the great performance dogs have no TRAD, they don’t have fronts that toe-in, and they are the size the AKC breed standards requires!

I reluctantly had to admit, I made a mistake. Tremendous Reach and Drive (TRAD) would no longer be part of my breeding or judging program.

As an AKC judge of Sighthounds for 25 years and NOFCA judge for 40 years, I’m of the view that it is the judges’ position to know what conformation or profile movement at the trot is correct for which breeds and reward the dog in the ring when it conforms to the standard.

Disregarding the standard with respect to size in place of personal preference should also not be tolerated. The standards were intended to preserve form and function in the Sighthound breeds.

The past 42-year history of the Grand Course gives us much information regarding the size of the winners and placements of the top ten. A collection of Grand Course placements photos over the years show the size of the winners. In fact any of the 42 Grand Course winners conforms to the size of the AKC standards for their breeds of Whippets, Greyhounds and Salukis.

Further records show that nine Saluki NOFCA coursing champions (CC) have won an AKC SBIS. Only one NOFCA Saluki CC has won an AKC all-breed BIS. Only one NOFCA Greyhound coursing champion CC has won an AKC SBIS. Five Grand Course winning Greyhounds have achieved AKC show championships and are the size depicted in the AKC standard, bitches 60-65 and males 65-70 lbs.

Grand Course Rules and Procedure: hree days after Westminster, the “Grand Course” begins. The hounds were randomly drawn Feb 17, 2012 at the “callover” Fri. night, at the NOFCA awards dinner, for the breed portion of the event. The roll call is Sat. morning at 6 am to make sure all hounds are present and accounted for and not “In Season.” The hounds run in trios and are slipped on the line by their owners or agents and are released at the command of the huntmaster by a signal of Tally Ho. In the Grand Course, because we have sufficient amount of entrants, we make a formation in the coursing field known as a “Double Ender,” where two sets of three hunters and their hounds are stationed on either end of the huge gallery with their own huntmasters. If any hounds are released early, they are subject to a preslip penalty called by the huntmaster and the amount of points deducted from the hound’s score is determined by the judge.

The hounds are scored on speed, agility, endurance, work and touch or take of the game. Work can be described as the run-up, which is the portion of the course between the release of the hounds and the first turn (if there is one) forced on the game. Work is also the number of turns the hound forces on the game. A turn is described where the game is bent 90 degrees or more from its original line of escape by the effort of the pursuing hound or hounds. A wrench is also work where the game is bent less than a right angle from its original line of escape by the effort of the pursuing hound or hounds. A go-by is where a hound starts a clear length behind another hound and passes him in a straight line to get a clear length ahead so long as the lead dog has not slowed to rabbit speed. A course where there is no work is known as a tail chase.

The first 2 days of the Grand Course are in breed competition with 2 fields judged by each of the 2 judges and are run simultaneously. One field had Irish Wolfhounds, Borzoi and Salukis, the other field had rare breeds, Whippets and Greyhounds. After the first day’s judging, the judges switch fields on the second day,

T

Mystic, the 2012 Grand Courser, on the tail of the speedy long legged jack rabbit than can run up to speeds of 40 mph.

The gallery of hunters in the field of Greyhounds, Whippets and rare breeds. The trios of hunt dogs are on either end of the gallery with their own Huntmasters.

and after the second day of judging each of the almost 70 hounds will have a score from each of the 2 judges.

On the third day of the Grand Course, the top half high scores in each breed then move forward to the mixed finals if everything progresses according to schedule. The bottom half of each breed is eliminated from further competition and is out of the Grand Course. In the mixed finals of the Grand Course the total hounds are drawn at random and compete against each other, despite their breed in 3 dog courses. This means that an Ibizan Hound may be running against a Whippet and a Saluki. Now in the finals, both judges will score the one final run and the final scores are added to the 2 scores in the preliminaries of each dog and the 4 scores are added together to calculate the top ten placements of the Grand Course.

Sighthound breeds recognized by NOFCA are as follows: Rare breeds include Afghan Hound, Azawakh, Galgo Espanol, Magyar Agar, Pharaoh Hound, Scottish Deerhound, Silken Wind hound and Sloughi. Other recognized clubs are from the more popular coursing breeds including, Borzoi, Greyhound, Irish Wolfhound, Saluki and Whippet.

Dog News 69

Irving’s Impressions Continued FROM page 14

program ended with various statements writing off just about everyone involved. The Kennel Club was said to be incapable of taking strong enough lines on things because of its allegiances to the breed clubs. The Independent Advisory Council on the Welfare Issue of Dog Breeding was said to be full of good people with good intentions but had no teeth, no power and no money. The filmmaker felt that the only way ahead was for the Government to set up and fund a regulatory body with legal powers to control the way dogs are bred. I have news for her – that is rather unlikely to happen – at least in my lifetime – or for that matter in hers!

NO MENTION OF THE NAZIS It has to be said that the degree of bias in this particular iteration of the film had been moderated a little. The Kennel Club’s positive actions got a few more seconds of coverage than last time around. Nazis, the holocaust and the eugenics movement didn’t get a mention. Breeders and breed clubs were this time slightly more in the firing line than the KC, but otherwise the message was very similar.

What was different this time though, was the public reaction. While last time the Kennel Club switchboard and email traffic was inundated with hysterical comments from vast numbers of the general public, this time I gather it was almost non-existent. There are probably several reasons for this. As has been commented elsewhere, first of all the program was this time broadcast not on a mainstream BBC channel, but on what is very much a second string channel that never gets such high audience ratings. Indeed I am told that the ratings for this program were below what is normal even for that channel. I am not sure how accurate that is but it does figure as far as I am concerned. Not only was the show on an ‘also-ran’ channel but in addition it was not given anything like the same amount of advance publicity by the BBC. So the number of people who saw it was less, as was the subsequent take up by the rest of the media.

REASONS FOR REDUCED PUBLIC REACTION Other reasons for the lowered public reaction could include the fact that the show was slightly less one-sided partly because, as mentioned above, the BBC’s regulator had hauled it over the coals last time around. Another mitigating factor is that the Kennel Club’s press department in the lead up to the showing of the program, took a large number of advance steps to reassure the public, the media and all of the other ‘stakeholders’ in the canine world. The canine charities and the veterinary profession, though they don’t always admit it, are far better informed of what the KC and breeders are currently doing to improve canine health.

Another significant difference this time, as compared to last time, is that informed people are aware that the Kennel Club and breeders have indeed been making huge steps forward in the task of improving the health of pedigree dogs in the last ten years or so. The speeding up of that progress in the last three years has not gone unnoticed.

SOME COMMENTS FROM INFLUENTIAL BODIES But the Kennel Club and dog breeders and exhibitors here must not sit back and relax just because this TV program turned out to be a bit of a damp squib as far as the general public is concerned. Those adversaries of the dog fancy are still out there plugging away against us, and some of them have voices that are quite influential. I suspect 70 Dog News

that some of them actually wrote their post-TV program statements before they were aware of the fact that the film would attract so little public attention. The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is on record, both on the program and after it, as saying that despite all the changes that have been made to breed standards to improve their effect on dog health, a more fundamental review of breed standards still needs to be carried out. That public statement is one which I find quite alarming and also quite hypocritical.

Why? Because the British Veterinary Association was kept abreast throughout, of all of the previous changes. Also, during all the time I sat as Chairman of the Kennel Club Health Board I never once heard the BVA representative (now the BVA spokesperson on the matter) ever make such a statement!

Of course the RSPCA (the UK equivalent of HSUS) is, as is to be expected, still fulminating that dog shows should be organised entirely on health grounds and is still peddling the wholly misleading and inaccurate statement that shows just encourage breeders to breed dogs “for how they look rather than with health, welfare and temperament in mind”.

More worrying is the fact that organisations like the largest canine charity in the UK, the Dogs Trust, with which the Kennel Club has worked closely for many years, still has not returned to Crufts after departing proudly after the last program. Following the TV film this time the Dogs Trust CEO said, “We would like to see a further review of breed standards to ensure that they are firmly focused on the health and well-being of the dog and for breeders and show judges to adhere to these revised breed standards.”

This I also find interesting for it was she who was invited by me personally to join the group dealing with breed standards about three years ago but declined the invitation because she felt she was not knowledgeable enough on the subject to play a meaningful part.

The Chairman of the Advisory Council on the Welfare Aspects of Dog Breeding, who incidentally has also been involved as part of the group dealing with the recent breed standards revisions, is recorded as stating of the program, “This was a balanced portrayal of the difficulties that persist in the world of pedigree dog breeding.”

CONTINUING STRONG LEADERSHIP LINE REQUIRED While some of those people issuing statements can be safely ignored on an isolated or individual basis, the sum total of the reaction, however predictable, has to mean that the Kennel Club and the dog fancy here in the UK must keep working hard on all of its various initiatives. I personally doubt if further alterations to breed standards would be the effective panacea to cure all problems, that some people seem to imagine. The KC needs simply to hold its nerve and carry on with the initiatives that it has already started. The effect of the breed standard changes already introduced and the additional education and monitoring of judges will all take some time to be fully effective – but effective they will be in the end. The health initiatives and the work that the KC is doing on genetic diversity will all help – but not overnight. The Kennel Club Assured Breeder System laying down recommendations and monitoring breeder standards is nearly ten years old and is gaining ground all the time. Finally the Kennel Club’s work on educating the public to buy the correct dog for their lifestyle and to buy it from the best source, is truly becoming more and more effective. The important thing is that the KC must continue to take a strong leadership line on all of these issues. No matter how much they may think they are, no-one else is really in a position to do so – and that fact became abundantly clear to those who watched this most recent TV offering.

y d o r B

Sire: Ch. Foxfire’s N KO’s Simply Madness

Dam: Ch. Gallant’s Double Roses V Ciden

Ch. Gallant’s First And Foremost v Ciden Best In Specialty Show Los Angeles Doberman Pinscher Club Thanks to Judge Mrs. Jill Ferrera Breeders: Mona Fasth DVM Cynthia Huckfeldt, PHA 307 532-1641

Owners: Pat Healy Mona Fasth DVM Dennis & Cynthia Huckfeldt Dog News 71

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THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING Continued FROM page 18

rather dim (Reality). I get dressed and proceed to gate A-10 for my departure to Charlotte, North Carolina. Once boarded, the flight to Charlotte is a quick one and on time. The plane stops shy of our gate. We remain on the tarmac for forty-five additional minutes. Frustrated passengers begin to stir. “Ladies and Gentleman we are sorry for the delay. We are experiencing a traffic flow pattern beyond our control, but once our gate is cleared, we will have you off and on your way. Thank you for your patience and for flying US-Airways,” The Captain announces (Perception). (Reality) “Listen up! Sorry to tell you but the ground crew in Charlotte doesn’t have their crap together this morning. There is no one at our gate to guide us in and let us off the plane. Most of you are going to miss your connections and good luck finding a later flight before next Tuesday!!!”

Once I am freed from the plane, I activate serious cardio-energy in an effort to transport myself from terminal E to terminal B, on opposite ends of the airport. I am the last individual to board the flight to Phoenix. Sweat drips off my head. Sign of a terrorist! (Perception). As I slide into my bulkhead seat number 4D---sweat drenching my head---I am hot and tired from running through four terminals (Reality).

The airplane door is sealed shut the second I enter.

Flight Attendant, Too-Old-to-be Working-the-Air (FATO), begins her professional obligations by demonstrating how to fasten your seatbelt. In closing, Ms. FATO lifts the oxygen mask to her visage, simulating placing it directly on her face, wrapping the rubber band around her skull. Close enough to touch her while she speaks, I am half-tempted to tap her on the leg and ask, “Excuse me Ms. FATO, this is my first time ever on a plane. Could you please demonstrate the seat belt one more time and actually put the mask on your face, so I can understand how it should really fit in the unlikely event I need it?” I refrain from any mischievous actions, sitting like a young schoolboy until the wheels begin to turn.

The plane is packed, sardine-like, to full capacity. I resent sitting close and in full view of the sixteen passengers in First Class. I fully stretch my left leg forward, flexing and placing my toes in forbidden First Class territory.

“Ladies and Gentleman---Welcome aboard. Flying time will be four hours and fifty-two minutes. Please stay seated until we have reached our cruising altitude and the fasten-seatbelt-sign has been turned off. The First Class lavatory is for passengers in First Class only. All passengers in Coach are to use one of the three lavatories located in the back of the plane,” Ms. FATO utters, using an I-truly-do-care-about-your-in-air-quality-of-lifeexperience-affected voice.

“What the hell? Here I sit, twelve inches from First Class and twenty feet from the lavatory and in the event I have to relieve myself, I must negotiate hundreds of elbows and bobbing heads to the back of the plane (Perception: You pay for what you get! Reality: 12:1 in First and 100:1 in Coach).

To my right, seated in the center seat, is a young military man traveling to Yuma (YMMYUMA). Directly behind me, and to my dismay, is a Military Dad (MD) with his Military Wife (MW) and adorable, sweet, cute, screaming, kicking, out-of-control Military Child (MC). “HELP!” I silently scream. The plane’s takeoff is synchronized to the beat of the child’s feet pounding against the back of

my chair. I choose to ignore it for the time being, hoping MM and MD get it under control. Cruising altitude is reached. MM grabs the back of my chair for support, while rising with MC in hand, propelling my head back and forth like a YOYO. (Perception: What a nice young couple, traveling back home, serving our country!

Reality: If she continues to use the back of my chair and my head for a launching pad, there is going to be serious mascara hitting the fan!).

FATO, assisted by Flight Attendant Leonard (FAL), start beverage service with our row. “Wonderful – an actual perk for sitting in the front of Coach,” I remark to YMMYUMA. “Can I get you something to drink?” asks FAL. “Yes, thank you. I would like a glass of ice water and a glass of tomato juice, no ice please.” FAL efficiently and politely hands me my drinks, turning his attention to YMMYUMA. “And you Sir?” He inquires. “Hi! Can you get me some waters?”

YMMYUMA blurts out. Choking on a sip of tomato juice and wanting to laugh out loud, I watch FAL, waiting for his response. “I’m sorry---you want some waters?” FAL clarifies. “Yes Sir. That would be mighty nice, if I could get some waters. I’m pretty thirsty,” YMMYUMA repeats. FAL rolls his eyes in my direction and intuitively our thoughts synchronize. (Perception: nice young man serving his time in the desert, values a cold glass of water. Reality: this bright young man is actually allowed to load and shoot a gun?).

MM returns to her seat with screaming MC. She once again grabs the back of my chair and head for support, as she lowers herself into her seat. I manage to contain my beverages on the rebound. MC’s crying, fits of temper, screams and kicking continue non-stop for two hours and thirty-five minutes, with no one saying a word, not even FATO. YMMYUMA takes no notice of the noise and falls asleep with his head resting on the drop-down table tray.

Calm and serenity take over our section of the plane. My head starts to clear from the constant cries of MC. I am relieved that he has probably fallen asleep. I feel and hear MM moving around, up and down behind me. I take no notice, knowing MC is being quiet and the slight tumbling turmoil is MM rocking little MC. Out of nowhere, I smell a faint odor of nastiness. Sensing YMMYUMA passed gas while sleeping, I mentally attempt to drive the smell away (Perception). Having a mind of its own, unfortunately, the noxious odor grows stronger and more intense, causing me to pull my head forward between my knees and gag. “Diapers – MM is changing MC’s nasty dirty diapers on the seat behind me.

OMG – FATO, drop the damn oxygen masks before I die. I don’t care about having oxygen if we are going to crash---I need it NOW---for survival (Reality). Take the smell away and I promise I will be more patient with the screaming, kicking child,” I desperately but silently plead.

Approximately fifteen minutes pass before I can lift my head from between my knees. Only the slightest odor lingers in the air and MC has stopped crying and has started sliding his toy truck up and down the back of my chair, clipping my neck every minute or two. I take no notice, finding relief in the Captain’s announcement.

“Ladies and Gentleman – we are forty two miles from Phoenix.

Please prepare the plane for landing and thank you for flying with us.”

I am grateful to be the seventeenth passenger off the plane. I collect my checked, black ballistic-nylon-roller-bag from carousel seven and proceed through the exit doors to the Super Shuttle pickup location. Club member and host, Ms. PP, efficiently sent me my shuttle reservation with confirmation number. The Super Shuttle platform is located on the middle traffic island and is served by two attendants---Labron and Misty. I approach Labron.

“Hello! I am Michael Faulkner and I am with the Fiesta Cluster of Dog shows. Here is my reservation, and my confirmation number.

I will need transportation to the Cottonwood Resort / Suite Resort in Scottsdale.” Labron says nothing and begins pushing letters and numbers on his hand-held electronic device. “Nope – I don’t have a reservation for you,” Labron forces through his lips. “Not possible,” I reply. “I have the reservation right here. OK wait one minute, I will call Ms. PP and see if there is some mix up or whatever,” I inform Labron. DROID dials. Ms. PP answers. “Ms. PP – Hey there it’s MiContinued on page 76

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THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING Continued FROM page 74

chael. Yes…. Uh huh…. OK. Yeah Sure…Listen I am stuck at the airport and they do not have my reservation. Can you check the reservation number and see if it is the right one?” I ask.

“Hang on, Michael…Let’s see---give me a minute…here is--5904432761,” Ms. PP provides.

“Perfect! The last three digits on my form are different.

Thanks Ms. PP!” “Excuse me, sir---the last three digits are wrong on the form I was sent. Please try 761.” Labron once again peers at me without saying a word, while pushing numbers on his handheld device (Perception: I’m so happy I can assist weary travelers with their transportation needs! Reality – this white man is dumb as %(!@#$(&*).

“I am sorry, sir, I cannot locate your reservation. Just get on shuttle number 288 and give your information to the driver.

It should be arriving in about five minutes,” Labron finishes speaking, does not wait for a reply, and turns in the opposite direction.

Shuttle 288 whips up to curbside. The driver, a young lady, jumps down from the driver’s seat and assists me with my black ballistic-nylon-roller-garment-bag. I step upward, through the van’s side door. I am now seated in the long seat directly behind the driver, alongside the only other passenger. “Hello!

My name is Michael Faulkner and I am with the Fiesta Cluster of Dog Shows. Here is my reservation number and I need transportation to the Cottonwood Suite Resort in Scottsdale,” I say.

The driver punches a few letters and a few numbers into a device mounted on the dash and remarks, “You’re all set – no problem. I will have you there in twenty minutes.”

The Super Shuttle makes a left-hand turn into Cottonwood Resort off Scottsdale Road, dropping me off directly at the main entrance.

“Good afternoon! How can I help you?” greets the desk clerk. “The name is Michael Faulkner and I am with the Dog Show,” I eagerly inform him. “One moment please…uhm…

Mr. Faulkner we have you arriving tomorrow, not today. Could you be mistaken?” she asks. “Well, let me see – I just flew across the country, today is today and I am standing here right now in front of you waiting to check in---nope, there is no mistake. I check in today and check out on Sunday,” I explain while maintaining a chuckle to my voice. Handing over my credit card and ID, I hear voices from behind. “Michael you made it---good to see you,” MS.PP shares while giving me a big hug. “Hi, Mr.SOD, so good to see you, too.” I greet him with a hug, too. The three of us chitchat for a few minutes, before I head to room 224. We agree to meet at 5:00 PM in the club hospitality room for drinks and appetizers. A hotel golf cart transports me to my room, which is a bit of a schlep from the main lobby. Once my bags are unpacked and I take a moment to freshen up, I head to the hospitality room for a little socialization. (Perception: Judges and show committee getting together to discuss dogs, handlers, gossip and to play politics. Reality: friends getting together to throw back a few cocktails, eat a little food and share funny stories and memories).

Pushing through the heavy wooden doors into the hospitality room, I am immediately greeted by Ms. PP, Mr. DP, MR.SOD, CWitz, Ms. CTerrier and a few local club members. I pour myself a glass of Cabernet and settle down in a chair next to Ms. PP. “I am so excited about our upcoming trip to Italy. (An upcoming judging assignment.) We are going to have so much fun,” I announce with extreme enthusiasm. “We are, too!” replies Ms. PP. We continue discussing our trip for the next twenty minutes or so when the infamous MS.CPUG enters through the door in her usual not-so-subtle fashion. I must admit I travel too far to

oh- so-many shows where I have nothing in common with any of the judges on the panel. However, this particular weekend is already serving its share of fun, charming, witty and interesting personalities on a silver platter.

Among the many who continue to enter are MR.SKTEXAS, MR.DKNC, MR.RSCO and MR.TP. I stay and partake in humorous tales of shopping, international travel, family drama, etc. and excuse myself---about the same time as MS.CTHUTCH---due to the fact that I am exhausted and feeling a bit under the weather from the upper respiratory infection.

I walk back to room 224, admiring the lush landscape and the artful way a green oasis has been created in the middle of the desert. Sliding the coded entry key in a downward fashion, the light turns green signaling I am the authorized occupant.

I enter and immediately take my medication. Collapsing on the bed, I take a two-hour nap while waiting for my friend and partner in breeding, MICHELE, to arrive from LA before eating dinner.

The sound of Norah Jones wakes me, signaling MICHELE has arrived. “Michael, I am here and I have no idea where room 224 is!”“Hang tight and I will come and get you,” I add. I meet MICHELE in the parking lot and we immediately walk to a local restaurant for a quick bite to eat before retiring. With both of us exhausted, we spend little time chit chatting, eat our dinner and return to room 224 for a good night’s sleep.

With 8AM judging, Friday morning arrives way too early, I opt to allow MICHELE to sleep in, taking the Judge’s Shuttle to the show. Exiting the shuttle, I find the early-morning desert air---compounded with high winds---serve as an intense “wake-up call” while walking to the hospitality tent. Crawling through the plastic panel entryway, I notice my fun-filled panel is only getting better. Adding to the list of judges who are on the panel: MR.LITTLEBEAR, MS.AL-ASCOB, MS.DIGI and MS.PB. A quick coffee hits the spot and I join MR.TP, MR.LITTLEBEAR, MR SOD and MR.SKTEXAS outside the tent for humorous chatter.

(Perception: The boys are scheming and plotting, laying out the day’s events before they actually take place. Reality: We are discussing fashion, corporate take-overs and the possibility of a creating a new Judge’s Association called JAG). With ten minutes remaining to show time, we part ways, going to our respective rings for the start of the day’s competition.

Other than the continuous and effective dermabrasion caused by the cold, high winds mixed with sand, my day proves to be a professional success throughout the days’ breed judging.

In preparation for the Sporting Group, I find MS.AL-ASCOB sitting comfortably in a golf cart, watching from ringside. Being very fond of MS.AL-ASCOB and seldom having an opportunity to visit, I move forward for a little quality time before I judge the next group. “It is so nice to see you and to spend time together.

It has been so long since we have seen each other. Remember when we used to see each other almost every month back in the eighties,” I share. MS. AL-ASCOB and I talk non-stop for twenty minutes (Perception: Michael and MS. AL-ASCOB are plotting and setting the stage for the Sporting Group judging.

Reality: Michael and MS.AL-ASCOB are discussing old friends, recent surgeries, home-life, the good- ole-days and returning to the hotel after the Sporting Group).

My turn arrives. I take center stage in the Group Ring and judiciously complete the task. After photographs are taken, MR. SOD, MS.AL-ASCOB, MICHELE and I board two club golf carts to be transported to MICHELE’S rental car, waiting in the back parking lot a mile away. MS. AL-ASCOB and I sit in the very back, facing the opposite direction. We hang on for dear life, as our driver races up a steep incline---unaware that he is affording both of us an extreme-sport experience. (Perception: How lovely, we are provided a ride to our vehicle. Reality: You *#)@)*% fool! You almost killed us).

We courageous four enter the electric-blue Nissan rental.

MR.SOD winces with pain while crawling through the left-side Continued on page 82

78 Dog News

Imagine that!

Caitlin

“

”

Another Group Second Judge Mrs. Karen Wilson with handler Klayton Harris

GCh. Spindletop’s I Can Only Imagine Sire: Ch. Evermay’s High Performance

Dam: Ch. Spindletop’s No Angel Knows

Bred & Owned by Anne Barlow • anne78736@yahoo.com Dog News 79

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THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING Continued FROM page 76

passenger door. “OMG---my back is killing me. Any chance we could stop at the Walgreens near the hotel? I need help bad!” MR. SOD whimpers.

The four of us enter Walgreens and immediately assist MR. SOD with his purchases. MS. AL-ASCOB picks up a bottle of Diet Coke. I buy two bottles of wine and a tube of Carmex---along with a box of Mucinex-D to assist with my own recovery.

We all agree to meet in the club hospitality suite at 5:00 PM for drinks.

Back in room 224, MICHELE pours us both a glass of wine. I combine mine with a Mucinex-D / water chaser for full drinking pleasure. Re-grouped and clothes changed, we finish our wine and proceed to the hospitality suite.

Several club members, along with MR. & MRS.P, greet the two of us as we enter. “Hi Michael! Did you have a good day?” asks MS. PP. “Sure did---what a wonderful show and I had some really good dogs,” I share. “Help yourself to a glass of wine or two, some food and relax,” The two P’s speak in unison.

MICHELE and I join MS.CPUG, MR.SOD and MS.PP at the table to the left of the entrance (Perception: To discuss our placements of the day and to arrange the winners for tomorrow. Reality: To laugh and discuss anything but dogs). “Michael---sit down and relax and why are you drinking that nasty Chardonnay? Hey, SKTEXAS, bring that Pinot Grigio over here and fill our glasses,” MS.CPUG boldly announces. “Thanks, SKTEXAS, and yes, CPUG you are right---the Pinot is not as sweet as the Chardonnay,” I share.

“Attention, attention everyone! I have a great story to share,” MS.CPUG announces to the room. With several people not hearing her, I open my mouth and repeat: “Attention, attention everyone! MS.CPUG has a great story to share.” The room goes silent and MS.CPUG has the floor (Perception: She is going to tell us all about the new exciting dog she discovered today. Reality: A funny, wonderful story about life).

MS.CPUG begins her story by saying, “My girlfriend and I recently took a fabulous cruise and shared two seats at our dining table with a friendly, older couple. One night, they arrived at the table for dinner all upset and worried because someone on the cruise ship had broken into their cabin and stolen Mister’s medicine. Well, you can imagine our concern when we heard this tragic news.”

MS.CPUG continues, “The wife was extremely upset and we could feel her pain and concern for her husband. With their trip ruined, we both were intensely concerned for the husband’s health while aboard the ship.” MS.CPUG resumes, “My traveling partner made a slight inquiry into the nature of the medications and before she could finish with her questions, the couple shares a secret with us. The perpetrator took the husband’s Viagra, thus ruining their much anticipated, romantic cruise.” We all join in laughing at the story. I look around the room noticing from the expression on a few of the judge’s faces… the story hits a little closer to home than they would have liked.

MS.CPUG sits back in her chair enjoying her Pinot Grigio. MR.SOD collects himself and asks those present at the table, “Have any of you had problems with bodypiercing when going through airport security?” It takes a moment for his question to register fully. Succumbing to a quick OBE, I attempt to figure out what body parts, if

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any, of MR.SOD are actually pierced or is he planning on obtaining a piercing while in Scottsdale? “I’m not really sure,” announces MS.CPUG. MS.CWICZ, sitting directly across from me, does not say a word. I can tell from the look on her face that she is having difficulty processing the entire body piercing / airport screening conversation.

MS.CTHUTCH gingerly enters through the doors and walks over to my side. “Michael, I hope you are feeling better. You are not going to believe what happened to me after I left the dog show today. (Perception: She was verbally abused by a disgruntled exhibitor. Reality: “I went back to the room, took my medication and immersed myself into a relaxing, hot tub of therapeutic bath water. It was glorious!! I was so comfortable that I fell asleep with the water running and flooded the entire room!!!”

“OMG, CTHUTCH you are so lucky, thank God you did not drown---we could have had a Whitney situation on our hands if you had not come to,” I share with total concern.

Evening cocktails flow for another hour. We continue to share delightful fun stories exposing each of our funny sides.

Personally, the evening ends on high note. MICHELE and I walk next door to POMO, an Italian restaurant famous for their fireroasted pizza, for dinner. We enjoy intimate conversation relating to our breeding program and our personal lives, coupled with laughter over the humorous stories shared earlier by my colleagues.

We pay our dinner bill and begin our journey back to room 224. Mr.SOD, feeling no more pain, meets us along the path halfway back to our rooms. “Hi Michael and Michele. Thanks again for driving me back from the show and for taking me to the pharmacy. I feel so much better and the back brace seems to be doing the trick.” The three of us continue walking, enjoying the crisp, clear evening air. “You know I am going to share one last funny story with you before I retire,” Remarks MR.SOD. “I was judging Dachshunds at this particular show and while examining one dog on the table, I quietly passed gas. I immediately responded--- What was that? The handler---a respected breeder / owner was mortified and announced that she did not do it and scolded her dog for inundating our surroundings with foul smelling gas. She apologized---if not once, a hundred times for her dog’s perceived behavior. To this day, I still get a chuckle over the story (Perception: Dachshund passes gas on the examination table while judge evaluates. Reality: Judge farts in public and blames it on dog).

MR.SOD departs, leaving Michele and me standing on the walkway, laughing. Once collected, we return to room 224. I reach for my coded key card to slide through the slot and realize I had forgotten it earlier this morning. “MICHELE – you will have to open the door as I do not have my key.” “Well, I’m sorry to say I don’t have a key either (Perception: we both thought the other had a key. Reality: Our asses are locked outside and both of us are too lazy to walk back to the main lobby and get a new key). Using DROID, I phone the front desk. Within two minutes, a staff member arrives, opens the door letting us enter our room (Perception: husband and wife had too much to drink---locked themselves out of room. Reality: married lady with gay bestfriend / dog-partner sharing a room). I enter the bathroom, wash my face, brush my teeth and take my medication in preparation for bed.

Lying in bed, I stare at the ceiling. Still in recovery mode, I am aware of my need for rest. I am aware I have 101 Golden Retrievers to judge in the morning. I am aware I need to catch an afternoon plane back to Virginia. I am aware my plane is scheduled to arrive back home at 11:45 PM. I am aware I have an hour drive from the airport to my house. I am aware I have to be at the clinic on Monday. And, I am aware my fellow judge, MR.TP, actually wore tight-fitting tangerine-colored pants on Friday while judging. Or, was it my perception? Reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. Yes, they were actually orange and my DROID picture library can prove it.

l i g r i V

We thank each Judge for recognizing and acknowledging Virgil’s Quality, a happy ring presence, adherence to the Breed Standard to include correct coat, no trimming, no ironing of coat and correct Top Line: Mrs. Arlene F. Benko Mr. Peter J. Green Mrs. Houston (Toddie) Clark Mr. Alfred J. Ferruggiaro Mrs. Colleen Brossard Mrs. Connie S. Clapp Mr. Thomas E. Daniels Mrs. Gloria Geringer Mr. Norman L. Patton Mr. Michael J. Dachel Mrs. Nancy Smith Hafner Dr. Anthony D. DiNardo Ms. Elizabeth “Beth” Sweigart Ms. Nikki Riggsbee Mrs. R. Ellen Fetter Mr. Frank T. Sabella Mrs. Elaine E. Mathis Mrs. Charlotte Clem McGowan Mrs. Janet Turnage Nahikian Mrs. Peggy J. Hauck Mr. Nicolas DeBedout Mr. Peter J. Machen Mr. Robert E. Hall

GCh. Mystic Ji Jo’s Virgil Earp Owned By Dr. Fred ATWELL and Susan Atwell www.mysticmoonhavanese.com Co-Owned By Mary Dwyer

Presented By

Mary & Jimmy Dwyer

www.prodoghandler.com Dog News 83

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Dog News 85

NO SNOW PARTY THIS YEAR Continued FROM page 53

“We haven’t had a carrier in five years,” Gaby said happily. Since they are now free from the burden of dying suddenly at two years old, the breed is undergoing a rebirth of interest in the US. I told my vet, Dr. Batts, the happy news, since he is imported from Britain and was used to caring for Bedlingtons in his native country. He had never seen one here. The very next day, he saw a woman strolling with her Bedlington along the Delaware Canal. A story with a happy ending.

These shows specialize in “extras” that make the cluster special. Canine Good Citizen Testing, a Friday evening Match Show, three Judges Education Seminars, Best Groomer in Show Competition, K-9 Service Awards with the local police department, guided tours for new spectators, Best Veteran in Show Competition, Best Puppy in Show competition, Best Amateur-Owner-Handler Competition, Police K-9 Demonstration – these clubs are to be congratulated for making their cluster more than just five dog shows. Cluster coordinator Susan Shomo had an outstanding program for local kids.

Susan Shomo told me Boardwalk Kennel Club purchased a K9 for the Westville police department by holding fundraisers throughout the community. The club paid for a plaque to memorialize canines fallen in the line of duty in Gloucester County, of which there have unfortunately been several.

On Friday morning, the show was filled with 5th Grade students from Glenwood School, who got a “Stranger-Danger!” demo from retired K9 police officer Joe Nick. He told the kids, “You yell! You tell! And you go!” Which is the new mantra of “Stranger-Danger” programs.

Then the kids got a tour of the grooming area and instructions on how to ask, “May I pet your dog?” before actually messing up a Poodle or Bichon’s carefully manicured locks. During the K9 demo, an energetic German Shepherd leaped through a car window and pulled the “suspect” out, then dragged him 12 feet until the officer gave him the command to pause. Great cheering and clapping from the crowd accompanied this feat. As she remembered the dog’s hard work, tears came to Susan Shomo’s eyes. “It’s not just a dog in a car, they are every bit as much a police officer as the man is,” she said, wiping away tears of emotion.

Steward (aka Candy Lady) Dottie Davis called dogs into the ring in her

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usual direct manner. She revealed that her familiarity with stewarding procedure was born during a 20-year career as a schoolteacher. “I was the only teacher who didn’t need a microphone at school assemblies,” she said proudly.

She also ordered us to root for the Giants in the Super Bowl because her former student, Henry Hynoski, was playing fullback. Hynoski is referred to by his teammates as “Hank the Tank” or “Hynoceros” but in Dottie’s classroom he was a good student. “I taught him how to write research papers,” Dottie said. “He came back from the University of Pittsburgh and told me he wouldn’t have made it there without me.”

Exhibitors all politely agreed to cheer for the Giants because they feared not getting the right armband if they refused.

Stewarding for Frank Washabaugh, we got a last minute rush of Tibetan Terriers coming in for breed competition.

Clifford Steele arrived, breathless, from another ring, and his assistant handed off a beautiful dog. Trying to sort out armband numbers, I asked him, “Are you a boy or a girl?”

“I’m a girl,” Cliff replied. We were speaking in dog show code, of course; he was telling me he was showing a bitch.

The judge looked up in surprise. “You’re a girl?” he asked Cliff.

“A very big girl,” Cliff replied.

The steward started to laugh so hard, imagining the sixfoot-tall, ultra-masculine Cliff as girl, they almost needed to find a pinch hitter to replace me.

For Best In Show on Wednesday, Frank Washabaugh’s choice was the Vizsla, Grand Ch. Artisan Grouse Point Pink Panther JH, defeating 484 dogs.

Thursday, judge Tom Feneis chose the Great Pyrenees, GCh Rivergroves Coco Mademoiselle as Best.

Friday, Best in Show went to Jon Woodring, Wade Burns and Kelly Lockwood’s 13” Beagle, GCh Lanbur Angel Wears Prada, the first Best for the young bitch, awarded by Whitney Coombs.

Saturday, the aforementioned Toy Poodle. On Sunday, the final night, Larry Terricone chose the American Foxhound, GCh Kiarry’s Pandora’s Box. A different dog for every day of the week.

The enthusiastic spectators of Cape May County gave each dog vigorous applause.

Big light, big ocean, big rings, big sky. The memory of the 2010 storm has faded. All was bright this year in Wildwood.

GCH . W I N D F A L L SLAM DUNK

CELEBRATES ANOTHER

GROUP FIRST

Our sincere appreciation to Judge Mrs. Cathy Daugherty

Lovingly Bred & Owned By Arlene Pietrocola

Superbly Presented By Brian Still Dog News 87

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Dog News 89

BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

the column

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land. This year PETER GREEN will be judging Norwich and Norfolks, two breeds with which he has had great success. Also attending Crufts: BETH SWEIGART, PAM BEALE, BARBARA MILLER, SUSAN & DENNIS SPRUNG, MICHAEL CANALIZO, BARBARA UHLMAN, GINA DINARDO, TRAVIS WRIGHT, SCOTT SOMMER, SYBIL SOMMER, ERNESTO LARA, BARBARA LOUNSBURY and ANGIE DIEHL. The English government is about to introduce a bill to make microchipping mandatory.

I’m not sure it is a wise move for show giving clubs to not mail premium lists and rely on the Internet for entries.

BILL HARRIS is recuperating from open heart surgery.

Cards can be sent to him at 21350 NE Butler Market Road, Bend, Oregon 97701.

Our deepest sympathies to the family of TOM GREER of Bishop, Georgia, who passed away on December 19th. He was a professional all breed handler and former president of the Oconee River Kennel Club. He is survived by wife CHARLENE KICKBUSH, DVM. The family has requested those wishing can send a contribution in TOM’S memory to the Emory Parkinson’s Research Fund c/o DR. STEWART FACTOR, 1841 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, Georgia 303329. Birthdaying…TUNI CLAFLIN, LOIS DEMERS, LETISHA WUBBELL and celebrating a major decade birthday is the ageless JOE WATERMAN.

gossip

A

s the last days of the MENAKER YEARS at the American Kennel Club wind down to a precious few, those eager to replace him are working overtime to see that the election of the three new directors goes their way, so that they can run things their way.

Each side, yes sadly there are two sides to this election, is just one vote away from victory. So the direction that these new directors want to take the Kennel Club is very important. Once again the seven delegates running for the board are PATRICIA CRUZ from the Heart of the Plains Kennel Club, WILLIAM FEENEY from the Sir Francis Drake Kennel Club, THOMAS POWERS from the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills, JOHN RONALD from the Samoyed Club of America, ROBERT SCHROLL from the Clarksville, Tenn. Kennel Club, LARRY SORENSON from the Dachshund Club of America and LYNN WORTH SMITH from the Vizsla Club of America. Regardless of which delegates win the election, they should remember that as directors they are merely caretakers of the institution, their four-year terms are short in comparison to the age of the Kennel Club. What everyone can agree on is a big thank you to RON MENAKER for his years of service to the Kennel Club and hope that he enjoys all his newfound free time. It might be election time in the States but it’s Crufts time in Eng-

Dog News 91

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Sacramento Kennel Club Photos by EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

Click DETROIT KENNEL CLUB

BY KIM BOOTH

92 Dog News

Dog News 93

News From The KC in London Continued FROM page 54

HEELWORK TO MUSIC WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – APPLY NOW he Kennel Club has received an invitation from the Austrian Kennel Club to send a team to the World Heelwork to Music (HTM) and Freestyle Championships, which will be held at the World Dog Show in Salzburg from 18th – 20th May 2012.

Applications are invited from Heelwork to Music and Freestyle handlers wishing to be considered to represent their country as part of Team GB at the World Championships. They will have a hard act to follow - at the last World Championships in 2010, the Individual Gold medal for Heelwork to Music was won by the current Team GB captain Kath Hardman, while the team itself won the Freestyle Team Silver medal; so the Kennel Club is hoping for equally impressive results this year.

In common with most events under the auspices of the FCI, only pedigree dogs registered with the Kennel Club will be eligible. To be considered, dogs must currently be competing in Advanced classes in HTM and/or Freestyle, and will require an EU Pet Passport or Certificate to prove they have had a rabies vaccination at least three weeks before departure to Austria (under Defra’s new, more relaxed rules on quarantine). Dogs with tails docked after 1st January 2008 are not eligible.

Handlers can apply for the HTM team, the Freestyle team, or both. At the Championship, team results will be based on the team’s best three individual scores from the first day of competition, and individual results will be based on combined scores from both the team and an individual final round. The judges for the competition will be Donelda Guy, GB (head judge), Petra Mala of the Czech Republic, and Emmy Marie Simonson of Denmark.

Applicants should note that the team will be entirely self-funded, and that being on Team GB is hard work and time consuming. Costs are likely to be £1,000 or more per dog and handler. Applicants must therefore be fully committed, and prepared to organise and attend fundraising events as well as attending team meetings and training sessions.

Handlers wishing to be considered should request an application form from John Leslie, Working Dog Activities, The Kennel Club, 1-5 Clarges Street, London W1J 8AB, email john.leslie@ thekennelclub.org.uk or telephone 0844 463 3980 ext 211. The deadline for completed applications to reach the Kennel Club is Friday 23rd March 2012.

Note: The 2012 Heelwork to Music European Open Championships will be held in Prague from 29th – 30th September 2012. It has been decided that to avoid diluting available resources, the Kennel Club will focus on the World Championships and will not send a team to the European Open.

However individual handlers may, if they wish, submit individual entries for the Championship to take up places that would have been allocated to a national team. They may enter the Individual event, but may not compete in the Team event. More information is available at http://oec2012.wordpress. com/2011/10/24/hello-world/ and on the Facebook group ‘Open European’.

T

94 Dog News

Get Fit with Fido! s Crufts 2012 approaches Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies MBE and Rosemary Conley CBE have backed a new competition that encourages dog owners to enlist Fido, who is suffering as a result of dog owners’ sedentary lifestyles, to help them in the battle against the bulge.

The Kennel Club’s Get Fit With Fido Slimmer of the Year Competition runs to 15th July and will reward the dog and dog owner who jointly lose the most weight, and the dog owner and dog who individually lose the most weight, with the help of exercising together. Fitness guru Rosemary Conley will be attending Crufts on Thursday 8th March to support the competition.

Also backed by BBC Radio London Barking at the Moon presenters, Joanne Good and Anna Webb, the competition aims to curb the rising obesity epidemic in our dogs. One in four dogs are overweight as a result of their owners’ inactive lifestyles and dog owners need to be encouraged to get the exercise that both they and their dogs need, after research revealed that one in five dogs don’t get their daily required walk.[1] Olympic swimmer, Sharron Davies is backing the competition in a bid to help get the nation and the nation’s pets more healthy. She said: “People are thinking about health and fitness more than ever with the Olympics coming up, but it doesn’t just have to be athletes that can take the opportunity to get fit and healthy. People who own a dog can find plenty of activities, whether a thirty minute dog walk or more high intensity activities like dog agility or canine cross country, that they can enjoy and that will make a real difference to their own fitness levels and to their dogs’ health too. The most important thing when exercising is to do something fun that you will stick to, so working out with your dog is ideal.”

Rosemary Conley added: “People are not getting the exercise that they need but a small change can make a huge difference. Dog owners are in the wonderful position of having a fitness partner on hand who is always eager to exercise and who will spur you on if your own motivation is lacking.”

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Sadly too many dogs are not getting the exercise that they need because of their owners’ inactive lifestyles.

“We have launched this competition to inspire dog owners to find fun ways to get fit with their dog, that are more motivating than going to the gym and that cost little or nothing at all, with prizes for the dog and owner that lose the most weight.”

Prizes on offer include a stay in the exclusive dog friendly Milestone Hotel in London, a make over and photo shoot with Rosemary Conley Diet and Fitness Clubs and tickets for the Kennel Club’s Crufts and Discover Dogs events.

As part of its Get Fit With Fido campaign the Kennel Club has uploaded a free information pack, with ideas and information about exciting activities, exercises and walks that dog and owner can enjoy together.

To find out more about the Get Fit With Fido Challenge visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getfitwithfido.

A

Many thanks to Judges Mr.Alfred J.Ferruggiaro for Best of Breed and to Ms.Sandra Anderson for GroupThird his first weekend out!

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Sacramento Kennel Club Photos by EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

Click IKC DINNER AND SHOW CANDIDS

BY KIM BOOTH

96 Dog News

Dog News 97

QUESTION OF THE WEEK Continued FROM page 22

feels are of the most correct in type. The remainder of the dogs are allowed to parade around the ring once so they can be viewed by spectators and then excused. Only those selected are then examined and gaited. If the judge has done the breed these entries only need a cursory exam. I believe this could save at least an hour of judging at most shows and perhaps keep more interest to the BIS. A careful study needs to be made of this sort of idea and perhaps even trying pilot programs. Perhaps the study of the alignment committee can be used some way for education but please not for the judging process at our shows.

Anna Stromberg I read both sides’ opinions in DN last week and I have to say that I am bound to lean towards the DSSA’s opinion. I see no need to quickly approve breeds we have never heard of less seen for competition. I also feel the cost of putting on the bigger show will most likely be bigger than the gain in extra entries from new breeds. I do not see how it will improve our sport more than possibly attract new breeds but also raising the cost and making the day longer.

Hans Kabel In my humble opinion there is no need for a group re-alignment. How you do it will be never be perfect.

I have been involved with shows in Europe, United Kingdom, and the US. With all the breeds recognized by the AKC, there is still room to place them in the 7 groups without getting too big. The shows in the US with the 7 groups are presenting the purpose for which they were bred. Do not forget there are more breeds recognized by the FCI and they do not have that problem at the moment. Maybe in 10 or 15 years the idea will work. It won’t work because you have to change it again as new breeds are added so I think we should wait and see and keep an eye on it if we go to the numbers of the FCI. Lydia Coleman Hutchinson If your question refers to re-aligning the seven groups that we now have, I do not see the need for it and am opposed. If your question refers to expanding the groups to the proposed eleven, I’m certainly not happy with that concept either. It’s possible that I am too patriotic, but I don’t understand why we must follow FCI guidelines. We are an independent, self-governing nation of citizens, and we have a proven method of doing dog shows that is admired worldwide. Even with the faults in our system, it still succeeds in challenging us to produce top-quality dogs--developed by some of the best breeders anywhere.

98 Dog News

William H. Miller This dubious question has been a topic of conversation at the dog shows. While I originally had an unfavorable view of this idea, my notion has changed. As a student of history, I am always interested in upholding time honored traditions. I did not like the idea of changing our system. With the onslaught of many new FSS breeds, the current Sporting Group will grow to over 40 breeds. This would be a very large grouping of breeds. The division of this group and the addition of other groups might be practical and, if divided in a logical fashion, prudent. Dividing up the Sporting dogs as Retrievers/Setters and Spaniels might be the best example of a sensible division of breeds. New judges would not be faced with discerning over 40 different breed standards when choosing their placements in such a large group. Will this affect the rating systems? A Group First Winner in the new “Spaniel Group” may not accrue quite as many points for the ALL Breed standings. Perhaps, we will have new group realignments and terminate the rating systems all at the same time. Of course, the rating systems are another matter!

Bonnie Threlfall We’ve all read the pros and cons of the Group ReAlignment proposal. However, to me and other longtime, serious breeders that I have talked to, this is another nail in the coffin of quality class breed competition at the all-breeds shows. This proposal puts emphasis squarely on group competition and away from breed competition, where we evaluate breeding stock (remember that?). The majority of entries in breeds has always come from class animals and not from the specials (B.O.B.) class. We all know numerous breeds which have 300+ dogs at their specialties, but maybe 10 or so appear at the all-breeds shows.

The entries are there, if there is a judge to attract them. With more groups to be covered, many clubs will have no choice but to resort to hiring multi-group judges (the more groups the better) for economic reasons - emphasis being on covering all of those groups, and not be able to afford to hire and/or pay expenses for a judge to do one or even a few breeds.

No matter how talented a multi-group judge is, once they have judged over and over and over again, entries will go down even further. I enjoy showing a class dog at the all-breed shows, but winning a class of thirty at a Specialty is incredibly more meaningful to my breeding program than a one point win or a Group Fourth in a five or six dog group. I suppose I should be excited that, if the proposal passes, I will be transformed from a two group judge into a four group judge...................

march 9, 2012

N

Ed. Note: This just received... more to come.

THANKS, FIELD REPS! s one of many who are concerned about the continuation of The American Kennel Club Field Representatives I would like to relate an occurrence that happened to me and should be a concern to Judges, Club Officials and Show Superintendents. I was examining my first entry in the class and after checking ear, eye placements and teeth and bite I stepped back to go over the body. Without any warning I was bitten on the forehead. To digress, a head wound bleeds profusely. I informed the exhibitor while holding paper towels to my head. In what appeared to be seconds, John McCartney, our Field Representative, was in the ring asking if I was all right and if I had marked my book disqualified and informed the exhibitor.

A nurse attended to me and the show superintendent gave me the form I was required to fill out and helped as I had trouble using one eye. John was outside the ring explaining to the exhibitor the procedures that would follow, things that as the judge I was required to do. John’s tone and attitude was helpful in calming myself and the exhibitor.

To all I say think of the importance of having a knowledgeable person at your side.

THANK YOU, JOHN. Francine W. Schwartz Lake Forest, Illinois

Letters ToThe Editor

Bulldog and Pekingese fail Crufts vet checks o dog representing the Pekingese and Bulldog breeds will compete in Thursday evening’s Best in Group competitions at Crufts after they failed the new veterinary checks that have been introduced to the show.

The Best of Breed award was not given to Pekingese, Palacegarden Bianca, or Bulldog, Mellowmood One In A Million, following their veterinary checks, which were carried out by an independent veterinary surgeon. This means that the dogs will not be allowed to continue into the Toy or Utility Best in Group competitions respectively.

The Kennel Club has introduced veterinary checks for the Best of Breed winners at all Kennel Club licensed General and Group Championship Dog Shows from Crufts 2012 onwards, in 15 designated high profile breeds. This measure was introduced to ensure that Best of Breed awards are not given to any dogs that show visible signs of problems due to conditions that affect their health or welfare.

The fifteen high profile breeds are as follows: Basset Hound, Bloodhound, Bulldog, Chow Chow, Clumber Spaniel, Dogue De Bordeaux, German Shepherd Dog, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Pekingese, Shar Pei, St Bernard, French Bulldog, Pug and Chinese Crested.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “We are determined to ensure that the show ring is a positive force for change and that we help to move breeds forward by only rewarding the healthiest examples of a breed.

“The veterinary checks were introduced to ensure that dogs with exaggerated features do not win prizes.

The independent veterinary surgeon decided that the Pekingese and Bulldog should not pass their checks and therefore they did not receive their Best of Breed awards and will not be representing their breeds in the remainder of the competition.”

Laura Quickfall London, England

A

TAKING ISSUE WITH ‘ENGLISH COCKER’ STATEMENTS was initially quite pleased to see the article “The ‘Tea and Crumpets’ Side Of The Cocker Spaniel Family” by M J Nelson in the February 10, 2012, issue.

For the most part, it was accurate and informative. The agility and obedience sections with comments by Tim Pinneri and Sandra Marr were very well done.

However, I have to take issue with the comments made by Danae Steele, especially “If an English Cocker doesn’t want to hunt, it is not a good English Cocker.” AND “Many strictly show people within the breed could care less if their dogs have anything between their ears at all and I’ve heard some boast that they have stupid dogs and like them that way.”

These statements are a total misrepresentation of the breed, the breeders of English Cocker Spaniels, and the abilities of show bred English Cocker Spaniels. The fact is, most people do not have the time and/or money to do EVERYTHING. Most breeders/owners make a decision as to which conformation or performance activities they can fit into their busy lives. Just because someone chooses conformation events and does not choose to hunt their English Cocker does not mean that the dog is incapable of doing so.

“I” do not choose to hunt. However, I have bred dogs that have been trained and awarded JH titles as well as TD, UD, and MACH4 titles. Kudos to the owners of these dogs -- all show champions.

The English Cocker Spaniel is a very versatile breed and it is a shame that the statements by Ms. Steele were included in this article.

Karen Roth Sharpsburg, Georgia

I

Dog News 99

100 Dog News

Dog News 101

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102 Dog News

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AND MORE Continued FROM page 61

Furthermore both Charlie Garvin and Carl called me last week to tell me that I have for the last several months been misstating Carl’s position on several matters concerning AKC. Charlie of course is running as a team with Carl for Vice Chairman of the Board. Particularly did they state that Carl does not believe in out-sourcing to show supers nor does he have a hit list with regard to certain Staff members. Well I was glad to hear both although I never did write about the hit list but had heard those stories too. Unfortunately my sources insist that the out-sourcing and hit list stories are true even after I confronted them about my conversations with Charlie and Carl. I am not too sure why it took Carl and Charlie so long to call my alleged inaccuracies to my attention, which question I asked them both. Candidly I did not receive an answer, which satisfied me in the least, and I suspect I know the real answer, which revolved round necessity rather than a wish to correct me and reveal the true facts. In any event I did want to advice you of their side of the story and let you draw your own conclusions. Little they said appreciably changed my mind except it did open the doors to communicating certainly with Carl, which had not been done in the past to any great extent. Which of course is a step forward but I must tell you I prefer Kalter to Ashby as Chairman for sure.

For decades now one of the highest honors and privileges in our hobby/sport has been to serve on the board of Directors of the American Kennel Club. For the longest period of time eminent business people, jurists, politician’s scholars and the like filled the posts combined of course with their participation in the dog world.

As society changed the level of people running for the Board became less demanding and more populist in nature, which of course is not all bad.

However this should not result in settling for people to run for the Board who have less than achieved the highest level of success in business and or even in the role of members of our sport.

It’s a matter of stature and I must say the Nominating Committees of the past tend to select people who have that certain je ne sais quo which equates to stature, which can be lacking from people who run from the floor. A terrible generalization I know but it frequently seems that the people running from the floor lack the stature but have the appeal of the underdog in their favor. That’s not always the case and I cite John Ronald as an example of a person with the stature to become a Board member but who for some reason or another usually does not connect with everyone. In any event I know I could vote for the three people selected by the Nominating Committee (provided I knew who they would vote for Board Chairman). Who running from the floor could I support well most all except those who support Ashby instead of Kalter so I would have to exclude Sorenson and Ronald for sure if indeed they are for Ashby. Sorenson has some other baggage for me as well but he is a nice guy to talk to but that’s not enough to make him a Board member, for me anyways.

Dog News 103

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104 Dog News

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106 Dog News

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Dog News 107

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