Looking Around With Lee – Buy the Show Dog…

By Lee Canalizo

This month, Michael Canalizo will share his story behind this month’s title, “BUY THE SHOW DOG… YOU’LL SEE THE WORLD”! It’s rather timely having just watched the 2018 Afghan Hound World Congress, The World Dog Show, and many snippets of dog events from around the globe. Here’s his story:

It all started in 1961 when the family went to buy an Afghan Hound from the famous “Grandeur Kennels”. Much has been written about its legendary founder: Miss Sunny Shay. During the puppy buying transaction, which included seeing puppies of various, ages, colors and sexes, the decision was narrowed down to two choices. My father, being the one who had to pay for the pup, asked the price for one of the two. Sunny announced she was $150… When asked about the second one, she replied, “she’s $200!” When my father, Jim, asked why the price difference, Sunny said, “Well dearie, one’s a pet, and the other has show potential”. And you all know what came next. Jim asked what’s the difference between a “Pet” and one with “Show Potential.” Sunny brightly declared, “Buy the show dog… you’ll see the world!”

Truer words were never spoken! Over fifty years in the sport, I can boast having been to every state in the USA and over 30 different countries! My first foray into the “International Jet Set” was in 1980 when I set about to gain an “International” title on Ch. Blu Shah of Grandeur because Sunny put one on her Ch. Shirkhan of Grandeur many years before. Of course, it was a much simpler time back then… It was an accepted practice to add “INT. Ch.” to your dog’s name if you had completed a Championship in at least three different countries. So, a trip to Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, or South America were the usual destinations for a USA dog. I achieved the basic requirements in short order, but then I decided to incorporate picking up puppies from a breeding done in Spain, with the World Dog Show in 1983 being held outside of Madrid. Check off one “World Dog Show Winner” title with a great win at the Breed and Group level. The entire excursion could make for a novella of sorts, but I will save that for another time…

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Posted by Alex on Oct 22 2018. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.