Dog News, February 24, 2012

Dog News

Dog News The Digest Volume 28, Issue 8

Of American Dogs $5.00

February 24, 2012

February 24, 2012

Dog News 3

Dog News

Dog News The Digest Volume 28, Issue 8

Of American Dogs $5.00

February 24, 2012

February 24, 2012

contents

febrUARY 24, 2012

10

editorial

14

irving’s impressions/ ronnie irving

18

the lighter side of judging/ michael faulkner

98 subscription rates

22

question of the week / matthew h. stander

102 advertising rates

26

the british scene/ geoff corish

30

the delegate’s portal: a major attempt at clarification/ stephen lawrence, phd. and jim crowley

34

bests of the week

38

ten questions / lesley boyes

40 44

a difference of opinion: group re-alignment / dog show superintendents association and akc group re-alignment committee million dollar dogs/ nick waters

46

an interview with james p. crowley/ karl m. stearns

50

dog costs/ mj nelson

52

moustron dog show 2012/ karl donvil

54

the fancy speaks: hope and remembrances/ dr. donald sturz, jr.

58

off the leash/ shaun coen

60

some angels have wings/ sharon pflaumer

68

garden excitement on the political front, directors questionnaires and more /matthew h. stander

82

the gossip column / eugene z. zaphiris

86

click - take the lead benefit/gareen thorn

90

click - livonia and oakland kennel clubs/ booth photography

92

letters to the editor

94

click - the way we were /perry phillips

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96 handlers directory 100 classified advertising

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.

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Dog News Cover Story - FEBRUARY 24, 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 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.

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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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FEBRUARY 24, 2012

the editorial

THE BOARD ELECTION This will be the first election in the past decade wherein a new Board Chairman will be elected.

Immediately after the result of the Directors election are tabulated and announced the 10 seated Board members together with the three newly elected members will vote upon who will succeed both Ron Menaker and Tom Davies as Board Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.

And folks, that’s what this election is really all about. Who will succeed Ron and Tom and determine the future of the AKC for years to come.

As most of you know the Board is evenly divided between two teams of individuals both supporting different men for the position of Board Chair.

There is the Kalter side pushing Mr. Kalter to become Chairman represented by of course Mr. Kalter and Messrs Arnold, Newman, Smith and Ms. Scully, and the Ashby/Gladstone side with Ashby the current favorite to be Chairman if he can get the votes joined with Battaglia, Garvin and Amen. Two of the three new Directors will determine the outcome of this election. Right now none of the seven are willing to publicly declare which side they are supporting although rumor is rife that at least five if not six of the candidates have privately told their friends who they prefer. These pages believe in the necessity of a public declaration in the matter primarily so people can make an intelligent choice of who to support in the process. It is apparent the unwillingness of the candidates to speak out in the matter is due to a fear of loss of votes from “the other side”. Understandable but lamentable for sure--if you believe strongly enough in someone stand up and be counted is our theory, else you should not be running in the first place!

CONFUSED?-SO ARE WE Delegate Steve Lawrence wrote and told us of an apparent editorial error made in writing about the so-called exclusive verbatim Board Minutes on the Delegate Portal. It would appear there is no such thing even though these pages were expressly told by a source at AKC that they in fact exist. To clarify the situation Steve’s letter was forwarded with his permission onto Jim Crowley, the Secretary of AKC, who sort of confirmed Steve’s position. (Both letters are reprinted in this issue with the permission of both parties.) We apologize for any confusion we may have caused in the matter but excuse our ignorance for when we wrote “sort of confirmed” Steve’s position we are still not positive that some sort of verbatim transcript is not floating around as our source continues to tell us it is. Whatever the case, the Board Minutes should be the same for everyone-the public, the Delegates and the Fancy. This business of selective reportage in order “to protect” AKC from its detractors is Neanderthal thinking. AKC is a strong and great not-for-profit organization and should be able to and can stand four square to everyone all of the time. That does not mean that all information must be released in every area but it must be a constant release of the same information to everyone if it is to be released at all.

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ANECDOTAL FOOD RESEARCH This new generation of chef-inspired pet foods accounts for a mere 5% of the pet-food market but is another example of that strata of American society which treats its dogs as members of the family. So far has this thinking developed that makers of super-premium dog foods and marketers for these companies call the owners “pet parents”. Retail sales of cat and dog food according to some reports exceeded $19 billion while profit margins in this area run in the 40% area as compared to 30% for premium brands and 20% for standard brands. The mom and pop brands of boutique companies are making rapid gains in certain income areas but how well are there products researched and developed one may ask. The anecdotal survey of three dogs and three cats as reported in THE NEW YORK TIMES of February 16 was a fluff piece for sure and one which one would hope no one took too seriously. However, its timing with Westminster combined with the benefits reaped by these companies from the giant pet-food recall of 2007, when contaminated gluten and rice protein from China caused fatal kidney failure round the world cannot be denied. Wanting to indulge ones dog or cat at meal-time with premium unresearched long term effective dog food by the label-scrutinizing public so affected is one thing but understanding the true needs of your dog and researching these products properly is another. The question is truly not what something looks or smells like and if it is labeled “human grade” or not—human grade may precisely be what a dog does not need. A dog needs those ingredients it has survived on for years in the wild transferred somehow to today’s researched and accepted long-term marketed products.

WORTH THE VISIT On March 2nd an exhibition is to open at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City which would have better been timed to Westminster since it will emphasize J.P. Morgan’s passion for collecting art and books about animals which was apparently matched only by his passion for show dogs. Indeed The New York Times used to cover Mr. Morgan’s show dogs the way they cover the Yankees today: an 1897 article told of how two Morgan collies saved a woman floundering in the Hudson as well as several other stories. This may explain in part the influence of J.P. Morgan employees at Westminster for years with the latest being of course the recently deceased Robert V. (Rod) Lindsay and the present Board Chair Ron Menaker. The show itself has a Hockney dachshund to say nothing of a piece

by John Flaxman which stars Odysseus’s faithful hound Argos, who waited 20 years in Ithaca for his master’s return, recognizing him even through his beggar’s disguise and summoning just enough energy to greet him a final time before dying.

One of the great animal stories central to our relationship to dogs as moving and powerful as any Greek tragedy. Go to this exhibit, you’ll love it!

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK We read the HSUS is now setting up a Breeder’s Counsel to help potential puppy buyers purchase dogs from responsible breeders as opposed to puppy mill breeders. Indeed we are told one AKC Breeder of Merit is on the Counsel as well. This is certainly a departure from Wayne Pacelle’s theme of condemning all breeders and just how trustworthy an effort this will be should strongly be investigated before anyone gets too involved with it. It is difficult to perceive a change in heart on the part of HSUS or even Wayne Pacelle insofar as the breeders of dogs is concerned. Their past actions and present statements speak for themselves and until there is some massive soul searching and clarifications we react to the announcement with trepidation and anguish. Is the Leopard really changing its spots--one must doubt it for sure.

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BY RONNIE IRVING

Irving’s

WHAT CHANCE DO WE HAVE OF AGREEING ON ANYTHING? There are some significant differences between the various regulations of the respective kennel clubs in the USA and in the UK. As a matter of fact we don’t even manage to be in total agreement on the definition of the word “breeder”!

In the USA, as readers will all be well aware, the breeder of a puppy is the person who owned the mother at the time of the mating. In the UK on the other hand, the breeder of the puppy is the owner of the bitch at the time the puppy is born. I always ask my American friends, if we can’t even agree on such a fundamental point as that, what chance is there of us agreeing on anything else? Who is to say whether the KC or the AKC’s definition is the right one? The AKC definition gives credit to the person who actually made the key decision to mate dog A to bitch B. On the other hand the KC’s definition gives credit to the person who does most of the hard practical work in whelping and rearing the puppies. It is probably fortunate that in effective terms at least, the two definitions do for the most part result in the same person being the recorded ‘breeder’. It is not often that a bitch is sold between the date of a mating and the date of a whelping.

Impressions ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION – MORE RESTRICTIVE RULES However, while there is probably no great justification or reason for this particular slight difference in definition, in another area – that of the rules surrounding artificial insemination, there are far greater differences of approach. In the UK, AI is much less commonly used and much more strictly controlled than it is in the USA. The main reason for those differences is one of distance, geography and the density of population of pedigree dogs. While in the USA it is not uncommon for key breeders to live thousands of miles apart, in the UK it is normally possible, save in rare circumstances, for anyone wanting to mate their bitch to a specific British based dog, to be able to make the journey there and back in a day – admittedly in some cases that might well be quite a long day. That being the

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case AI is not normally permitted for a mating between a British based dog and a British based bitch.

The reason for this rather restrictive approach is that the KC’s traditional concern has been the feeling that ‘natural’ matings should be encouraged over ‘artificial’ matings. As far as I am aware there is no scientific evidence that the use of AI from one generation to another actually reduces either the fertility or the libido of dogs. There is however a very strong view in the UK that, even if such degeneration is no more than a just a possibility, if there is no specific and positive need to use AI then it should not be used in case it leads to such problems in the future. When I was first involved on the General Committee of the KC I think I was, relatively speaking, something of a liberal as far as AI was concerned.

Continued on page 62

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The

BY Michael Faulkner

Lighter Side of Judging Six Degrees of Separation from Martha

L

ike most men who fall into the infamous ten percent category, I take great pleasure in cooking, wine, gardening, art, individual sports, traveling, antiquing and my dogs. Through a deep connection with these passions, I find the majority of my personal---as well as a percentage of my professional---time dedicated to arranging dinner parties…arranging flowers…arranging our house….arranging fund-raising events…arranging art shows… arranging 5K Run / Walks… arranging travel schedules and arranging pedigrees and future breeding for our dogs. With this arranging compulsion, I was overjoyed when Martha Stewart came to my rescue in the late eighties in support of my creative endeavors.

I started channeling Martha into my life when my sister gifted me a copy of Martha Stewart’s Christmas in 1989, followed closely by the release of the Martha Stewart Living Magazine and television show in the early nineties.

My thirty-two year relationship with Martha has not been easy. However, she and I continue to be in total charge of arranging every aspect of my life and I, too, feel like I have made a profound difference for her---even though she is not cognizant of my dedicated support. Our deep-rooted connection is no mistake. Martha and I were both raised on farms. We enjoyed all the simple pleasures of gardening, raising animals, cooking, making simple gifts from nature and turning mundane everydayobjects into pieces of art. Like me, Mar18 Dog News

tha learned the art of canning /food preservation from her grandmother in Western New York, gardening skills from her father. We both were active in extracurricular activities such as the school newspaper and the art club during high school. Martha and I also mirrored one another during undergraduate school, studying both art and art history and we both partnered with attorneys. Martha married in 1961---way too young, when I was only a year old (hers did not last). But, thanks to Martha’s support, my relationship with Big Michael is stronger than ever.

In 1995, I retired from handling dogs and embarked (no pun intended) on a judging career. The same month I started judging, Martha was on the cover of the New York Magazine, which declared her “the definitive American woman of our time.” I remember purchasing and reading a copy during the flight to my first dog show judging assignment. I recall Martha sitting on my shoulder saying, “Pack an extra dress shirt in the event you pop a button or two while getting dressed. No need to take shoe polish--just squirt a little body lotion on bathroom tissue and rub your shoes to a shine.” She guided me so thoughtfully and carefully… putting my needs and health first and foremost. “Oh, and Michael---please hydrate and avoid immobility for long periods of time, as I do not want you to develop Deep Vein Thrombosis. When on the air-

plane, be sure to exercise and stretch trouble spots often,” Thanks to Martha, I arrived at my first dog show judging experience hotel room feeling great and motivated for the morning assignment. I remember walking into the ring for the first time feeling anxious, excited and nervous. To calm down, I once again channeled Martha to my rescue. “Michael, take a deep breath, roll your shoulders, and exhale and breathe in the lavender oil I told you to travel with. Focus on beauty! And if you can’t find anything beautiful, find something you can make beautiful.” “ Hell, Martha, I’m at a dog show--I could spend weeks identifying the ugly and another year or two managing the transformations. I opted to contain my visual energy within the parameters of the ring. I knew if my eyes and mind wandered to dogs and exhibitors, I would have spent my day organizing breed seminars and far too many personal makeovers. I focused on my judge’s table. After a cursory examination, I re-arranged the table first around function and then moved items in support of symmetry, balance and beauty. It was a sad day when the most beautiful item on my table was a jumbo roll of Bounty adorned with a periwinkle print. I silently apologized to Martha for the lack of attention to detail and fondly reminded Continued on page 66

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question week

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

What suggestions do you have for the Westminster “folk” insofar as making the transition to the dual location of the Piers on 55th Street and the nighttime Groups at the Garden easier to maneuver?

Alessandra Folz I think I’m not alone in saying that I was disappointed to have learned of this enormous change through a NY Times article. It would have been great if the folks at Westminster (can you call them folks?) had rolled this out to the dog community in a more pro-active way. To that end, I am hoping for a very interactive website that has a wonderful FAQ section that addresses the hundreds of questions I have heard in the past week, and that might include photos of the space, detailed plans for getting in and out, benching, and getting over to the Garden in the evening. I am completely confident, though, that this change is going to be for the better, and Westminster will continue to be as fabulous as ever!

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the

Andrew Green Mr. Trump’s helicopter?

of the

Karin B. Ashe I would suggest that all of the Breed Winners will be given a shuttle ride back to the Garden for the Groups in order to get them there in time. There needs to be some type of transportation available for all of the exhibitors that are staying in the hotels close to the Garden. This is not an easy task as many of the people who will be showing their dogs will need to have crates at the Pier and transportation that can provide for this. If the Pier will allow crates to be placed the evening before judging, then most people can take their crates to the Pier and then take their dogs back to the hotels. If this is not possible (as they may then need two sets of crates) then good security at the Pier for dogs that may need to spend the night there would be in order.

BY MATTHEW H. STANDER

Lucretia Coonrod Although there are many things that I think will be an issue with the move, if the club provides reliable ‘free’ transportation that can accommodate dogs and people between the host hotel and both show sites, that would be a step in the right direction. Next year will be chaos under the best of circumstances, anything they can do to make it less expensive and stressful for the exhibitors will be a step in the right direction.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK LATE ANSWERS TO THE FEBRUARY 17th QUESTION OF THE WEEK, WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE MAJOR AND DRAMATIC CHANGES ANNOUNCED FOR THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB IN 2013?

Joseph F. Joly III Westminster boasts a rich history. It is exciting to see it expand its horizons to allow broader participation from the fancy. I would assume the move has been well thought out, but I’ll express concerns that come to my mind about it. Hopefully handlers and exhibitors will have a safe area in which to keep their dogs while at the Pier as well as when they are at the Garden.

Will there be secure areas in which to keep BOB winners at the Garden? What is the logistical plan for traffic between the site if there is inclement weather? Will the Pier offer sufficient seating?

I would hope that the Pier venue would retain the glamour of The Garden and would properly represent Westminster Kennel Club, it has always been a thrill to exhibit at Madison Square Garden.

I am happy to see that there will be benching areas for the general public to be able to see the breeds that are of interest and speak to exhibitors and breeders, I believe that is one of the most interesting features for visitors to the Westminster event. I wish WKC the best of luck. Westminster is the granddaddy of dog shows in America.

Jacquelyn Gottlieb My opinion, anyway: A great idea. This will give the public a better opportunity to see dogs, so it is a great public relations move. Conditions in the grooming area certainly never projected a good image. Having real competition in the breeds, with the possibility of finishing a dog at the Garden is exciting. The biggest plus is having adequate ring size. It will require a great deal of effort to familiarize exhibitors and the public.. What I heard around was “where are the Piers?” It is a positive move, better for dogs, exhibitors, the public, and probably the vendors, and gives the press something else to work on.

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BY GEOFF CORISH Another gundog is in 5th place and is the Welsh Springer Spaniel Sh. Ch Menstonia Marcel, bred and owned by Christine Knowles, he also spent a year in Sweden. He is by Sh. Ch Torcello Quelle Chance de Russethill ex Menstonia Magically Mist. Another to sire the top dog in ‘11 John Thirlwell’s Sh Ch Ferndel Aeron Magregor, plus his 2 sisters and others too.

Topping the herding is the Polish Lowland Sheepdog Ch Mybeards Dynamite, bred and owned by Dianne Mottram and bred from two homebred Mybeards. Among his progeny was not only the top PLS, but also a group winner as well, a breed not often seen at this level.

In seventh place is the Samoyed Vandreem Imperial Jazz. Owned by the late Peter Robinson but now living with Eileen Cameron. Sired by Claseras Conquistador ex Ch Vandreem Imperial Montana. Amongst others he sired the Crufts reserve best in show winning Ch Vandreem Imperial Hermione by Berezniki.

Last year’s number two all breeds and the top working stud dog is the Doberman Ch/Lux Ch Supetas Ozzy Osbourne in eighth place. He is coowned by his breeder Sue Mycroft/ Sarah Smith and Tracy Bennet. Sired himself by the Russian import Ch Korifey iz Zoosfery ex Ch Supetas Enuf Airedi. He is also the breed’s certificate record holder for the breed too.

Topping the terriers and from the largest numerically breed, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Ch Carnig Positive Profile, owned by Cue and Bret Lay and bred by Carrie Brown and Nigel Hunt sired by Ch Beebeni Claudius

British cene S

dogs.

And so the top stud all breeds for 2011 is the Irish Setter Show Ch. Caskeys Concept at Aoibheanne, owned

by Eva Ciechonska and bred by the Heron family. Himself sired by Caskeys Persuader from Amberlight out of Show Ch Dunnygask Ginger Spice at Caskeys. Concept himself is royally bred as he is a great-great-grandson of Show Ch Kerryfair Night Fever, who won this award an amazing five times in succession. He also was a great showdog winning 16 challenge certificates. On previous years, 2009 and ‘10, he was fifth overall. He sired no fewer than 12 of the breeds 2011 certificate winners, including the top Irish for ‘11 Sh Ch Northamber Just cause for Glenavna .

Second in the competition is a dog that few people will have heard off, to most just to mention the name of ‘Yogi’ is sufficient. But his full title, for those who don’t know, is Show Ch/Australian Ch Hungargunn Bear itn Mind, bred by Naomi Cragg in Oz and owned jointly by her and Kathryn Armstrong. He won this competition in 2009 and ‘10 and was second in 2008. But he was also top dog all breeds twice and was BIS at Crufts 2010 and is Britain’s top best in show winner of all time with 19 such awards. His total number of UK title holders now stands at 17.

Am American import stands at three and leads the

hound group, the Basenji, Ch/Am Ch Kazor’s Make Way for Riley.

He is owned by Dee Hardy and Trish Hallam in partnership with his breeder Carol Webb. He is sired by Am Dual Ch Taji’s Klassic Architecture ex Am Ch Kazor’s Ima Lilytoo. He was himself a group and reserve best in show winner during 2011. He was mated twice to the big winning Ch/Am Ch Klassics Million Dollar Baby and produced 5 certificate winners and to other bitches he produced the top basenji ‘11 Ch Kissangani Dream Maker ay Djoser plus three champions in one litter!

Another hound is in fourth place and that is Clare Boggia’s brindle Greyhound Ch Boughton Benvoluto; he topped his group in 2010. Bred and owned

by Clare and sired by Ch Ballalyns Foggy at Mistweave ex Ch Boughton Bonheur. He is another that sired the top in his breed for the year Ch Azrams Secret Sayonara and several others.

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he

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M

y last report was the top dogs in the UK for 2011. This time it is those important dogs that sired some of these amazing dogs, the top stud

ex Eaststar Some Might Say. He was in fourth position last year and this year in tenth. His total number of champions sired is 15, 6 of them during 2011.

Heading the toy group for the second year running is the American imported Italian Greyhound Ch/Am Ch Artemis Simone di La Scala. He was imported from the USA by Jo Amsel from his breeders Don & Lillian barber. He is sired by a dog Jom Amsel bred, Ch/Am/Sw/Nor Ch Artemis C’est Si Bon ex Am Ch La Scala Angelica Di Belini.

The top non sporting dog is the American Akita Ch Rossimon Norfolk and Chance with Minioso, owned by Lisa Goldy and bred by the Morgan and Jones families and from two home-bred Rossimons. Of his get to gain cc’s during 2011 were three for the famous Redwitch kennel of Dave and Jenny Killilea and Arlene Clure.

OPEN LETTER TO THE FANCY At this time we would like to acknowledge the efforts of our handler Mr. Mark Bettis. His handling expertise has been instrumental in the accomplishments of our own Multiple Best In Show GCH Thaon’s Wallstreet.

Although Wally’s time with Mark is coming to an end, we want the fancy to know that all of Mark’s efforts are much appreciated.

His achievements were many.

With six ALL BREED BEST IN SHOWS, 35 GROUP 1ST’S and SELECT at the AFGHAN HOUND CLUB OF AMERICA National Specialty.

Mark made us proud.

It is because of health issues on the part of Debbie and JW Rogers that they are withdrawing from campaigning any dog at this point in their lives.

They are hoping to resume their position in the sport at some future time.

Jay Hafford and Jim Blanchard (breeders of Wally) are anxious to have Wally come home.

He has been gone some thirteen months now.

We miss him and are truly looking forward to his return.

MARK, WE THANK YOU!

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Multiple Best In Show GCH. Thaon’s Wallstreet

GCh. Thaon’s Wallstreet Dam: Best In Show Ch. Thaon’s Travertine)

Photo by Michaela Bettis

Sire: Group Winning Ch. Thaon’s Starpower

“Wally” handled by Mr. Mark Bettis was the Number Two* Afghan Hound in the nation for 2011 and has continued his winning ways in 2012 with seven Group 1st’s and two All Breed Best In Shows.

THAON, REG.

Jay T. Hafford, James P. Blanchard, & Sally Davis 30019 Alta Mira Lane • Valley Center, CA 92082 afghans@pacbell.net 760 749-6365 Breeders: Jay T. Hafford & James P. Blanchard

Owners: Jay T. Hafford, James P. Blanchard, J.W & Debbie Rogers - dafrogers@aol.com *The Dog News Top Ten List - Breed points

Handled by Mr. Mark Bettis Dog News 29

THE DELEGATE PORTAL: A MAJOR ATTEMPT AT CLARIFICATION (see this week’s Editorial for reaction)

Stephen Lawrence, PhD

Delegate, Classic Toy Dog Club of Western Massachusetts, Inc.

F

ollowing up on our conversation at Westminster, I did double-check the Board minutes as published on the AKC web site.

At AKC.org there are Board minutes available to anyone.

Delegates can sign into the “delegate portal” which is simply a restricted portion of the web site which contains information on delegate meetings, attendance records, and the like. It also contains Board minutes.

These minutes are exactly the same as the minutes available to anyone at AKC.org. I printed out both sets of minutes and compared them - they are the same document. If there is a verbatim transcript of the Board meetings, I cannot find it anywhere.

However, there may be some confusion about the Delegate’s meeting minutes. “Minutes,” being a comprehensive summary of the proceedings, are published on the open AKC web site. For many years, the Gazette published a verbatim transcript of Delegate’s meetings but such a record is not actually the “Minutes” of a meeting. Some years ago -- I believe about 2008 - AKC announced they would no longer publish what was being called the Minutes but which was actually the transcript. After a bit of an outcry from the Delegates, they began to publish actual Minutes, detailing each meeting; shortly thereafter, the verbatim transcript was once again made available, but only to Delegates. So far as I remember, there was nothing secret about the change in which the transcript actually became Minutes, as this was open to anyone. Resuming publication of the verbatim transcript on the Delegate’s portal took place, I believe, without any special announcement.

All the above is as I remember it and is correct as far as I can determine. You might want to ask Jim Crowley if he can add any clarifying information.

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Jim Crowley

Executive Secretary of the American Kennel Club

S

teve is correct in his summary.

There is and has always been one set of Board minutes.

It is based on the notes of the Executive Secretary, and is basically a summary of what took place including any specific Board votes. I write fast, but could never prepare anything close to a verbatim transcript. These same minutes are posted on the public AKC web site as well as the delegate’s portal.

Unlike Board meetings, at Delegate meetings we have a court reporter, who creates a verbatim transcript of the meeting. We used to publish that transcript in the GAZETTE and post it on the web site. However, some of the comments made in the heat of debate inadvertently gave ammunition to AKC’s detractors or resulted in the loss of business opportunities. The verbatim transcript also encouraged long speeches actually directed at an audience outside of the Delegate meeting. For those reasons we went to publishing minutes rather than a verbatim transcript in the GAZETTE and posting that on the web site. To satisfy the Delegates, we still made the transcript available to them only on the Delegate portal.

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FEBRUARY 24, 2012 Cyclone Country Kennel Club of Ames II Kuvasz GCh. Szumeria Wildwood Silver Six Pence Judge Mrs. Nancy Liebes Owners Mercedes Vila, Lynn Brady, Connie Townsend, and Claudia Muir Handler Diana Wilson Colorado Kennel Club - Sunday & Monday German Wirehaired Pointer GCh. MountainVeiw Ripsnorter Silver Charm Judge Mrs. Marcia Feld Judge Mr. Burton Yamada Owner Victor Malzoni, Jr. Handler Phil Booth Elm City Kennel Club First Company Governors Foot Guard Athletic Association Lakeland Terrier GCh. Larkspur Acadia Save Me A Spot Judge Lt. Col. Jerry Weiss (USMC) Ret. Judge Dr. Daniel Dowling Owners Tony Barker, Maria Sacco, Susan Fraser Handler RC Carusi West Texas Kennel Club South Arkansas Kennel Club Boxer GCh. Winfall I Dream Of Style Judge Mr. Charles Trotter Judge Mr. James Frederiksen Owners Keith and Cheryl Robbins, George & Barbara Adkins Tina Porter, Lee Stanton, Jorge Pinson Handler Michael Shepherd Guadalupe Valley Dog Fanciers - Sunday Maltese GCh. Chrisman’s Shiny Toy Gun Judge Mrs. Irma Fertl Owners Kim and Tony MacKenzie Handler Tonia Holibaugh Maryland Kennel Club Samoyed GCh. McMagic’s Candied Ham of Pebbles’ Run Judge Mr. Robert Ennis Owners Amy Green, Andrew Green and Patty McCallum Handler Andrew Green

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

Bests Week of the

Sara-Bay Kennel Club I & II Lakeland-Winter Haven Kennel Club I & II Black Cocker Spaniel GCh. Casablanca’s Thrilling Seduction Judge Mrs. Chantal Andrew Judge Mr. Jordan L. Chamberlain Judge Mr. Alan Addicott Judge Mr. Frank J. Washabaugh Owners Bruce Van Deman, Carolee Douglas, Mary Walker, Linda Moore Handler Michael Pitts Guadalupe Valley Dog Fanciers Association Giant Schnauzer Ch. Skansen’s Harvard Judge Mr. Alfred Ferruggiaro Owners Greg Reyna & Judi Boston Handler Greg Reyna Cyclone Country Kennel Club of Ames - Saturday American Water Spaniel GCh. Waterway Game Crk Hot Diggity Judge Mr. Clay Coady Owners Linda & Jon Hattrem, Mr. & Mrs. John Rose & Pamala Boyer Handler Linda Hattrem Orchid Island Dog Fancier Club - Saturday & Sunday Doberman Pinscher GCh. Fantasy Island’s Inspiration Judge Mr. Lawrence Stanbridge Judge Mr. Manuel Queijeiro Owners Don Gau, Nora Gau, Tina Beatty Handler Tina Beatty Yorkshire Terrier Club of America GCh. Stratford’s Diamond Jim Judge Mrs. Loraine Boutwell Owner Barbara Scott Handler Luke Ehricht

Dog News 35

36 Dog News

Dog News 37

10 questions asked by LESLEY BOYES of:

Maria and Luis

Aizcorbe Born: Luis- Havana, Cuba • Maria- Cadiz, Spain Reside: Luis & Maria- Miami, Florida Age: Luis- 70 • Maria- 67

One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten 38 Dog News

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

Luis- 1948-Smooth Dachshunds.

Maria- 1953 - Cocker Spaniels (American).

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

Luis- Ch. Ahmi’s Typecast (Smooth Fox Terrier).

Maria-Ch. Pinetops Fancy Parade (Black and Tan Cocker Spaniel).

Why do you think most people want to judge?

Luis - To satisfy an ego trip or to travel.

Maria-To have a say about the future of the breed in question.

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

Luis- Ronald Reagan.

Maria- Ronald Reagan.

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

Luis- To have more patience in dealing with my wife.

Maria- After being married for 50 years it’s unrealistic to expect any changes.

How would you describe yourselves in personal ads?

Luis- Outspoken. An admirer of beauty, a perfectionist who calls them as he sees them.

Maria- Outgoing, loyal and optimistic. What you see is what you get.

Do you think there are too many dog shows?

Luis- Yes. Maria- Yes.

Which are your three favorite dog shows?

Luis- The Poodle Club of America, Santa Barbara (as it was when the Stevensons ran it), Westminster,in spite of its predictability.

Maria- The Poodle Club of America, Long Beach and Santa Barbara.

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

Luis- Yes. The top dogs in the rankings would have a better chance of really representing the best.

Maria- No, as it would be a hardship on the handlers among others.

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

Luis- As long as the dog game is structured as it presently is, I have no problem with people flying with their dogs all over the country as they choose in search of rankings.

Maria- I think it makes it very hard on the dogs.

“

ROCKY

Making Akita History Going Best In Show At The Tender Age Of 10 Months Old Special Thanks To The Following Judges For Making This An Unforgettable Weekend: Mrs. Judith Goodin (Best of Breed And Group First) Mr. Arley D. Hussin (Best In Show) Mr. Kenneth Buxton (Winners Dog, Best of Winners, Best Puppy And Best of Breed) Ms. Charlotte Clem McGowan (Group First) Dr. Alan Dorfman (Puppy Group One) Ms. Nancy S. Amburgey (Best In Show Puppy)

”

Number One* Akita 2012 Defeating 1716 Dogs in Novi, Michigan on January 21, 2012

Best In Show, Best Puppy In Show

Ch.Buckridge’s No Doubt About It

Breeders/Owners/Handlers: David Osborn And Ellen Vanden Avond www.buckridgeakitas.com *The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 39

Group Re-alignment A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION:

Dog Show Superintendents Association Dear Member Clubs and Delegates, he Dog Show Superintendents Association (DSSA) understands the reasoning behind the move to re-align the Variety Groups and understands both sides of the argument. We see its merits but, at the same time, believe there are problems to be understood and addressed before implementing this change.

We ask you to consider all of the factors before voting. Our concerns at this time include: Need: Adding the “new” breeds should have little impact on most shows at the Group level. Few shows have most or all breeds represented at that level. For those occasions where the Group Ring available is too small for the number of breeds the Judge can divide the dogs as they do now with a large class in a breed.

Time: Four more Groups will extend the length of shows. While the time to move from one group to another will be 5 to 10 minutes per group we would also add another 10 minutes for the additional 4 dogs in Best, which brings us close to an hour added to a show. Add to that hour the judges who take longer to judge a group of any size and the day could become very long. We already have complaints from all involved (clubs, judges, AKC staff, AKC field staff, superintendents and exhibitors) that shows are lasting too long. AKC itself has already asked superintendents to “push” the start time of the groups in the interest of time.

And, remember, the majority of the FCI shows (which have 10 groups) are multiple day events.

TV: We are seeing fewer televised shows. Increasing the number of Groups and length of time to judge them could have even greater negative impact on production issues.

T

40 Dog News

Costs: • Additional rosettes and, for some clubs, additional trophies must be purchased.

• More multiple Group Judges must be hired.

• Indeed, some clubs with smaller entries may hire only multiple group judges in the interest of cost.

• This will negatively impact the provisionals and those judges with few breeds.

• Longer lasting shows will increase the number of judges staying over resulting in more hotel and meal costs or judges who refuse assignments due to other obligations.

• Implementing a revised Judge Approval process will consume numerous AKC staff hours. Rule books, judge panels and a great amount of forms and paperwork must be updated and printed, resulting in AKC and Superintendents having to throw away current inventories. Major amounts of programming must be changed and/or replaced.

• The AKC, Superintendents and Show Secretaries are all faced with preparing new systems while still conducting business with their current operations.

• These are all very real costs that affect all involved and must be paid for by someone. Often that someone is the consumer; in this case it will be the club and, ultimately, the exhibitor. With entries continuing to decline we have no way of knowing how badly entries will suffer even more if a change is made that could result in higher entry fees.

As you are aware the DSSA accepted the invitation to join the ORIGINAL committee appointed by the AKC Board. We appreciate the opportunity to be involved and offer the opinions above based on today’s realities as we see them.

If conditions with the economy, registrations, and entries improve, the time will come when this should be reviewed and implemented, however that time is not now.

AKC RE-ALIGNMENT COMMITTEE Dear Fellow Delegates, e would like to take an opportunity to address some of the “issues” brought forth in today’s letter to the Fancy from the Dog Show Superintendents Association (DSSA). We question the appropriateness of vendors (whom we hire to administer our shows) attempting to influence the policies and operation of our events for their own self-interest.

The DSSA claims to “understand the reasoning” and “see the merits”, yet they present only the negative (from their own viewpoint) arguments.

Those of us who are in favor of the re-alignment process also understand both sides. The difference is that we feel that the positives far outweigh the negatives We feel that one of the most important effects of the change will be to make dog shows more appealing to the fancy. While group placements are looked at as the “icing on the cake”, the addition of sixteen additional group placements at a show will make sixteen more folks happy, and perhaps bring them back next weekend, as well as many others who can see the potential for a group placement. The potential of a group placement for new exhibitors or for the “seldom awarded” breeds can only be viewed in a positive light.

The naysayers ridiculed the Grand Championship concept. Fortunately the Delegate body saw the wisdom in approving it. In its first year of implementation, the Grand Champion awards at our dog shows brought in an additional 50,000 entries. This, too, was an initiative designed to retain and celebrate our champions… and it worked! The same negative arguments were voiced about this… more time to do the judging, more cost for the ribbons, etc, etc. Ignoring those specious arguments proved to be the right thing.

The AKC Board, Delegate Body and the staff have begun to see the advantage (and necessity) of continuing to embrace as much of the dog loving public as possible. Many of the initiatives recently enacted and many of those under study all are directed at enhancing the experience with the human-canine bond, and building support and respect for our sport. Witness the 4-6 month puppy classes, the Open Shows, Grand Champions, concurrent Specialties, the Owner Handler series, Points for Reserve at National Specialties and Canine Partners. Re-alignment and an increase in the groups will continue this process.

While the addition of new breeds probably (at least at first) will have little impact on the total entry at dog shows, there will more than likely be entries in these new breeds (albeit small) with a resulting Best of Breed winner that will participate in group judging. The upshot of this is that they will, indeed, have an impact at the group level. As new breeds become more popular, fanciers will see the potential for advanced wins, and more entries may result. The DSSA suggests that a large group be divided. This we completely agree with… but let’s do the division in an “official”, structured and consistent fashion… by creating the additional groups.

With regard to the length of a show, the major contributor to how long a show lasts is the scheduling of the judging. We agree that the addition of four groups will most likely result in a slightly longer show, assuming the scheduling of judging is done as it typically is today. AKC and the show-giving clubs have long advocated for a serious examination of the scheduling process. This involves the coordination of breed assignments, sequence and group scheduling. With today’s concept of scheduling, there are typically long periods of “down time” during the judging process. This, however, is a discussion for another time.

The comment about the “judges who take longer to judge a group” is irrelevant, since those same judges (if, indeed, there are some) will take “longer” whether there are seven groups or eleven. I suspect that this theory, offered by the DSSA, may offend more than a few folks. Additionally, we don’t believe that it is within the superintendent’s realm to be concerned how long group judging should take.

W

The discussion of the effect of additional groups on televised shows is ludicrous. The only factor influencing dog shows on television is the perceived value of the broadcast in terms of potential viewership.

The additional cost for rosettes will be about $65.00 at the inflated prices the superintendents charge. Purchase of them from any of the various ribbon suppliers throughout the country can easily mitigate that increase. Entry at a show based on the group trophies offered is virtually non-existent. It is doubtful that the entry at a show would be impacted even if there were no group trophies offered.

A requirement to hire more multiple group judges makes no sense. Realignment (and increase in the number) of the groups will not lessen the number of available multiple group judges. In fact, it will create more of them. We fail to understand why additional groups will require the hiring of more multiple group judges. Why this will “negatively impact” the provisional judge (soon to be called a permit judge) is also difficult to rationalize.

The AKC has already developed and implemented a new Judge Approval Process… don’t understand why the DSSA isn’t aware of this… and it really had little to do with group realignment.

Forms and paperwork are in a constant state of flux. Every time a new breed is added, changes must be made to forms, paperwork and data operations. With the changes resulting from group realignment not going into effect for a minimum of two (or perhaps three) years, any organization that cannot manage its inventories with that amount of lead-time has more problems than just forms and paperwork.

The administration of dog shows has morphed into a very different animal in this age of electronic communication, digital data processing and the Internet. We have come a long way in recent years, and there is still more to come.

We appreciate the DSSA’s re-alignment survey recently posted. We have two take-aways from that survey. First, approximately 60% of the respondents approved of the re-alignment. We feel that this represents a minimum. Those who craft surveys know that the results of a survey are always weighted to the negative. Thus, we conclude that the general support amongst the fancy for the re-alignment is more than likely even higher.

Secondly, some of the opposition (based on the survey comments) will be assuaged by revised committee recommendations with respect to breed placement. We have indicated all along that once the re-alignment concept is approved, the Board of Directors of the American Kennel Club will populate the new groups. They will (we assume) begin with our recommendations, but are not necessarily obligated to completely conform. We consider our recommendation document to be evergreen. We have always promised to take and consider logical and reasoned input from the fancy (and in particular) from the Parent Clubs. We will continue to present our listings to the Board up until the time they make their decisions. Changes to our recommendations have already been made based on that logical and reasoned input. We hope that the fancy and the clubs will also communicate directly with AKC’s Board.

We hope that you will agree with us and see the potential good that may come of this re-alignment initiative. We feel that the positive effects far outweigh the negative. This will truly be a bright step forward towards invigorating our sport in a new and exciting way.

Thank you.

Your AKC Re-Alignment Committee, Tom Davies, Chair Karen Burgess, Secretary John Nielsen Dr. Robert D. Smith Robin Stansell Dr. Robert (Bo) Gloster

Patte Klecan Catherine Nelson Joan Savage John Shoemaker Maggi Strouse Sally Vilas Bruce Voran Dog News 41

42Dog News

*

*The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 43

Million Dollar Dogs

44 Dog News

In New York By any standard, this year’s Bonhams sale of dog art was a barking success. Held to coincide with Westminster and very much part of the social scene surrounding the show, ‘Dogs in Show and Field’ topped $1.2million, with 84% selling by value and 80% selling by lots.

BY NICK WATERS

“I

t was the best dog sale we have had for years” said specialist Charles O’Brien, adding; “there is a strong collector ethic, viewing was fantastic and in the present climate people are investing in art.” It was predominantly Americans who were buying, with private collectors accounting for the top ten prices.

Two paintings by the famed Victorian master of sentimental canine art, William Henry Hamilton Trood (1860-1899), were the top-selling lots. Within an hour, and by some margin, both broke the previous auction record for the artist. In ‘Hounds in a Kennel’, which graced the front of the catalogue, Trood captures the individual characters of the hounds and the composition cleverly draws the viewer in past the inquisitive robin to the kennel. The painting smashed its pre-sale estimate of $60,00080,000 to sell to a private collector on the telephone for $212,500.

A second work by Trood entitled ‘Déjeuner’, shows the artist at his sentimental best. The scene depicts puppies and kittens all gathered around a bowl enthusiastically lapping up milk in complete harmony, whilst being watched by their mothers, some ducklings and young chickens. A spokesperson for Bonhams considered its scale and quality mark it as being one of the finest pure sentimental paintings by the artist to come to auction and it attracted several bidders before more than doubling its pre-sale estimate to sell for $194,500.

Paintings by leading artists to the genre were highly sought after and many sold for prices within or exceeding their estimates. John Emms ‘Hounds at Rest Beneath a Tree’ sold for $80,500; Percival Leonard Rosseau’s ‘English Setters on Point’ for $74,500; the same artist’s ‘Two Pointers and an English Setter on Point’, the dogs against the hues of a late summer/early fall landscape for which the artist was the master, went for $37,500, and proving the pulling power pictures of sporting dogs have, Arthur Wardle’s ‘Pointers on a Moor’

doubled its estimate to sell for $42,500.

The picture was purchased from Wardle in about 1903 and had passed down through the family.

After being in the doldrums for many years, Reuben Ward Binks has bounced back to the fore. All but one of his works on offer had been in a private collection in Scandinavia and collectively they sold for $76,000, many exceeding their top estimates. The top lot from the collection featured the heads of an English Setter and a Pointer with a backdrop of an open rugged moorland landscape. It was a strong image, well observed, had great presence and generated a lot of interest finally selling for $12,500 against an estimate of $1,2001,800. Also well exceeding estimate was Binks’ painting of five Clumber Spaniels in the kennels at Sandringham which the artist completed for King George V. It sold for $4,375 ($1,200-1,800).

Eight etchings by Cecil Charles Windsor Aldin all exceeded their somewhat tempting estimates, the top lot being ‘Firm Friends’, the artist’s two favourites Micky the Irish Wolfhound and Cracker the Bull Terrier lying on a settee. It sold for $4,375 ($600-800).

From the ‘collectable’ section of the sale a silvered bronze figure of a French Bulldog resplendent in a fine collar far exceeded its low estimate of $300-400 to sell for $4,375 ($300-400); a silvered steel begging Scottish Terrier companion set $1,500 ($600-800), which some years back could have been picked up for a few dollars; a late 19th century carved and painted intaglio crystal of the head of a Landseer Newfoundland set in gold as a pendant $2,250 ($600-800) and a Ridgway Coursing Club silver presentation collar, hallmarked for 1856, sold for $6,250 ($500-700). Like all the other lots mentioned in this review, it was an American private collector who triumphed, although there was strong underbidding from a UK collector.

Prices quoted in this review include the buyer’s premium.

Dog News 45

“My job security has been the book people pray I won’t write when I leave here,” laughed Jim Crowley as we sat in his office at 260 Madison Avenue, AKC headquarters...

An Interview With

by

Karl M. Stearns

James P. Crowley Executive Secretary of the American Kennel Club

A

s Executive Secretary of The American Kennel Club, James P. Crowley has spent just about 40 years working in a wide array of functions to help steer the AKC. While his jobs have changed, one thing has stayed rock solid: he’s a man of remarkable integrity.

“For years, AKC Board minutes were not made public,” Crowley told me. “I was the only person with the combination to the safe. No one could access those minutes. If someone needed to read something, they had to make a written request. At the next board meeting, I would haul out the minute books and stand there watching them while they read the portion they requested. Then the books were taken back and locked in the safe.” In his job as Executive Secretary of AKC, Crowley has often had to be the “man in the middle”, going between the President and Chairman of the Board in a delicate act of shuttle diplomacy. “We didn’t always have harmonious times here,” he remarked. “At times, the staff was put

under tremendous strain when there was conflict between the President and the Board.”

Crowley is a history buff and enjoys reading books on history and biographies, as well as antiquing with his wife.

With AKC he has lived history much more than he’s studied it. His is a remarkable career spanning 9 Presidents and almost as many Board Chairman; well over 100 board members and a legion of Delegates. He commented, “I’ve lived history for the past 40 years, as opposed to simply knowing about it. I’ve been a participant and eyewitness to 1/3 of the life of the Club.” Crowley revealed something that makes that fact even more amazing. “I serve from year to year. The President, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Secretary all must be voted on year-to-year by the Board. We literally stare down the barrel of unemployment every year.” It’s hard to imagine an AKC without Crowley, and apparently the Board has felt the same way for decades. We joked about the fact that Continued on page 74

46 Dog News

Multiple Group, Best In Show and Specialty Winning

Ch. Winfall I Dream Of Style FLASH Best In Show West Texas Kennel Club February 12, 2012 Judge Mr. Charles Trotter • Best In Show South Arkansas Kennel Club February 18, 2012 Judge Mr. James Frederiksen

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

“Macey” Style...

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

Best In Show Judges Mr. Robert Vandiver & Mrs. Linda Scanlon Dog News 49

I

dog costs

n John Patrick’s play, “The Teahouse of the August Moon,” Sakini, the Okinawan interpreter, makes the following observation, “Pain makes man think. Thought makes man wise. Wisdom makes life endurable.”The pain of rehabilitation following knee replacement surgery has certainly provided ample opportunities for thought. One area of thought that has occupied a considerable portion of my paininduced thinking has been the sheer financial outlay associated with dog ownership.

While looking for some information for a story I was doing a couple of weeks ago, an item caught my eye and provided an answer for why my checking account frequently teeters on the brink of insolvency. The item said that the cost of keeping a large dog, and I have three of them, is about $4,000 per year. While the item did not provide any definitive proof for this number, it’s equally difficult to dispute the figure. Since Bobby, my old dog, suffers from digestive problems and requires a special diet apparently personally prepared by Wolfgang Puck, which sells, per bag,

for just slightly less than the national debt, the cost of keeping him in the manner to which he has become accustomed is probably double that amount. That means if all three reach the age of eleven and setting aside the extra costs associated with feeding and medicating Bob, I have more than $100,000 worth of dogs.

This is not an investment but rather an out-of-pocket expense.

Dog expenses are like poison ivy.

They creep up on you and cause an agonizing itch in your checkbook.

Several years ago, my tax return was audited by the Internal Revenue Service, an experience that ranked on the misery index well above a week I spent in survival school with some Navy and Marine Corps pilots shortly after I graduated from college which, prior to the IRS audit, had been at the very top of my personal wretchedness list. The agent who conducted the grilling had just finished treating my travel and office expenses like they were written by someone who failed a fiction writing class when she came to the dog outlays. As a writer for dog magazines, I consider the dogs to be “tools of the trade” and I claim

50 Dog News

BY M.J . NELSON

A feral cat, which had to be half puma, took umbrage at the competition from the dogs for wild birds and attacked Belle, the Brittany which resulted in some high veterinary expenses questioned by the IRS agent.

Bob’s digestive issues have put him on a diet of special food which is the equivalent of Maine Lobster in a Hennessy XO Cognac cream sauce in cost.

deductions for things like dog food, vet expenses, stud fees, entry fees, handler fees, treats, toys and hunting trips. I knew this was going to be a worse-than-average ordeal when the IRS auditor looked up from my tax form and said, “I don’t like dogs. I’m a cat person.”

Uh oh! That was another clue this experience was headed in the direction of some sort of brutal medieval torture. Once, in the course of doing my other real job as an investigative reporter, it became necessary to visit the federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas to interview an inmate. While the interview left a lot to be desired in terms of producing anything useful for the story, the prison itself made an indelible impression on me especially the six locked, barred doors I had to pass through to get to the area where I was to interview the inmate. When I returned from that trip, I remarked to a friend of mine who was an Assistant United States Attorney, that the minute I stepped off the plane, I had called my accountant and told him to recheck my last tax return. After all, the feds nailed Willie Nelson, Wesley Snipes and Leona Helmsley for tax evasion and they had a lot more money to spend on tax lawyers and accountants than I. Fixing me with an icy stare, the IRS agent said frostily, “I see that you’ve claimed $7,500 for dog expenses. How do you justify that kind of expense?” Well, this had been a year when I had five dogs, one of which was being specialed both in the U.S. and Canada and running in hunt tests in both countries, another that was working on his championship in both countries as well as running in hunt tests and two others that were doing hunt tests north and south of the border.

So, I anticipated some questions about this expense. As a precaution, I had not only brought along canceled checks Continued on page 97

Back-To-Back Shows

Introducing Double Sweepstakes Groups

April 14 & 15, 2012 Oak Canyon Private Park Silverado, California

T

he American Kennel Club has approved plans for offering both Sight Hound and Scent Hound separate sweepstakes groups only at the upcoming Western Hound Association of Southern California’s HOUND CLASSIC to be held April 14 and 15, 2012. Fifteen Sight Hound breeds and nineteen Scent Hound breeds have been designated for the groups.

All currently recognized AKC Miscellaneous hound breeds will be eligible to compete in the Sweepstakes Group. A Best of the Best will be selected from the two group winners.

This event will only be offered for sweepstakes classes and will provide an unique opportunity to showcase promising youngsters from both sides of the hound group spectrum.

Preceding the Hound Classic on Friday, April 13th at the same show grounds will be specialties for Afghan Hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Back To Back Whippets. Joining us this year for the first time at the Oak Canyon (Private) Park, 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado (Orange County), CA 92676 will be the San Angeles Saluki Club. Aspiring hound judges will

find ample opportunity to study the breeds during this three day event.

Freeway close and minutes from John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, the Classic offers access to California’s famous beaches and destinations such as Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and other attractions.

Many lodging and restaurant options are available, as well as on-the-grass parking for RVs. Exhibitor Hospitality Hotel: LaQuinta Inns & Suites, Santa Ana, CA 92705. Telephone: 714-540-1111. When calling for reservations, mention Western Hound Dog Show for the special rate of$79.00/night with NO DOG DEPOSIT. Midwest Crates will again be providing size specific crates for the Sunday show Group placements. In addition, they will offer crates and cash prizes for both Sweepstakes Groups on Sunday.

Entries close noon Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Jack Bradshaw, Supt. (323) 727-0136 or www.jbradshaw. com.

For more information, contact Lou Guerrero, Show Chairman. Phone (760) 956-3852 or LMGX6@aol.com.

Dog News 51

Mouscron 2012

Pug wins the same show two years in a row!

BY KARL DONVIL

N

ext year we face the 40th edition of this show and there will be some changes, as the President Mr. Raymond Deconink will hand over his title to a new president. But it is not so far yet and for 2012 he can look back to another successful show and again with a slightly increasing number of entries, 1805!

The whole show gave a much more balanced impression compared to previous editions. Both days had an almost equal number of entries. Instead of having one date to close down the entries, a maximum quotum per day was applied, in other words the entries went on so long until the maximum acceptable number of dogs per day was reached. A simple but brilliant solu-

52 Dog News

tion! On Saturday 863 dogs were accepted, consisting of dogs from groups 2,3,4,6 and 7.

As in Belgium Group 4 and group 6 usually are rather small in number. More dogs out of group 2 could be accepted ending in a total of 405 dogs. For the 17 judges out of 9 countries this system can better keep things under control for them too and in case there are too many entries for one judge a reserve judge can be contacted or the entries can be closed sooner. I prefer the second solution as this can prevent frustrations.

I don’t know if there was less public interest this year. I think it was only a false impression due to the more even number of dogs each day. Mouscron always attracts many visitors and trade stand holders like to come here. It was much better moving this time. But nevertheless there were still people who think they can take all the place for themselves and just want to install themselves in front of the entrance of the ring, creating a bottleneck and this while

on the opposite side of the ring there was still enough places to sit. But all in all the progress with regard to this problem was immense. Mouscron is also probably the most democratic show in Belgium. Prices for food and drinks are absolutely cheap, bravo! In terms of budget for a show this can make a lot of difference. Great catalog as always, including a list of the judges who started their career in this club. I still miss statistics of the nationalities of the exhibitors.

Judges like to come to Mouscron for its hospitality. Only 6 were from Belgium. Mr. G. Christensen from Denmark judged 50 Great Danes on Saturday and 82 dogs on Sunday, including 48 French Bulldogs. Mr. Deschuymere from Belgium was busier on Sunday when he had no less than 88 entries. The reverse applied to Mr. J.J. Dupas from France. He had 83 dogs

on Saturday. Mr. Feyaerts from Belgium could warm up on Saturday when he had only 46 dogs. On Sunday on the contrary he finished 105 dogs in time. As a group 8 specialist he had 46 Goldens, 19 Flats and 33 Labradors. Mrs. Elina Haapnaiemi from Finland finished the weekend with the very same number of entries, 151. On Saturday she had the busiest day when she judged 88 dogs out of group 2. Mrs. J. Korozs Papp from Hungary judged on Sunday only but was pretty busy with 72 dogs. Mr. J. Vanlerberghe judged on Saturday only and finished with 71 dogs, all the Pinschers, Dobermanns and Schnauzers. Most successful judge of the weekend was Mr. Cristian Sefanescu from Romania with a total entry number of 185. It was not his first time that he judged at this show. He had 81 dogs on Saturday, including the American Staffordshire Terriers. On Sunday he had 104 entries, among others 40 Aussies and 23 White Swiss Shepherds. Mr. O’Donoghue

from Ireland came very close with a total entry of 161, of which 94 were on Friday.

On Sunday he was granted the honor to choose the Best In Show. All group winners needed to be present on Sunday to line up before him. Only the BIS and Res. BIS were placed, making all others BIS 3rd place, which is much more acceptable than getting a plate in front of your dog with number 8, 9 or 10 on. It creates a false feeling as if you have lost.

As his Res BIS he chose the American Cocker Spaniel “Royalty Inc. Beat It”, a twoyear-old male, entered in Champion Class under Mrs. Boesmans. Mr. Andras Korozs from Hungary gave his ticket for the BIS competition. Royalty is bred by Mrs. Jessica Van Den Boom from Holland and is owned

by Mr. Rui Vincente Cordoso Da Silva from Belgium.

The big surprise came from the Danish Pug that became BIS last year. He was back again this year and won the breed under judge Christensen from Denmark. I was at

first not 100% sure it was the same dog as in the catalog. There were a series of titles and only part of the name, the kennel name in fact. But after a closer look at the tattoo number and the parents, it proved to be the very same dog as the one who became BIS last year at this very same exposition. Winsome Gold Standard was again entered in Champion Class Male and is 3 years old now. Mr. L. Heinesche judged the group and gave him the ticket for the finals. Gold Standard is an American bred dog by Mrs. Virginia Flatley and is now owned by Loken/Torres from Norway.

This fact proves that it can make sense to enter a BIS dog a second time at the very same show. Coming back always creates a new chance. I am not going to bet on a 3rd victory next year, but it might be his lucky show. If the 40th edition will be your lucky show depends on you. Anyway, enter in time if you want to attend this show as the system of flexible closing dates works and is promising.

Dog News 53

by Dr. Donald Sturz, Jr.

Remembrances and Hope

We wake up to arctic weather conditions expecting a phone call or an email saying that the show is cancelled. But that message never comes so into the car and off we go to the Long Island Kennel Club Match Show. My niece Jillian is judging Junior Showmanship, her first such experience. The drive to the location, which would normally be a 30-minute drive, is an hour and 15-minute trip on treacherous icy roads. Who would go out in this?

Apparently passionate Long Island dog show folk are not easily deterred. The event, chaired by Honi Reisman with the support of her club members, made available in the doldrums of winter an AKC sanctioned Match with conformation and obedience competition. Even under these conditions entries neared 100. We joked that it was a major in Reismans and Sturz’s. Honi Reisman as chair was joined by sister Carol who judged and her sister Fran who flew in from the west coast.

The Sturz clan featured Jillian as a judge, her mom Janet and sister Jayme and her Uncle Don in tow as her steward.

Glancing around the spacious venue at Doggy U in Bayshore one saw many longtime local breeders with new hopefuls getting some early ring experience. The puppies and young dogs were adorable and socialization was clearly a very positive experience for all. Judges were generally AKC approved individuals offering their expertise to the exhibitors.

Honi was heard telling each judge to take their time and give the exhibitors plenty of ring time and guidance when needed.

This was very apparent and is what this level of event should be about. It is an opportunity too often lost in our current scheme. Too many clubs have turned this option into a quick way to meet requirements without framing it as it should be, as an educational experience for exhibitors, dogs and judges alike.

The new Open show scheme will perhaps be a more palatable way to put back into the process a step where participants in all roles can hone their skills and expand their knowledge before moving onto the championship level events.

Match shows served that purpose for those in past generations and it’s decline has had a significant impact on the level at which the sport is pursued currently. Too often exhibitors, breeders and judges are moving forward at such a fast pace that the foundation knowledge is missed. This type of event is essential to putting that back in the equation.

The presence of two individuals impressed me most. One was Patricia Proctor who judged the Sporting breeds and Best in Match. It was her weekend off as an AKC field representative 54 Dog News

Speaks

TheFancy

and here she was giving of her time to benefit the sport.

Her background in dogs is little known by most who are currently involved but suffice to say it spans decades across multiple variety groups and multiple event areas. Her demeanor with the exhibitors, many being novice individuals, was heart warming. She is a stellar choice as the face of the AKC at its events as a field representative and is a treasure for the sport.

The other presence that inspired me was that of Pat Cruz. During my forty-two years of involvement, Pat has been a constant force in our local dog community. My first memories are of her as a judge in Junior Showmanship. She was one of the favorites among my Junior peers as she was perceived as challenging but fair and always treated us with great respect. Knowing how important Juniors are to the future of our sport her early influences were very valuable.

She is always present at local events in some capacity, most frequently as a ring steward. On this blustery day she was taking entries and then later stewarding.

I had the most enjoyable and inspiring day at a dog event that I have had in a long time . My gratitude to the Reisman clan and the members of the Long Island Kennel Club for creating and offering this event. And I have a request of Dog News. Please add the following question to the questionnaire being sent to the candidates for the AKC Board of Directors: Where were you on Saturday, January 21 and what were you doing? I know what Ms. Cruz’ s response would be as I witnessed it. But I doubt many others of those running were giving of their time in a service oriented way. I have stayed out of most of our sport’s political activities but this appears to be a time when our sport is at a crossroads.

It cannot fall victim to the whimsy of self-serving individuals whose actions indicate a lack of insight regarding core values and future needs as well as a lack of respect for the foundation and traditions of the sport. Ms. Cruz continues to earn my deepest regard and respect, much as she did when I first met her as a judge when I was a junior handler.

*Number Two overall, The Dog News Top Ten List - All Breed

Dog News 55

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** *All Systems **The Dog News Top Ten List

Dog News 57

S

ome fantastic news this week out of Ohio, where breed specific legislation has officially been eliminated! The only state in the country to have adopted BSL at the state level has finally learned the error of its ways and recognized that BSL has been unfair and ineffective wherever it has been implemented. Governor John Kasich has finally signed House Bill 14, thereby removing the term “pit bull” from the state’s definition of “vicious dog”. Now, ALL dog owners will be held accountable for their dogs’ actions, regardless of the breeds they own. The rights of all responsible dog owners will be protected, as will communities against truly dangerous dogs of all breeds. This was a long time coming. Kudos to the American Kennel Club for its diligence in informing the public and coordinating letter writing, phone and email campaigns, and to the federations, dog clubs, individual fanciers and dog owners who remained vigilant in the fight to get BSL overturned in the Buckeye State. The letter writing isn’t complete, however. All responsible dog owners are urged to make a few more phone calls or emails of appreciation to their representatives, especially Barbara Sears, who has sponsored this bill for several years, to let them know how appreciative we are of her commitment to this issue. She can be reached at 77 S. High St 14th Floor, Columbus, OH 43215-6111 Phone: (614) 466-1731 Fax: (614) 719-6946 (or find an email form online at http://www.house. state.oh.us/index.php?option=com_displaymembers&task=detail&district=46). Also contact Governor John Kasich at 614 466-3555, or at Riffe Center, 30th Floor, 77 South High Street, Columbus, OH 43215-6117, or via a form online at http://www.governor.ohio. gov/Contact/ContacttheGovernor.aspx, thanking him for signing HB 14. Let the actions of responsible dog owners in Ohio serve as a model for responsible owners everywhere that we can overcome, that we have a voice, and that we must stand up for our rights and for those of our beloved canine companions.

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dangerous bill is being considered in Maryland that can have serious repercussions for dog owners. House Bill 912 seeks to change the word “owner” to “guardian” in numerous places within state code.

Changes include: •Changing the definition of who must obtain a kennel license from one who “owns or has custody of 15 or more unspayed dogs” over the age of 6 months and sells dogs from 6 or more litters to one who is the guardian or has custody of 15 or more unspayed dogs over the age of 6 months and sells dogs from 6 or more litters.

•Stating that county license fees must be paid by guardians, and striking all reference to owners •Changing county nuisance and vicious dog provisions from being the responsibility of the owner, to being the responsibility of the guardian.

This is not just a matter of semantics, but a serious effort by animal rights extremists to reduce the status and value of dogs as property and the rights of their owners. Should the dog’s “owner” be replaced by the word “guardian” by law, no one may be legally bound to take responsibility for the dog or properly care for it.

The “guardian” movement dates back more than a decade and has been gaining momentum in recent years. San Francisco is often cited as the initial city to seek such designation but the first city to change its ordinance was Boulder, Colorado. Closely following

that lead was Berkeley and West Hollywood in California; Sherwood, Arizona; Amherst, Massachusetts; Menomenee Falls, Wisconsin; and the state of Rhode Island. So, the movement is widespread, from coast to coast and everywhere in between, and there’s reason to believe the chatter across the country that it may land in your backyard, too.

Under state and municipal laws, animals are defined as property. This designation allows for property owners to have rights that are protected under the law. It’s imperative that we, as dog owners, maintain those rights in order to properly care for and responsibly breed our dogs.

Advocates of the “guardian” term propose that it’s used interchangeably with “owner”, but that referring to people as “pet guardians” rather than “pet owners” promotes greater responsibility and respect for pets without granting them additional protections or changing their legal status. To that argument pet owners should say “hogwash”.

The effort to remove “owner” and replace it with “guardian” is an attempt by the animal rights extremists to gain a foothold in court. Animal rights zealots want to be able to sue for the interest of an animal and have been unsuccessful in their attempts to do so because of property laws. If the status of the pet as property is removed and the status of the owner is reduced to guardian, then these AR extremists just may be able to take frivolous lawsuits before a court and argue that the interests of the animals need to be protected – not from an owner, but from a “guardian”. (The term “guardian” also suggests a temporary situation whereas an “owner” suggests a permanent one.) There may well be implications for the practice of veterinary medicine as well should the legal status of pets be altered.

The American Kennel Club’s official position statement on “Guardian” v. Owner is this: The American Kennel Club supports the use of the term “owner” rather than “guardian” when referring to the keeping of dogs. The AKC believes that the term guardian may in fact reduce the legal status and value of dogs as property and thereby restrict the rights of owners, veterinarians, and government agencies to protect and care for dogs. It may also subject them to frivolous and expensive litigation. The term guardian does nothing to promote more responsible treatment of dogs. We strongly support efforts to educate the public about responsible dog ownership to ensure that all dogs receive the care, love, and attention they deserve.

Responsible dog owners who reside or participate in dog events in Maryland are urged to contact the House Environmental Matters Committee prior to the March 1 hearing and ask the members to vote “no” on House Bill 912. Contact information can be found at: http://www. akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=4584. Time is of the essence in this matter.

Leash

BY SHAUN COEN

58 Dog News

Layla

Dragonhall Mastiffs presents their GCH. CH. This spectacular girl is the youngest mastiff to get her Grand Championship.

GCh. Dragonhall’s Lady Layla We would like to thank the following judges for appreciating this young special....

Mr. David Bolus Mrs. Patricia Trotter Mr. Edd Bivin Ms. Rita Biddle Mrs. Patricia Hastings Ms. Angela Porpora (pictured) Breeder: Sherry Eisenhuth Owners: Sherry Eisenhuth and Nadine Hillson Handled Exclusively by: Jen Bittner Dog News 59

Some Angels Have Wings, Others Have Tails

BY SHARON PFLAUMER

Kim Virden and Karma, her Seizure Response Dog, atop a mountain in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

60 Dog News

Robert and Boomer, his Paws With A Cause trained Seizure Response Dog

PHOTO Courtesy Paws With A Cause

“H

aving a Seizure Response Dog allows people living with epilepsy to feel less stressed. So much so, they’re able to get back to the business of living,” says Deb Davis, National Marketing/Communications Manager for Paws With A Cause®, the nation’s largest provider of Seizure Response Dogs, i.e., dogs trained to respond to people with seizure disorders.

“For example, I took a group of people with epilepsy and other disabilities and their Seizure Response Dogs on a Caribbean cruise recently to promote independent travel. Of course, none of the people with epilepsy knew if they’d have a seizure on the plane or while onboard the ship. But they all felt free to travel. They knew their dog would be there to assist when and if they needed it,” she says.

PAWS, a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization established in 1979 and based in Wayland, MI, also trains and places Hearing Dogs for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and Service Dogs for people with a physical disability and children with Autism. The organization doesn’t train Seizure Alert Dogs, i.e., dogs that can detect an oncoming seizure in advance of its occurrence. (See the Sidebar on right.)

PHOTO BY Cindy Mitchell

PHOTO Courtesy Paws With A Cause

The most worrisome aspect of having an unpredictable disability like epilepsy is the fact that those, who have a seizure disorder, know they may have to confront their own mortality at any hour on any day. Due to the vulnerability they feel as a result, they often lead restricted lives. A Seizure Response Dog frees people living with epilepsy from the above for the most part. That’s because they know their dog will be there to get help and provide comfort and assistance until they’ve fully recovered whenever a seizure occurs.

Karma, Kim Virden’s 5-yearold Seizure Response Dog.

Epilepsy About 2.3 million Americans suffer from epilepsy.

The seizures they experience last between a few seconds and a few minutes. Depending upon the type of seizure they have, it may cause them to become unconscious and remain so for as long as three hours.

There are two kinds of seizures: generalized and partial. Generalized seizures are triggered by an electrical discharge involving both sides of the brain.

Partial seizures are triggered by a localized electrical discharge in one area of the brain and may be related to head injury, stroke, tumor, or brain infection, but most often are of unknown cause. Grand or petit mal, and tonic and clonic are examples of generalized seizures. Simple and complex partial seizures are examples of partial seizures.

PHOTO by Rene Cromer

PHOTO Courtesy Paws With A Cause

Seizure Response Dog, Karma, poses with dogs from the Foster Family who raised her during a trip to Las Vegas.

Karma is on the far left.

Kim and Karma pose with two showgirls in Las Vegas.

Specially bred dogs At present, PAWS has its own breeding program and breeds golden and Labrador retrievers to train and place as assistance dogs, including Seizure Response Dogs. Due to the organization’s limited financial resources in the past, rescue groups and animal shelters were its main sources of dogs. Unfortunately, many shelter and rescue dogs already learned behaviors that make them difficult if not impossible to train as assistance dogs. As a result, the PAWS Board of Directors decided to develop the organization’s own breeding program about ten years ago.

“That allowed us to start from the beginning correctly with the dogs we train and place,” Davis says.

Although PAWS has its own breeding program, it gladly accepts puppy donations from breeders. In particular, the organization needs standard poodles to train for clients who have allergies.

PHOTO BY Cindy Mitchell

Seizure Response Dogs PAWS trains its Seizure Response Dogs to perform a variety of tasks during and after a seizure. For example, depending upon the severity of the seizures a person experiences, his dog may be trained to immediately push a medic alert button on a black box mounted on the wall or floor. Pushing the button dials 911 as well as transmits the person’s name, address and medical condition.

“After calling for help, the dog lies next to the person for the duration of the seizure and until the person is fully aroused, which can take as long as three hours,” Davis says. “In addition to providing comfort by lying next to the person, the dog nudges or licks the person and thus provides something real upon which the person can focus. That, in turn, helps the person regain consciousness.

“Because seizures leave the person’s muscles weak, he may require help getting back on his feet. Here, the dogs are taught to brace--lock their legs--so the person can use the dog’s body to steady themselves as they stand up. In the event the person is too weak to stand up and walk, the dog has a retrieve command that can be used to direct it to bring the telephone to the person, who then calls for the level of assistance he needs.”

In instances where the person is subject to cluster seizures-multiple seizures that occur close together--medication can be taken immediately after the first seizure to reduce the possibility of more seizures occurring. The dog can be sent to retrieve the medical bag that contains the medication if the person is too fatigued to do so. In addition to the medication, the medical bag contains dosage instructions and a bottle of water in a sealed, child-proof lunch bag. The medical bag is always kept in the same place in the home so the dog always knows where to find it.

Boomer in seizure response position shortly after Robert had a tonic-clonic seizure in the hotel room where they were staying. They were traveling in order to volunteer for PAWS® at a Pet Expo in 2010.

After being born in a volunteer’s home, PAWS puppies are placed in the foster puppy program at 8-weeks-of-age where they are socialized and taught basic obedience commands by a volunteer puppy raiser family. Between 12 and 14 months of age, they enter Phase One of their advanced training at PAWS National Headquarters. After being evaluated in Phase One, they enter a specific training program in Phase Two that’s geared to the kind of assistance dog they ultimately will become.

When Phase Two is complete, they enter Phase Three of their training which takes between 4 and 6 months to complete.

During Phase Three training, each dog is custom matched to the specific client who will be its recipient. Here, the trainer plays the role of the client, which means the trainer mimics the client’s behavior during seizures. In order to do this, the trainer watches videotapes of the client having seizures so he knows exactly how the client’s body responds to them—thrashing, twitching, frothing at the mouth, whatever. Training situations are then set up where the trainer mimics that response and the dog is trained to respond accordingly.

“For example, let’s say Dog A is being trained to become a Seizure Response Dog for Client A, who has absence seizures-brief episodes of staring during which awareness and responsiveness are impaired. First, Dog A is trained to recognize when Client A is having an absence seizure. Next, it’s taught to help Client A by stepping on Client A’s foot with its paw. That would bring Client A ‘around’ or arouse him. Dog A also would be taught to lick or nudge Client A’s hand which, again, would ‘bring him around.’ In addition, Dog A would be taught to use its own body to block Client A from potential hazards like stairways and curbs to keep Client A from falling.”

Continued on page 101

Dog News 61

Irving’s Impressions Continued FROM page 14

The attitude of the then formidable Consultant Surgeon Chairman of the General Committee John MacDougall, was very anti the whole concept of AI. I remember on one occasion when he was arguing against it on the grounds that it didn’t work anyway – I suggested that if it didn’t work, then that meant that there was no particular need to control it! Needless to say that comment went down like the proverbial lead balloon and many of my colleagues on the General Committee speculated as to whether I would survive the making of such a remark!

USE OF SEMEN FROM OVERSEAS Anyway, today the regulations for the use of AI in the UK are much more liberal except for matings between dogs and bitches both of which are based in the UK. That is only permitted with the prior permission of the General Committee and will only normally be allowed if there is some veterinary evidence that the dog is unable to mate because of an acceptable medical condition such as having suffered trauma of some kind.

On the other hand, if a breeder in the UK wants to use semen from a dog based overseas that is now perfectly acceptable. Those wanting to do this are advised by the KC to • Ensure that the stud dog has produced natural litters before as this is a KC requirement of acceptance. This has recently been relaxed except in the case where the stud dog itself is the progeny of an AI mating.

• Speak to the Kennel Club to ensure that the application would meet all the normal criteria for registration.

• Obtain a certified three generation pedigree from the overseas KC for the sire.

• Contact the UK Government agricultural ministry (Defra) for an import licence for the semen.

• Make arrangements to import the semen.

• Ensure copies are kept of all paperwork.

• Make contact with a vet experienced in AI procedures.

• Consider the welfare aspect of breeding via AI. As can be seen above, although there are some restrictions, the KC does not insist, as does the AKC, that the semen “collector/storer must be an AKC-approved facility and in compliance with AKC record keeping practices.” Any fully qualified Veterinary Surgeon in the UK can carry out the implantation and, as far as I am aware, anyone at all can manage the storage. In practical terms however, this is normally restricted to the few veterinary surgeon practices which have the equipment to do so.

ETHICAL AND ANIMAL WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS There is however one other fundamental difference between what is permitted in the UK and in the USA. That is that in the UK the surgical implantation of semen is not automatically acceptable.

This is because there is a belief that on ethical and animal welfare grounds, there needs to be justification for putting a bitch through what is considered effectively to be a surgical intervention. The UK controlling body for Veterinary Surgeons – the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - has stated that “Surgical insemination has many disadvantages for the bitch, and can only be justified for exceptional reasons.” The KC therefore takes the line that the first choice option has be for trans-cervical or endoscopic insemination. Of course if that approach cannot be made to succeed in each case, and because the 62 Dog News

semen has by then already been unfrozen, then, and only then, can surgical implantation be used as the only alternative. In such cases the details and justification for the procedure have to be presented to the KC General Committee and be approved before the registration of any resulting litter is permitted. Details of all such procedures are also passed on in summary form to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons so that they can monitor the performance of each Veterinary Surgeon in that respect. The KC’s information guide on the subject of AI advises breeders to think carefully about the welfare of their bitch before proceeding and to consider whether putting her through surgery is the right decision. A very different approach, as far as I am aware, to the line taken in the USA where AI by surgical implantation is seen as perfectly routine.

On the other hand one area where the KC in the UK has for many years been liberal in encouraging the use of AI is in using semen from dogs which have died even if, when they were alive, they were based in the UK. The KC’s view has always been that anything that will encourage the storage of semen for future judicious use, ought to be encouraged. The view is that if some detrimental mutation should arise in a breed then an ability to go back to some stud dogs which were around before the problem arose in the first place, could well be extremely beneficial for a breed.

UNLIKELY EVER AGAIN So it can be seen that the use of AI in the UK is much more controlled and restricted than it is in the USA. The KC advises people to think very carefully before carrying it out.

It advises that among the reasons to use AI is that the applicant feels that the breed in the UK is in decline or wants to introduce new lines or re-introduce old lines or that the chosen stud dog has been exported. One of the reasons that the KC now, somewhat controversially for some, wants to achieve is a widening of the gene pool of certain breeds in the UK. And perhaps the reason that the KC will accept as the most valid reason is any use of AI which will improve the “health, conformation, type or temperament of a breed.

As the years progress and as the science develops, the veterinary profession in the UK will no doubt see more commercial advantage arising from more frequent use of AI. Whether it will ever become as commonly used here as it is in the USA I very much doubt. But I guess its control is likely to be relaxed. Having said that and having used the procedure ourselves once in the past – it is highly unlikely that the Dandyhow kennel will ever in similar circumstances, use it again!

Dog News 63

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64 Dog News

*The Dog News Top Ten List

Dog News 65

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING Continued FROM page 18

her of the gorgeous Judge’s tables I had created in support of my local show. During the playing of the National Anthem, I wandered into an OBE recalling the oh so eyecatching judge’s tables that I created…tasteful, seasonal flowers (arranged not too tall as not to interfere with the duties of the day)…small, personalized-bottles of Perrier on ice, displayed in a silver sweat-free ice bucket (condensation is a real bitch on the judge’s book)…a small Waterford crystal dish filled with lemon slices and water to refresh your hands after judging (unfortunately for me hand sanitizer had yet to hit the market)…and a stunning assortment of fresh fruit and chocolates displayed on a multi-tiered serving tray to facilitate extra room for my fine porcelain theme-based trophies and rosettes. “Yes, Martha, like you, I left them begging for more.”

Later that evening, during my first official Judge’s dinner, Martha saved me once again. I had purchased a handsome, dark green cashmere sports coat for the dining engagement and was shocked when the novice waiter delivered my glass of Cabernet directly down the back of my new jacket. Instead of inducing a state of hysteria, I took a deep breath, focused on the scent of lavender and recounted Martha saying, “Red wine has a way of winding up in the wrong place--- Quick---Michael run to the kitchen with the waiter and soak the spot with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar to remove residual stain. Pour salt on the stain; let stand for five minutes. Stretch the stained area over a bowl and secure with a rubber band. Place in sink and carefully pour boiling water over the stain from a height of at least a foot.”

Twenty minutes later the wine stain was removed and I was back dining with my professional colleagues thanks to Martha.

Martha’s advice guided me for nine years through numerous dog show judging journeys, apparel dilemmas, earthquakes, foreign travel etiquette, quick fixes and more until it all came crashing down in 2003. “Martha Stewart guilty of securities fraud and obstruction of justice.” On June 25, 2002, I remember watching CBS anchor Jane Clayson grill Martha about ImClone during her regular segment on The Early Show. I recall imploring, “Don’t answer, Martha, just pretend she is not there.

Keep cooking and making America beautiful.” I was so proud when Martha continued chopping cabbage and famously quipped, “I just want to focus on my salad.” At that moment, Martha was my heroine! When I am disturbed by rude, arrogant exhibitors and judges, I just say, “I just want to focus on my dogs.”

At about 6:15 p.m. on October 8 2004, Martha traveled to scenic Alderson, West Virginia to serve her five-month term and was subsequently released on March 4, 2005. During this span of time, I truly thought my relationship with Martha would never be the same.

I brooded over Martha losing her passion to transform domesticated ugliness---thus destroying my ability to channel her at will, for personal needs. I reflect now how I prayed she would find a new calling in West Virginia and how her presence there was no mistake. It was God’s

way of insuring guidance, understanding and beauty for rural Appalachia. Many expected Martha to fail in Federal Prison Camp. However, as a fellow camp counselor, she took charge and became a liaison between her sister inmates and the administration. I knew this all to be true, as a fellow Golden Retriever Breeder and friend of mine (one of the sweetest, nicest people I have ever met) was charged with embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from her place of employment.

When I look back, at least she purchased good breeding stock and some gorgeous horses with her spoils) and served her time along with Martha at Alderson. I ask myself, “What are the chances of Martha going to prison not only at the same time, but at the same location as my friend and fellow Golden Retriever breeder?” “No mistake – just another example or our deep rooted connection,” I mentally shared with Martha.

Upon her release, Martha returned to the corporate world with renewed energy, respect and power. I can personally tell you the unconditional love she received from her French Bulldogs, her Chow Chows and her horses. They were the backbone of her successful homecoming.

Martha and I re-established a strong post-prison relationship. I was thrilled when our paths crossed at the 2011 Kentucky Derby. Big Michael and I had joined friends from California at the home of a colleague in celebration of the big event and of our love for Horse Racing. The five-star weekend included private parties at exclusive stud farms, private viewings of young breeding stock, a private box on the finish line for viewing the Derby and last---but not least---a private party at the 21C Museum Hotel with Martha in attendance.

21C is one of my favorite digs in Louisville. Pableaux Johnson of the New York Times described it as “an innovative concept with strong execution and prompt and enthusiastic service.” Allow plenty of time for exploring 21C’s less obvious exhibitions spaces, including, as the bellman suggested, those infamous artistic restrooms. Yes indeed, those infamous bathrooms, at least the men’s room, is a creative force not to be missed. The restroom’s internal wall...hosting the urinal… is also an external wall for the main corridor of the hotel / museum. The urinal is made from a large piece of one-sided see-through glass. You walk up to a wall of surging water and urinate onto a floor-to-ceiling window looking directly out to people walking by. However, they cannot see you, even though it appears you are actually exposing yourself from within the bathroom. Later that night, I had great fun walking past the infamous wall, pointing in the direction of the wall and laughing.

With security extremely tight, we entered 21C. Our names were checked off, we were given a wristband, and we entered.

The theme for the VIP party was Cuban-based. There was Cuban food, plenty of beautiful young dancers, Cuban ruminspired drinks and a Lucy and Ricky drag duo who performed amazingly well. The crowd was intense and I reminiscence about getting a drink, food and finding a secluded table, near the main kitchen, in one of the backrooms for our dining pleasure. I had obviously chosen well---within minutes of sitting down, another party arrived, gathering at the table to my right. The only thing to my left was a wall covered with unique works of art by a Cuban artist. One of the ladies in the newly arrived party recognized our hostess and her escort (an heir to a famous applesauce brand), came over and shared pleasantries and could not help herself in telling us she had to return to her table as she did not want to leave “Martha” alone.

With this said, I clearly remember taking a closer look at the lady seated next to my table and saying to myself, “OMG!! It is really Martha…Martha Stewart sitting next to me at the Derby Continued on page 70

66 Dog News

“

THE Number Three* Toy

Topper

”

Group Judge Mrs. Jacqueline Rayner

Best In Show Judge Mrs. Marsha Hall Brown

GCH. TAMARIN TOP BANANA Owner: Myrna R. Kahlo

Breeders: Tracy Kahlo Susy Stremel Tamarin Kennel

Exclusively Handled By:

Jorge & Susie Olivera

Assistants Sergio Olivera, Gustavo Jimenez & Pablo Alsina

*The Dog News Top Ten List

Dog News 67

BY MATTHEW H. STANDER

andmore

GARDEN EXCITEMENT ON THE POLITICAL FRONT, DIRECTORS QUESTIONNAIRES

M

any years ago the floor of the Garden was abuzz with political excitement as various candidates could be seen maneuvering among the delegate attendees looking for votes in the upcoming March election. Quite frankly that was the case at Westchester as well although the political buzz there was more issue oriented than vote and Delegate oriented. Interestingly the man involved so heavily in both of those shows was Chet Collier, who of course was one of the great consummate political AKC men of all time. So it should have surprised few people that these kinds of activities took place at either place. With Chet’s passing these sort of happenings started to peter out and then died out completely at Westchester (as

• Patricia Cruz, Coram, L.I., New York, Delegate of the Heart of the Plains Kennel Club, Lubbock, Texas * William Feeney, Cotati, California, Delegate of the Sir Francis Drake Kennel Club, San Rafael, California

* Thomas Powers, Northridge, California, Delegate of the Kennel Club of Beverly Hills • John Ronald, Meyersville, Maryland, Delegate of the Samoyed Club of America

• Robert Schroll, Clarksville, Tennessee, Delegate of the Clarksville (TN) Kennel Club • Larry Sorenson, Clayton, North Carolina, Delegate of the Dachshund Club of America

* Lynn Worth Smith, Clarksville, Virginia, Delegate of the Vizsla Club of America

* Indicates nominated by AKC’s Nominating Committee.

• Indicates Running from the floor.

68 Dog News

did the show itself, but that’s another story) while the Garden gradually lost this political intrigue as well.

Until this year when it was suddenly revived. Anyways I thought it to be revived certainly throughout the Monday “Expo” activities for sure. And the reason for my sensing these activities going on has to do with the underlying real contest, which is going on in these elections and that is the fight for Board Chairman. For you see for the first time in a decade a new Chairman will be elected which very may well determine the course of AKC for years to come. How strong the delegate candidates are or are not and what position they take on the issues is important but nothing is as important as to how the three new elected Board people will vote for Board Chairman-in my opinion anyways.

As I have stressed in several past issues the present Board is evenly divided 5 to 5 in that matter. The one group favoring Kalter for BC is led obviously by Kalter joined with Smith, Scully, Newman and Arnold while the competing side led probably by Gladstone favors Ashby for BC joined with Garvin, Battaglia and Amen. Although if Ashby should be unable to muster the necessary 7 votes to be elected don’t be surprised to see a move to Garvin for BC. Unfortunately for us all Menaker and Davies have been forced by term limits to retire and they are BC and Vice BC respectively. Term limits are bad enough in a corporate environment anyways as far as I am concerned but to have them apply to the two top leaders in the same year is purely ludicrous, self-defeating and just plain dumb. But that’s what a majority of the Delegates wanted and voted for so we are all stuck with that tom foolery. You go explain it! As to Walter Goodman the term limits applies to him as well but it is questionable whether he would have run again as he has served the longest and perhaps proudest of any of the sitting Board Members.

So we are now faced with three new Board Members, two of whose votes will determine the majority vote for BC and this will occur at the very first meeting in March after the election! Who will they vote for and at the very least which of the two sides do they sit with? Based on the recent letter sent to the Delegates and printed in Dog News last week the Ashby side is for out-sourcing those who run dog shows to show supers (probably only one show super at that) and dismissing a large part of staff for one thing. If you can’t see the down side of that kind of thinking read no further. So at this juncture and for the first time in the history of the Questionnaire that I can remember we asked the candidates who the candidates would vote for BC. All seven people refused to take a stand. And that did not totally surprise me except for the fact that at the Garden certain people seemed to take stands they just were afraid to do so in writing!!

I sensed for sure based on what I observed at ringside that both Feeney and Ronald were by sheer body language hanging out primarily and totally with the Gladstone/Ashby people. Sorenson somewhat too with that crowd but he handled the situation perhaps with more aplomb than the other two.

There was a constant jostling and form of camaraderie body language ways with those two and at least

four of the Ashby/Gladstone crowd to just not be ignored nor just take as friends meeting by chance. Cruz was very visible both at some Specialties and at the Garden while Tom Powers I never saw nor did I see Lynn WorthSmith nor Bob Schroll the entire weekend. That does not mean they were not there just that I did not see them.

For these seven not to take a written stand on for whom they would vote for BC was disappointing to me but not surprising nonetheless if my read is correct I could not support either Feeney nor Ronald. Based on what I perceived to be their Garden “floor friends”. I don’t know Feeney and like John Ronald and some of his answers to the Questionnaire were right on for me--others were not but you can not agree with everything people believe but their willingness to be seen so frequently virtually arm in arm with the people heretofore mentioned really was a turn-off to me. Cruz for sure and Sorenson too were more subtle in their actions although you all know how I feel about former employees running for the board--against it totally particularly in Sorensen’s case where he collects a pension from AKC. As to Powers, Worth-Smith and Schroll I think they committed a tactical error not showing up at the Garden--if they were there and I missed them I apologize in advance. It would have been nice to see how they would have handled the situation. How important do I think it is for these people to take a stand on for whom they will vote for Chairman-CRITICAL-and if they will not do so publicly I would strongly suggest you go up to them and ask them TO TELL YOU PRIVATELY OR ELSE DO NOT SUPPORT THOSE WHO WILL NOT.

A

s to the answers to the Directors Questionnaire I felt all too many of them pandered to the Delegates in the sense the answers were basically geared to offend as few people as possible.

Mr. Feeney’s views about AKC border on making it a boutique registry and an elitist type organization even though he couches his requirements by throwing in the word “health” as the magic potion. How he would apply “health” as a registry requirement I found spelt out not at all!! Surprisingly I found Lynn Worth-Smith’s answers one of the strongest although again in certain areas I disagreed with her terrifically. John Ronald gave some good spirited answers and some which I thought were terrible but his claim to having been the person who made the motion for delegate committees is misleading for sure. While it is true he made the motion but he was asked to do so by the person-David Merriam- who conceived the idea because as I recall David was on the Board and did not want to make such a motion.

To be totally candid I do not think there is a stand-out in the crowd of seven-I really can not pick out three people I would vote for--maybe two but with my history with the Delegate Body my support could be more damaging than helpful to the individuals so I will keep my selections to myself. If you are interested in my choices call me for a private conversation-212-462-9612--No e-mails as I trust not at all the ability to forward private conversations to the world at large!!

Dog News 69

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING Continued FROM page 66

party of the year.” Of course, I played it really cool---pretending not to take notice.

The other five members of our party could have cared less if Martha were sitting within touching distance. I could not focus on anything but. I wanted to run over, grab the chair beside her and begin my litany of questions. Instead, I watched as Martha sat quietly, nursing a glass of wine looking at the artwork. Every so often, she would pull out her camera, take a picture or two of the works of art and then settle back down with her drink and food. She spoke very little and I was sure she was waiting for me to make my move.

“O.K. this is it! If I don’t jump at this opportunity, I will probably never get a chance to bond with Martha ever again,” I said to myself. I relive the moment: I slowly rise from my Gold Chiavari Chair, turn to my left towards the art-covered wall in order to walk around our circular table and proceed the ten or so feet to Martha. Within a matter of seconds, a little hermaphroditic pixie springs through the kitchen door behind me, throwing me off balance and pushing me back into my Gold Chiavari Chair. Dressed in leotards, looking something like Boy Wonder crossed with Tinker Bell, he/she bent over grabbed his/ her ankles and pushed his/her ass directly into my face. He/ she took great pride in sharing his/her flexibility with our table and I recall praying he/she was not flatulent. He/she continued bending, stretching, spinning, etc. for what seemed like forever.

I stared at him/her with the same detailed concentration I offered Martha. I floated in and out of several OBEs during his/ her warm-up routine. I was so totally mesmerized by he/she’s pale skin color, fine bone and total lack of body hair, that I did not notice when Martha gathered her belongings, along with her camera, and departed.

“Ladies and Gentleman, we have a special treat for you tonight and I am proud to welcome the extraordinary, the talented, the creative acrobatic force, my friend, “ @#$*&$^#&,” the host of the evening announced. The little pixie sprang forward, crawled up a fabric robe extended from the ceiling and began spinning and spreading his/her legs. Every so often, he/she would attempt a rotation or two---never quite pulling it off. My friends and I watched the Off–Cirque du Soleil performance in total disbelief, laughing hysterically, wondering how this poor little creature secured such a prime venue to showcase his/her talent. The event organizer lovingly gazed while Pixy performed. We all knew, there might be more to he/she’s talent that swinging on a bed sheet from the ceiling.

With Martha gone and a missed opportunity, we all left during the show. It was either leave when we did or get thrown out for causing a disturbance.

Big Michael and I returned home the next day. I picked up the local newspaper at the Louisville airport, noticing Martha’s picture on the cover of the style page. “Damn how I wished they had snapped a picture last night showing the two of us together,” I quietly thought. “On second thought it’s probably best we do not draw attention to our relationship,” I quickly remembered thinking.

Throughout the remaining months of spring, summer and fall Martha and I worked seamlessly together. We planted my raised bed garden…we separated and transplanted numerous perennials…we fertilized…we weeded…we planned summer barbeques…we organized sunset wine cruises…we canned

70 Dog News

tomatoes…we pickled okra…we spruced up the house and even had time to shop for a few additional antiques. Most importantly, Martha came to my rescue over the Christmas holiday. I needed guidance in providing Big Michael with the perfect gift and she opened the perfect door to a gift possibility – a French Bulldog. Yes, Martha and I, along with the help of a good friend and a generous breeder from North Carolina, gifted BM with a male French Bulldog, better known as Murphy French. Yet, another example of the cosmic connection between Martha and myself!

With the holiday season over, and BM and Murphy French settled in, the one thing Martha and I had to look forward to was the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. I arrived on Friday this year to facilitate a prior Take the Lead obligation and worked diligently, shopping in preparation for Saturday night’s festivities. Our weekend consisted of a Take the Lead function…Take the Lead Board Meeting…dinner with friends…Priscilla Queen of the Desert…lunch…the Dog Writers Awards Banquet followed by late night show tunes sung at our favorite piano bar (I must say, Johnny Shoemaker sings a mean rendition of “ I Left my Heart in San Francisco”), and an early Monday morning return to Virginia to facilitate a social gathering around the Westminster Group and Best in Show judging.

Like any good event planner, guided by Martha, I was clever in saving my old judge’s badges for place cards, I utilized the covers of old judging programs for the front of the menus, organized a Westminster trivia sheet for use during cocktails and made sure all the linens and flowers were in shades of purple and gold.

With the television set to autopilot at exactly at 8:00 pm, and dinner a thing of the past, we all gather in anticipation of Monday evening’s group judging. During the commercial breaks, our friend completely immersed in the moment, plays “How much is that little doggie in the window?” and “Who Let the Dogs Out – Woof – Woof?” on the piano. “May we have the Hound Group into the ring please?” Michael J. LaFave announces prior to the start of judging. Hounds are quickly followed by the Toy Group and the Non-Sporting Group. I am particularly interested in the Non-Sporting Group due to the fact a couple of very nice, top dogs were defeated in their respective breeds and I am excited to view judge Randy in action.

I watch, keeping my comments to myself, when Martha Stewart appears, larger than life in my home. “It’s my friend Martha---her Chow Chow won Best of Breed. OMG – I hope she makes the cut. Hell, if I were judging, I probably could find a fourth place…securing at the very least a handshake and photo opportunity...with Martha!” I secretly say, hoping she takes notice of all the special details involved in preparation for our Westminster dinner celebration. I quietly cheer for her Chow Chow, knowing full well she probably will not finish in the top four spots.

“Michael, do you judge Chow Chow Dogs?” a friend from across the room asks. “No, not yet. Maybe someday I will. Next month the Kennel Club is implementing a new procedure for judges applying for additional breeds and for the first time in over thirteen years, I am actually motivated to apply. Ya know, I think I will call my friend Martha and ask her if I can stop by for a tour of her kennel, examine her breeding stock and ask her to be my mentor,” I blurt out with a big smile on my face.

Jimmy Moses replaces Martha on the large screen as the winner of the Herding Group. “Jimmy, congratulations on the wedding and please give Janet my love,” I privately share with the television while handing out bags of Martha Stewartinspired dog-shaped cookies to the guests as they exit.

Ilsa.

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Dog News 71

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72 Dog News

Group First - Clearwater Kennel Club - Judge Mrs. Sue Goldberg Best of Breed - Judge Mrs. Connie Clark Thank you Judges!

Dog News 73

An Interview With James P. Crowley Continued FROM page 46

Crowley’s signature probably appears on more documents than any other human on Earth.

When you consider the millions of registrations as well as other official documents issued by the AKC, it’s very likely true.

If you think being Executive Secretary of AKC is a snooze job, think again. Crowley listed some of his duties: “My primary function is to keep the minutes of the Board meetings—there are 8 a year, at one time there were 12. I also keep notes of the Delegate meetings—4 per year. The Executive Secretary must also keep all records of the AKC including all policy manuals and all other records of the AKC. Whenever there’s any type of litigation I’m the one subpoenaed to produce records. Over the years, a number of departments have also reported to the secretary. At various times I’ve been responsible for the admission of new breeds to the registry. Right now I’m responsible for the Club Relations Department, and the AKC Archives (AKC Archives as well as Club Archives). We maintain the archives for a number of parent clubs. The AKC Library and the AKC Art Collection are all my responsibility. I’ve also, for several years, been on the Board of the AKC Museum of the Dog in St. Louis and I’m their recording secretary and keep the records of their meetings. Through my assistant secretary I’m also responsible for publications, for AKC events surrounding the AKC/Eukanuba show each year; our conference and travel. I’m responsible for managing the New York office including our stock room, our mailroom, all the maintenance of the NY office, and running the AKC library. It is now not frequently visited because so much is available online. Visitors usually use the studbooks to do research. Some of the material includes books on every subject related to dogs and every marked catalog for every AKC show going back to the very first one up to 1984. After that, the number of shows became so great that we had to go to microfilming otherwise we’d need a whole building just to store the catalogs. Our catalogs actually pre-date the Kennel Club, starting in 1878. The AKC was formed on September 17, 1884.” A remarkable fact is that in spite of being so deeply involved in all the affairs of AKC, AKC rules do not allow Crowley to participate in any AKC events.

Telling Crowley’s story is impossible without telling the history of AKC since he’s lived so much of it. Unlike many who work in various fields related

to the fancy, Crowley didn’t start in dogs and work his way to AKC. He told me: “I was a graduate student in the early 70’s looking for work. I saw an ad in the New York Times for management trainees so I applied. I worked for AKC during the day and finished my degree at night.” Crowley was soon made assistant manager of Event Plans and within a year became manager when the manager was promoted to Vice President. They were busy, exciting times for AKC. Registrations were exploding, events were well supported. The AKC had plenty of revenue. “Back then,” he recalls, “our problem wasn’t raising money--it was spending it all.”

C

rowley spoke at great length about his recollections of AKC’s history. “In the 70’s there was expansion with the activities, then the 80’s with our big centennial show/celebration,” he recalled. “For the Centennial year, we had probably the largest dog show ever held in North America.”

The most memorable time for Crowley was probably after 9/11. “We were at a Delegate meeting in Newark, NJ. You could actually see the tops of the World Trade Center from the hotel. We had to cancel the meeting--it was only the second time I can ever remember cancelling. The other time was because of a blizzard in the 70’s. Anyway, many of the Delegates were stuck in Newark and couldn’t get home.”

“After 9/11, we worked with many Search and Rescue groups to help provide support to them. We provided an x-ray machine so injured dogs could be examined. We helped the NYC Police Dept. get supplies they needed. Then we had the DOGNY project in which over 100 fiberglass painted dogs were placed around the city. People subscribed and for $10,000 they got a local artist to paint the dog. All that money went to Search and Rescue, and then the dogs were auctioned off after the display was completed. It was all coordinated by AKC. Dennis Sprung took this on as one of his projects before he became president of AKC. The program was recognized at Yankee Stadium before a Yankees game and we also received a proclamation from Mayor Bloomberg congratulating AKC for all the work they did for helping Search and Rescue.”

The addition of women Delegates was also a milestone for AKC, but how it came about is interesting. Crowley told the story: “At the December, 1973 Delegate Meeting, after Jack Lafore discussed the matter with AKC counsel, there was a proposed amendment to open the Delegate body to women. In a secret ballot, the motion failed to garner the necessary 2/3, falling 25 votes short.

Not to be deterred, the matter was brought back at the next meeting in March, 1974. However, reContinued on page 78

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Dog News 75

76 Dog News

Dog News 77

An Interview With James P. Crowley Continued FROM page 74

alizing that most of the Delegates represented clubs with many women members, and that they also had wives at home, this time the proposal was presented for a roll call vote so every Delegate had to go on the public record. Miraculously, scores of Delegates had a change of heart in just three months and the amendment was adopted in a 180-7 vote.” Crowley pointed to the then president, Jack Lafore, as a driving force behind this major change. “After serving in the Pennsylvania state legislature, Lafore served two terms in the US House of Representatives as a member of the Congressional Ways and Means Committee,” said Crowley. “The lessons he learned during this public service in political maneuvering, served him well as AKC President.”

Crowley provided some interesting historical details: “The first president of AKC was Major James Taylor, a battalion commander in the 10th Kentucky Union Cavalry during the Civil War. Another of the early Presidents of the AKC was August Belmont.

The name may sound familiar if you’ve ever heard of the Belmont Racetrack. He also financed the first New York subway system. He was President for 28 years—sort of a dictator at that time.”

S

peaking of AKC Presidents, Crowley finally gave up a “president story”. This one is about Al Dick, the first President Crowley worked for.

Crowley had this to say: “The President with the reputation for having the most volatile temper was definitely Al Dick. He broke more than one glass top on his desk. In our previous headquarters offices at 51 Madison Avenue, the corridor along the executive offices had tile floors. There was a carpet runner laid down to soften that. However, while he had a secretary outside of his door, the President’s office in the corner opened right onto the corridor. Al hated to be surprised when someone was suddenly at his door. He therefore had the carpet removed, leaving the tile floor, specifically so that he could hear someone coming down the hall towards or going by his office-no surprise visits.”

All other Presidents and Chairmen (living and dead) can breathe a sigh of relief. No more stories were revealed. Crowley has a tremendous regard for the office he occupies and the trust given him. One has to admire a person of this character. Even though he jokes about “the book I may someday write,” one has the impression there are many stories Crowley will never put in print. Commented Crowley, “All nine Presidents that I knew had very different personalities and management styles, with the latter to a large part dictated by the very different challenges and competition that existed when they were in office.

For its first hundred plus years there was little viable

78 Dog News

competition and little in the way of serious outside threats to AKC or the Sport.” It’s easy to understand how Crowley has maintained the respect and regard of a cavalcade of passionate, driven Presidents and Chairmen.

Our discussion turned to the business of the AKC. “Registrations used to comprise 90% of our income. Now, they’re 50%,” observed Crowley. “We’ve had to shift from running AKC like a club to running it like a business. It has been necessary to find alternate revenue sources. At one time, we never entertained the idea of putting the AKC name on anything. We always felt we were above licensing our name for products. But times have changed.” Crowley continued, “Putting our name on high-quality products has become one of the primary sources of new revenue we have. It’s an acceptance of the idea that times have changed and we need to as well.”

“Events lose money for AKC,” observed Crowley. “Every entry loses money for us. We absorb a lot of expenses related to every event from approving the event, to recording it, having AKC reps present, posting the results of the events, producing certificates, and judges’ education. Our income from the fee we charge doesn’t cover our costs. Instead, we subsidize that portion of our activities with income from other sources. That used to be registrations and recording fees, but now it has to be made up elsewhere.”

As is true with so many other things today, there is clamoring from some quarters to cut costs as a way to deal with the problem. Crowley had this to say: “When you talk about cutting expenses, the question becomes ‘What can you live without?’ We asked our Delegates at the last meeting, ‘What do you want to see cut? Legislation department? Communications department? Which activities or events do you want to eliminate? Should we cut our contributions to the Canine Health Foundation? Or our contributions to the Museum?’ We didn’t get a lot of response because everyone sees the value of these things. So, it necessitates going out for ways to generate more revenue.”

The observation has been made that AKC has stopped being the premier voice for the dog. Indeed, in recent times when

Continued on page 84

Cherry April Blossom Cluster 20, 21, 22, 23, 2012

Maryland State Fairgrounds • Timonium, Maryland Five Events: Four Days 26 Combined Specialties Friday: Baltimore County Combined Specialties Columbia Terrier Association Of Maryland (www.columbiaterriers.com)

Saturday: Old Dominion Kennel Club (www odkc.org)

Sunday: Baltimore County Kennel Club (www.baltimorecountykc.com)

Monday: Catoctin Kennel Club (www.catoctinkennelclub.org)

One Location:

Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium, Maryland 21093 158,000 sq. ft. building, Obedience Building 38,000 sq. ft. all rings and grooming – INDOORS Easy Access, Acres of Paved Parking RV Parking With Electric 20,30,50 Amp & Water Available (sitecon@md.metrocast.net ) Reserve Early Friday Specialities Columbia Terrier Association of Maryland Staffordshire Terrier Club of America (& Sweepstakes and Veteran Sweepstakes) Border Terrier Club of AmericaBull Terrier Club of Philadelphia Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America Glen of Imaal Terrier Club of America, Inc. Irish Terrier Club of New York US Kerry Blue Terrier Club (& Sweepstakes) Mount Vernon Miniature Schnauzer Club, Inc. Norfolk Terrier Club (& Sweepstakes) Norwich Terrier Club of America (& Sweepstakes) American Sealyham Terrier Club Potomac Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club, Inc. (& Sweepstakes and Veteran Sweepstakes) Chesapeake Bay West Highland White Terrier Club (& Sweepstakes and Veteran Sweepstakes) American Tibetan Mastiff Association

Baltimore County Kennel Club Combined Specialties

Gunpowder River Golden Retriever Club of Maryland National Capital Bearded Collie Club Susquehanna Valley English Springer Club Weimaraner Club of The Washington DC Area Metropolitan Baltimore Dachshund Club Potomac Boxer Club Chihuahua Club of Maryland Metropolitan Baltimore Doberman Pinscher Club Potomac Irish Setter Club Washington Poodle Club

For Show information

www.cherryblossom.com

Saturday Specialties Old Dominion Kennel Club

National Capital English Setter Club Puppy/Vet Sweepstakes Potomac Boxer Club Puppy Sweeps Potomac Valley Doberman Pinscher Club of Northern Virginia, Inc. Sweeps Potomac Valley Samoyed Club, Inc. Puppy/Vet Sweeps Pomeranian Club of Greater Baltimore Pug Dog Club of Maryland Puppy/Vet Sweeps National Capital Area Lhasa Apso Club Puppy/Vet Sweeps National Capital English Setter Club Puppy/Vet Sweepstakes Potomac Boxer Club Puppy Sweeps Potomac Valley Doberman Pinscher Club of Northern Virginia, Inc. Sweeps Potomac Valley Samoyed Club, Inc. Puppy/Vet Sweeps Welsh Terrier Club of America West Highland White Terrier Club of America Pomeranian Club of Greater Baltimore Pug Dog Club of Maryland Puppy/Vet Sweeps National Capital Area Lhasa Apso Club Puppy/Vet Sweeps

Supported Entries

Potomac Irish Setter Club The Susquehanna Valley English Springer Spaniel Club Puppy/Vet Sweeps Weimaraner Club of the Washington DC Area, Inc. Puppy/Vet Sweeps Potomac Valley Borzoi Club Potomac Valley Standard Schnauzer Club Bull Terrier Club of Philadelphia Potomac Cairn Terrier Irish Terrier Club of America Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club Puppy/Vet Sweeps Chesapeake Bay West Highland White Terrier Club Washington Poodle Club Mount Vernon Tibetan Terrier Club, Inc. Greater Washington Bouvier des Flandres Club

Superintendent: MB-F Inc. • P O Box 22107 Greensboro NC 27420 Phone: 336-379-9352 • Fax: 336-272-0864 • Website: http://www.infodog.com

Closing Date: Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Sunday Specialties Baltimore County Kennel Club

Maryland Boxer Club, Inc - puppy sweepstakes Metropolitan Baltimore Doberman Pinscher Club Antietam Creek Samoyed Club - puppy and veteran sweepstakes Central Maryland Lhasa Apso Fanciers - puppy and veteran sweepstakes

Supported Entries

Gunpowder River Golden Retriever Club of Maryland, Inc. National Capital English Setter Club puppy and veteran sweepstakes Potomac Irish Setter Club - puppy and veteran sweeps Susquehanna Valley English Springer Spaniel Club puppy and veteran sweepstakes Weimaraner Club of the Washington DC Area, Inc. puppy and veteran sweepstakes Metropolitan Baltimore Dachshund Club, Inc Greater Swiss Mountain Dog of America Chihuahua Club of Maryland, Inc. Boston Terrier Club of Maryland, Inc. Washington Poodle Club, Inc. National Capital Bearded Collie Club, Inc, puppy and veteran sweepstakes Greater Washington Bouvier des Flandres Club puppy and veteran sweepstakes

Supported Entries

Staffordshire Terrier Club of America (& Puppy & Veteran Sweepstakes) Border Terrier Club of America Bull Terrier Club of Philadelphia (& Puppy Sweepstakes) Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of America Glen of Imaal Terrier Club of America Irish Terrier Club of New York United States Kerry Blue Terrier Club (& Puppy Sweepstakes) Mount Vernon Miniature Schnauzer Club The Norfolk Terrier Club (& Puppy Sweepstakes) Norwich Terrier Club of America (& Puppy Sweepstakes) American Sealyham Terrier Club Potomac Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club (& Puppy & Veteran Sweepstakes) Chesapeake Bay West Highland White Terrier Club (& Puppy & Veteran Sweepstakes) Dog News 79

80 Dog News

Dog News 81

BY EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

the

gossip

82 Dog News

JOHNSON, who are expecting their third child. Congratulations are also in order to JASON & ROZ MINTZ FUSCO, who are expecting their first child in August. As usual the press, print and television, were all over the place but none as big as MARTHA STEWART, who had three times the crew of anyone else.

Is it a good thing? The Affinia Hotel might not have been filled to capacity but it hosted major parties. ANGELS ON A LEASH held its cocktail party that was underwritten by RUTH PEREIRA. The AKC CANINE HEALTH FOUNDATION held its cocktail party as well. The SANTA BARBARA KENNEL CLUB held a cocktail party to celebrate its Breeder’s Showcase, which has become a very popular event at its summer show. Celebrating Birthdays…

LEE RIDDLE, ALLISON SUNDERMAN, DENNIS SPRUNG, SUSAN SPRUNG, NANCY RUSSELL, ROGER ELLIS, LINDA O’CONNOR SCHNEIDER, JOY BREWSTER (for real as she was born in a leap year), TRACY POTTS, TERRY MILLER, CHARLOTTE PATTERSON, EDD BIVIN, PAT KOLESAR, PATSY WADE, KRISTA DROOP, RINDI GAUDET, ANGIE DIEHL, LYNN BRADY, KERRIE KUPER, MICHAEL DOUGHERTY and that Valentine’s Day birthday girl, JACKIE BEAUDOIN.

column

WESTMINSTER 2013…the announcement by the Westminster Kennel Club’s proposed plan to hold the daytime breed judging (that will now include class dogs that have a major win to their credit) at Piers 92/94 on West 55th Street and return to Madison Square Garden for the group judging … questions arise to the logistics of such a plan. While there are many questions to be answered (i.e. transportation between the two venues, hotels, etc.), credit should be given to the club for addressing a space problem that can’t be corrected. It may not be the best plan but it is a plan nonetheless. To me the most ideal would be a threeday event at Madison Square Garden, spreading the groups over three days. I know that the two nights of live television coverage is an issue, but the two groups judged on the extra night could be filmed and edited to be shown with the live action. Other changes include the increase in entries to 3,200 dogs from this year’s 2,000. Also to be included with the top five dogs in each breed that are invited to pre-enter will be the best of breed winners of their respective national specialties. It was a stroke of genius to announce this move the night before the show, as it kept the exhibitors from complaining too much about the current cramped benching area. Speaking of the cramped benching area, a Westminster first, DEBBIE PARSONS & BRAD SLAYTON were married in the benching area on Tuesday afternoon (Valentine’s Day) by SHERILYN FREI. SHERILYN is the wife of Westminster spokesman DAVE FREI. Best wishes to the bride and groom. Congratulations to HEATHER & COLTON

GCh. Cadbrae This Is It Sire: Ch. Cadbrae Finest Hour

Dam: The Best In Show Winning Ch. Phillmar Monster Piece

TOP TWENTY BITCH

*

Our thanks to Judge Mrs. Houston Clark for acknowledging this lovely bitch’s Quality and Movement.

Watch for Jinny & “Hottie”

Owners Karen Cloud Terry Simrell Dan Galligan Handler Jinny Rojas Breeders Karen Cloud Cheryl Green

*DPCA

Dog News 83

An Interview With James P. Crowley Continued FROM page 78

dog issues have appeared in the media a plethora of activist groups are consulted first. I asked for Crowley’s thoughts. He said, “We have an all-out communications effort. Of all the registries, we are the premier voice.

What we don’t have is the budget of some of the animal rights groups. They can generate millions to our thousands. For example while we’re running the registry and conducting our other activities, the primary goal of AR groups is fundraising.”

Crowley continued: “We have our Legislative Department which is trying to reach legislators. We have the AKC Political Action Committee which any member of any AKC club is permitted to contribute to. The candidates we’ve contributed to have been very successful in recent elections and that will go a long way toward helping us move forward. We’ve tried to get involved in the political arena, the communications arena, the PR arena. At one time we didn’t even have a communications department, now we have a very vibrant one. We also have a vibrant legislation department, and we work at public education. We’re really working hard to establish ourselves as the authority on all things dogs. I think the recent effort as far as the Canine Companions as well as the mixed breed dogs is going to pay dividends in greatly expanding our constituency to be able to demonstrate that we’re about all dogs and not just the elite purebred dogs. The prime focus of the AKC will always be to maintain the registry of purebred dogs, that’s why we were founded and that will continue to be our focus. However we are also concerned about the welfare of all dogs whether it be through our Canine Health Foundation or the Canine Companion Program.

These dogs can participate in our companion events and become part of our constituents. So a benefit will be that if we have legislative issues we can reach out not just to the purebred fancy but to the entire population of dog owners.”

Crowley added this observation: “When you start getting into anti-dog legislation and prohibiting dogs,

that’s going to affect not just the fancy or purebred dog owners—it affects ALL dog owners. We have a common interest with all dog owners and it’s important to recognize that and make them part of our constituency.” He continued, “With names like ‘The HUMANE Society of the United States’, how can the average person who is unaware be opposed to something with a name like that? Who can be opposed to the ‘ethical treatment of animals’? As far as the name and then the message with ads featuring abused dogs in cages, well it causes people to pull out the checkbook and send in money.

They excel at fundraising and they spend more money and effort in fundraising than they actually spend helping animals.

AKC has tried to utilize its comparatively smaller revenue to help in practical ways. For example in Katrina and various other catastrophes we have with our Companion Animal Recovery an offshoot that actually gets involved in providing supplies and having people on the ground when there are natural disasters. So while we’re not a ‘humane’ association in terms of our overall focus, we are certainly involved in humane activities to assist dogs. Through our network of local dog clubs we have contacts with people who can help channel efforts with shelters and other means.” Crowley also noted that AKC maintains a Humane Fund and it is used for parent club rescue organizations. He also said AKC contributes to women’s shelters that permit pets. Crowley mentioned something else important: “A number of our paintings have been donated to our Humane Fund.”

C

rowley had this to say regarding competing registries: “The addition of a marketing person to the AKC will help get the message out that having an AKC registration for your dog means something. AKC is the largest not-for-profit registry. There are many that are for-profit. Some are actually being run by commercial breeders who started them when we placed care and condition requirements, as well as various DNA testing requirements on breeders. They didn’t want to comply with them, so they left and started their own registries. Plus there are people we’ve suspended over the years from AKC privileges for anything up to lifetime suspensions. They’ve gone elsewhere to continue their dog activities when they could no longer continue with AKC.” With regard to helping raise the awareness of purebred dogs in the public eye, Crowley pointed to the AKC/Eukanuba shows. “The AKC/Eukanuba show will be televised on network TV January 23 on ABC”, he said. “Previously it was on cable, which was good. But now we’ll be able to reach about 40% more households than before. To get 2 hours on ABC on a weekend—well you can’t even begin to think of affording that but we did it and it’s a huge boost for the fancy. We’re going to include coverage of the Eukanuba Challenge (which included entries from 83 countries), national obedience invitational, national agility invitational, our awards for Canine Excellence in which we recognized dogs in different categories such as companion dog, law enforcement dogs, and others that participate in various activities. Some of the stories are heart-wrenching, unbelievable when you learn of the things they’ve been able to do to help their owners and the community. We have a police dog that was involved in a number of arrests; some have helped find lost children—things like that.

It’s amazing what these dogs have done. Then we have our breeder of the year. Something like 40% of our entry this year was from the bred-by-exhibitor class competition.”

Continued on page 88

84 Dog News

Dino

A Pretty Fancy Record on a Pretty Fancy Boy…

finished 2011 as The Number Two Smooth Dachshund and The Number One Miniature Smooth*.

We look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in 2012.

Flash Best In how Specialty S lub of C d n u h s h c Da and New Jersey Best In how Specialty S Dachshund of Long n o i t a i c o s As minster t s e W d n a l Is weekend?

Thank you to all the judges that have rewarded Dino.

Thank you also to the fancy for all your support of this exciting young dog.

A big thank you to all of the participants of Team Dino.

Group Winning, Multiple Best In Specialty Show Winning

Gold Grand Ch. Dynadaux Redneck Fancy Boy MS Sire: Ch. Dynadaux Honky Tonk Redneck Song MS • Dam: Multi For./Am. Ch. Magik Rainbow Harmony-IMP Russia

Gathering up his fan club along the way  “He’s cool and he knows it.”  Owners Pamela Spencer Brenda Claxton Bobby Sandoval Gloria Sutton Ed.D Susan Summers

Owner/Breeder: Dynadaux (reg) Cyndy Senff Del Valle, TX 512-247-2152 www.dynadaux.com

Handled by Breeder/Owner Cyndy Senff *The Dog News Top Ten List 2011- Breed points

Dog News 85

CClick lick TAKE THE LEAD benefit

BY GAREEN THORN

Sacramento Kennel Club Photos by EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

86 Dog News

Dog News 87

An Interview With James P. Crowley Continued FROM page 84

W

ithout a doubt, Crowley has been an integral part of the growth and shaping of AKC. He’s a wealth of knowledge not just about the history of AKC but about its operations. Of course it’s part of his professional background to have an astute understanding of those things. What’s remarkable is the depth of his love for his job and his admiration for the organization he serves. He’s also a very warm and welcoming person. In his presence, one feels as if they’ve just come through the front door of his home.

He took me on a tour of the AKC library and showed me some amazing exhibits. One was a big table at one end of the library. “This is the original table used by the Board of Directors,” he told me. Indeed, in looking at pictures he sent me from decades ago, there was the table. Visitors to the Library can sit at the same table. Oh, if only it could talk! Crowley observed: “Practically any book written about dogs is in this library. Every issue of The AKC Gazette is archived here.” We had some fun looking up one of the articles I wrote for the Gazette (“The Changing Role of Ring Stewards”—Sept. 1994 feature article).

Outside the entrance of the Library, Crowley stopped at a display case full of walking sticks. “This collection was donated to us a while ago,” commented Crowley. I marveled at the gorgeous display of carved and cast canine heads adorning the tops of beautiful wooden walking sticks. The collection is probably priceless. It also has a few surprises. “Word has it some of them were designed to hold derringers or swords,” chuckled Crowley.

He pointed to paintings on the walls and remarked, “The art collection of AKC is extremely valuable, and irreplaceable. In years past, we invested some money, when we

88 Dog News

had it, in some important pieces. Now, with the need to use revenue elsewhere, we rely strictly on donations.” It’s part of Crowley’s job to oversee the care and maintenance of the collection.

I asked Crowley about the future. “Now that you’ve gone through your first 40 years here, what do you think the next 40 will be like?”, I wondered. We had a good laugh, but then he turned pensive. “As long as I’m wanted here, I have no intention of retiring in the immediate future. I’d say maybe 3-5 years. Or I might stay as long as health and politics allow.

People ask me what I’d like to do when I retire and I answer ‘What I’m doing now!’ It’s one of those jobs that fits that saying ‘If you find a job you love you’ll never work a day in your life’’.” Crowley added, “I never took up golf or tennis—things people often enjoy in retirement. My weekends have often been filled with attending dog events, so those other things never became an interest for me.”

Crowley had these thoughts about the future existence of AKC: “Hopefully it will still be here, and still thriving. Hopefully we can stem the loss of registrations. We’ll never get to a million and a half registrations again, but maybe we can retain what we have and increase our market share so we’re a vibrant registry with access to all dog owners. We can’t become a ‘boutique registry’ for just the people that show purebred dogs. We need to become a registry for all dogs, retain our purebred status while serving the interests of our companion dog owners. Hopefully we can accommodate the mixed breed owners and find ways to expand our revenues so we can be useful to the fancy and not have to retract our services.”

I wondered about the location of AKC. Does Crowley see a time when NYC won’t be the center of the AKC universe? He had this response: “No, I think we’ll always have a presence at least in the foreseeable future. New York City is the media capital of the country. While our operations are primarily in North Carolina and the bulk of our people are there, we need a presence in New York. We are often on network TV and cable. That opportunity frequently presents itself overnight.

Because of our being here in NYC we can respond quickly to those requests. If we were located in St. Louis or Raleigh, we wouldn’t be in a position to take advantage of these media opportunities. You can’t buy this type of publicity that we receive by responding quickly because we are accessible.”

Crowley lives in Long Island, NY, with his lovely wife Ann. He has two Cavaliers named Marcell, a Black and Tan; and Oliver, a Tri. Nobody in the family is involved in the dog sport. “They probably figure I spend my days cleaning kennels. I have to put up with the ‘business is going to the dogs’ jokes,” laughed Crowley. “People know my name of course, and if you have a document going back decades with my signature, then you might expect to see some gray-haired old man with a cane who’s 90 years old.”

James P. Crowley is far from a doddering old man. Spending a few hours with him makes one appreciate the professionalism, thoughtfulness, and skill that drives a man who has been a strong influence and indeed shaped the AKC over his decades of service. Jim Crowley has never shown a dog to a championship, he’s never bred a litter of puppies, and he’s never judged a show. Yet, he’s had an enormous impact on the sport of purebred dogs. What a book he could write! •

Dog News 89

Click

Sacramento Kennel Club Photos by EUGENE Z. ZAPHIRIS

Click LIVONIA & OAKLAND KENNEL CLUBS

BY BOOTH PHOTOGRAPHY

90 Dog News

Dog News 91

FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Letters ToThe Editor

CORRECTION: n last week’s issue of Dog News, the Irish Red and White Setter Best of Breed winner at the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club was incorrectly identified. The correct winner was GCH. Aramis Farms High Road to Killary, owned by Debra Peterson and Judith Zawikowski.

I

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT -- 2012 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship Attracts Best in Bird Dogs -ew York, NY – Later this month, the 2012 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship will take place at the Ames Plantation near Grand Junction, Tennessee. The event has drawn an entry of 124 dogs, which includes 105 Field Champions. This is the largest number of AKC Pointing Breed Field Champions ever assembled for a single event. Field Champions from all nine of the major pointing breeds will be competing including many that placed in their breeds National Championship in 2011.

Grand Junction is rich in bird dog history. The town is home to the National Bird Dog Museum, which houses exhibits depicting the history of field trials as well as portraits and sculptures of some of the most famous bird dogs over the last 100 years. The first organized field trial in the United States was held near Memphis (just 60 miles from Grand Junction) in 1874 and the American Field National Championship has been held on the Ames Plantation since 1915. The AKC’s 2012 Championship will run from February 27th through March 10th over the Plantation’s 18,400 beautiful acres.

The trial will be one non-retrieving Championship stake consisting of two series and will run on wild quail. Each series will be one hour in length and six braces will run per day – three in the morning and three in the afternoon.

I encourage you to join the 2012 AKC Pointing Breed Gun Dog Championship Facebook group for the latest on the event. “Dogs of the Day” will be posted there once the event starts. We’ll also keep you up to date on event coverage and photos at www.akc.org/events/field_trials/pointing_breeds/ gun_dog_championships/.

We hope you enjoy the Championship!

Sincerely, Ron Menaker Chairman, American Kennel Club

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THE NOT SO LIGHTER SIDE OF JUDGING his is a follow up to the article I wrote regarding my experience while judging for the NGKC in China. Despite their promises of reimbursement for Diane Langstrom and me, neither of us has received any reimbursement from NGKC. I have asked the AKC to contact them on our behalf as AKC is closely associated with this organization. In spite of this, over two months since the incident, the NGKC has still not made good on their promise and in fact, fails to respond to my emails.

People were surprised that I said in my article that I would return to China despite the ordeal I experienced. I would like to clarify this. I would return to China, but not for the NGKC as their failure to provide a well trained employee to assist us was the reason for the theft. Their failure to respond displays a total disregard for their judges.

I have since learned of another judge (not for NGKC) who was brought to the venue the day before the show to walk around and see the vendors, etc. Her purse was snatched while she was holding it! Her representative from the club brought the judges to the show grounds and left.

He wasn’t there at the time of the theft. This judge also had her passport and visa stolen and had to go through the process of getting the paperwork done before she could leave the country. It is apparent that purse snatching is a huge problem and the organizations over there need to be far more vigilant with their foreign judges.

Marjorie Martorella Millstone Township, NJ

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92 Dog News

£1.5 MILLION LOAN AGREEMENT SIGNED IN FIGHT AGAINST CANINE CANCER he Kennel Club signalled its commitment to the fight against canine cancer as it signed its formal loan agreement with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) to fund the building of the Kennel Club Cancer Centre.

Members of the Kennel Club agreed, at a Special General Meeting held in November, to loan the charity £1.5 million interest-free to enable the state-of-theart radiotherapy facility to be built at the AHT’s site in Suffolk.

The loan will significantly speed up the building and development of the centre, which will be known as the Kennel Club Cancer Centre. The AHT is confident that the new facility, which will complement its surgery and chemotherapy facilities, will be treating patients in the second-half of 2012.

Dr. Peter Webbon, Chief Executive of the Animal Health Trust, said: “Signing this agreement is a big step forward in our fight against cancer. We are extremely grateful to the Kennel Club for supporting this project and enabling us to advance our investigations into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.”

The Kennel Club Cancer Centre will contribute to the AHT’s well-established cancer research programme. This programme brings together the expertise of the AHT’s clinical oncology team, its molecular scientists and geneticists to investigate different cancers and different aspects of cancers in animals.

Cancer is the most common cause of death in dogs and it is hoped that the Kennel Club Cancer Centre will help to reduce this.

Steve Dean, Kennel Club Chairman, said: “The Kennel Club Charitable Trust has been funding the work of the Kennel Club Genetics Centre at the Animal Health Trust, which looks at inherited canine diseases and developing DNA tests to prevent their spread.

This new Cancer Centre offers the opportunity to work together, to look at the genetic causes of cancer in order to help improve the future health of our dogs.”

Laura Quickfall London, England

T

CRUFTS – THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT he greatest dog show on earth is coming to a phone near you. A brand new app is being launched in time for Crufts 2012, to give you all the latest dog news and updates throughout the show this March.

Including weather forecasts, all things social, a map of how to get to the NEC and even Crufts live streaming, the app promises to be an essential companion throughout the world’s favourite dog event.

The app is a must for anyone coming to Crufts - with a calendar of daily events that syncs to your phone, it promises to alert you whenever the next great competition or display is about to start. For those who can’t make it to the show in person this year, you can use the app to watch the event live through the Crufts YouTube channel and also receive real time updates from the Kennel Club Twitter feed.

The app is available to anyone with an iPhone, iPad, iTouch, Android, BlackBerry or other mobile device from www.cruftsapp.com.

Fern Howard London, England

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Dog News 93

94 Dog News

Dog News 95

HANDLER’S

Directory Robert A. Fisher Kaki Fisher

Jessy & Roxanne Sutton Professional Dog Handlers

Specializing in Terriers and Working Dogs

Professional Dog Handlers Frakari Kennels 194 Quivey Hill Road/P.O. Box 204 Middle Granville, NY 12849 518.642.9225 KNL • 440.813.6388 c 12.09 kakifisher@earthlink.net

Jessy artofhandling@hotmail.com phone: 215-778-1253 7.09 12.12

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Roxanne roxannestamm@hotmail.com phone: 513-235-2099

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(email)

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Diana Wilson

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Office: 760-723-9564 Cell: 626-277-7172 t1saxon@roadrunner.com 1.11

96 Dog News

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DOG COSTS Continued FROM page 50

Tee drops the anchor at the sight of the veterinary clinic and the power of a D11R, the largest bulldozer made by Caterpillar, will barely get her moving again.

Duke jumped into the fracas with the feral cat and sustained a couple of wounds which added to the costs at the vet clinic of putting Belle back together again took the bill well into the three figure bracket.

and receipts but also the dogs’ registration papers, title certificates and several copies of magazines which contained photos of my dogs carrying birds, sitting among decoys, frozen on point or posed on a podium with a spiffily clad handler and a smiling judge holding a rosette.

“Dog ownership is a necessity if you are a dog writer,” I said. “Farmers have tractors and combines, carpenters write off expenses for hammers, saws and other tools. I have hunting dogs. It’s the same thing. They are necessary ‘tools’ for my business.”

Giving me the kind of look Martha Stewart would reserve for someone who brought a sack of sliders from White Castle to one of her dinner parties, the IRS agent grudgingly said, “Well, I guess I’ll allow it. It must be a business because no one in their right mind would spend that kind of money on something that wasn’t producing income.” After a second or two pause, she disdainfully added, “I can’t imagine anyone spending that much money on cats!”

Clearly it was taking every ounce of her selfrestraint to keep from crumpling my tax forms and hurling them into the nearest garbage can.

I didn’t think it was prudent to explain to

the cat-loving IRS agent that one of the highest vet bills resulted from an encounter with an enormous feral cat hunting the same birds as the dogs and I. The cat, which I swear had to be half puma, took umbrage at the competition and attacked Belle, my Brittany.

While the cat ultimately did not survive the battle simply because Duke, one of the Chesapeakes, jumped into the fray to help the Brit, it definitely didn’t go down without a fight as it utilized every weapon at its disposal up to and including a barbed wire fence. The cost incurred at the vet clinic putting Belle back together after the battle and patching up a couple of wounds on Duke was well into three figures.

Putting aside the occasional nightmarish contact with the IRS, owning a dog is expensive. Not only are the dogs themselves pricey, and it doesn’t seem to matter if you buy them or breed them yourself, but the minimum amount of equipment needed to outfit them is at least as costly as outfitting two kids playing both football and hockey and I have way more than the minimum. There are beeper collars, electronic training collars, dummies, dummy launchers, wingers, collars, leashes, bird releasers and the training birds themselves. My electronic dog training equipment is so technologically advanced it would compare favorably with that found in the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor, which has been called the most outstanding fighter plane ever built. Certainly it cost about as much.

In addition to all the stuff needed for dog training and the dog food and the travel expenses and the motel bills and the handler’s fees and the cost of restaurant meals at events and hunting, there are vet bills. Bobby, the one with the digestive issues, has made uncountable visits to his friendly veterinarian who has become ever more friendly after enjoying numerous vacations in exotic locales on the money she has collected from his many appearances in her waiting room. The last time, she paused midway through her examination, to tell her receptionist to book another mid-winter trip to Fiji because this bout of digestive distress could probably easily cover the travel cost. He has to have a diet of special food which is the equivalent of Maine Lobster in a Hennessy XO Cognac cream sauce in cost. Whenever I show up at the clinic to buy a bag of his food, the receptionist smiles and tosses another brochure on vacations in Monaco into the vet’s inbox.

T

ee, one of my young dogs, has a serious anxiety attack the minute she grasps the fact that the trip in the truck, which a few minutes earlier she had enthusiastically endorsed, only led to the vet clinic. She drops the anchor at the sight of the clinic and the power of a D11R, the largest bulldozer made by Caterpillar, will barely get her moving again. But that is just the beginning. She is strong enough to tow a fully-loaded cement truck without stopping to pant but let her catch sight of a hypodermic needle and it’s her cue for a fullbore panic. When Tee is scheduled for a simple vaccination, the vet also books the local high school wrestling team to help hold her and she screams in mortal agony the entire time. The addition to the bill for the wrestlers’ efforts is substantial and that does not include the cost of their medical expenses for injuries incurred trying to keep her still enough for the vet to get a needle through her skin.

The last time we visited the veterinarian, she mentioned that her two children were fast approaching college age and she and her husband had been looking into the costs of the various institutions fancied by their offspring. She said the cost per year for the school at the top of her daughter’s list ran about 60 grand and unless her son managed to be accepted at either West Point or the Air Force Academy, the next choice on his list would cost about the same amount. Later in the visit, she asked when I planned to get a new puppy, apparently doing a little advance financial planning to determine whether there would be enough money to send the kids to the universities of their choice without having to forego regular tickets to the south sea islands. Since the youngest dogs occupying my couch are only four years old, given the costs they have already incurred, the vet, her husband and their children may not have to choose between tony vacation spas and tony universities.

Instead of “wisdom makes life endurable,” I think we dog owners would be far better off heeding the words of a college friend’s stereotypical Jewish mother who frequently offered this advice: “There are some things it’s better you shouldn’t know.”

Dog News 97

HANDLER’S

Directory Doug And Mandy Carlson AKC Registered Handlers

Doug 405 370-1447 Mandy 405 826-3884 5.12

8260 McColl Drive W Savage, Minnesota 55378 Phone: 952 890-6010 www.Bluffhighkennel.com

Aaron R. Wilkerson All Breed Professional Handler

Professional Dog Handler Murbe Kennels DHG, PHA & AKC Registered

P.O. Box 867 Wellborn, FL 32094

11293 Dunnigan Road Emmett, Michigan 48022

803 421.9832

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E mail: murbe_boxers@msn.com Web site: www.murbeboxers.com

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SHOWDOG HANDLERS

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98 Dog News

Guy H. Fisher

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5540 San Miguel Rd. Bonita, California 91902

Bruce: 951 314-8357 Tara: 951 515-0241

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The American Kennel Club Registered Handlers Program applauds Adam Bernardin for the Group First at the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club

Ž For more information on the American Kennel Club’s Registered Handlers Program contact: www.akc.org/handlers handlers@akc.org (919) 816-3884 Dog News 99

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2.10

100 Dog News

Some Angels Have Wings, Others Have Tails Continued FROM page 61

Note: Dogs are never put in situations where they could be harmed, i.e., people never fall on them during training exercises.

Kim and Karma, the spokesteam for the event, do some stretching to ready themselves for the upcoming Fifth Third River Bank Run for which Paws With A Cause is a Charity Partner.

PHOTO Courtesy Paws With A Cause

For more information PAWS placed more than 2,400 assistance dog teams during the past 32 years. Between six and ten percent of the dogs placed were Seizure Response Dogs. Although it costs more than $30,000 to train a Seizure Response Dog, each is placed at no charge to the recipient thanks to the generous donations of individuals. For more information about PAWS, the Seizure Response Dogs it trains or to make a financial or puppy donation, those interested may visit http:// www.pawswithacause. org/Home/tabid/616/ Default.aspx

PHOTO by Rene Cromer

Kim and Karma on a catamaran trip during a Paws With A Cause cruise to Mexico in 2010, which promoted independent travel.

Seizure Alert Dogs

An estimated 15 percent of dogs are naturally able to predict seizures before they occur. These dogs alert approximately 45 minutes in advance of a seizure. While not proven, it’s believed these dogs sense an oncoming seizure either by noticing subtle changes in the person’s behavior or by smelling changes in the person’s body chemistry. The dog alerts the person to the oncoming seizure by exhibiting attention getting behavior such as pawing or barking.

Unfortunately, seizure alerting is not a behavior that a dog can be trained to do. That’s because no one, including scientists, knows exactly how and why certain dogs have the natural ability to do it. However, this kind of alerting behavior is most likely to happen when there is a strong, long-term bond between the person and the dog.

For example, several Seizure Response Dogs trained by PAWS developed the ability to alert to oncoming seizures after several years of being with their recipient despite the fact the dogs were never trained to do it.

Watch Dog

Kim Virden’s Seizure Response Dog, Karma, gives the term “watch dog” new meaning. When she was 17, Virden suffered a traumatic brain injury during a skiing accident. She’s had seizures for the past 33 years as a result. She says her Seizure Response Dog is her lifeline; that Karma is always watching over her.

“Seven years ago, I lost a 34-year-old friend who died because he was laying face down when he had a seizure,” Virden says. “He suffocated in his pillow in the middle of the night. Like me, he lived alone. So, there was no one there to help him or call the paramedics.

“If he’d had a Seizure Response Dog, it would have hit the paw pad [medic alert button] and summoned medical assistance. It also would have run back to him and tried to arouse him by licking his face or pawing him. If there’s no one there to arouse you, you’re more likely to remain unconscious. A Seizure Response Dog wouldn’t have allowed that to happen.”

Her friend’s death was an eye-opener for Virden.

That’s when she decided to apply for a Seizure Response Dog. A change for the better Karma came into her life two years later. (That’s how long it takes to get a Seizure Response Dog after applying for one.) Since then, Virden’s stress level has been reduced greatly. She credits a 50 percent reduction in the frequency of her seizures to that reduction in stress.

“The best part of having Karma is that I’m more relaxed. Because I’m more relaxed, I have fewer seizures,” she says.

Karma’s arrival also affected virden’s family and friends.

Continued on page 280 “Everybody’s anxiety level dropped measurably since Karma came into my life. My family and close friends used to be on pins and needles all the time before I got her. They’d panic if they couldn’t reach me on my cell phone. My friends would drive over to my house night or day to check on me. It was especially difficult for my parents. They felt helpless because they live two hours away.

“Now, that I have Karma, all that has changed. Everyone can relax and get a good night’s sleep because they know she’ll call for help if I need it. I no longer feel like a burden to my family and friends because they don’t have to constantly check on me anymore,” Virden says.

Karma accompanies her everywhere.

“She’s been on gondolas with me, accompanied me on a cruise and traveled to the top of mountains. Although I traveled before I got her, I never could fully enjoy vacations because I always felt an underlying anxiety. It’s such a wonderful feeling to know that if something happens, Karma will take care of me.”

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