“Author Archive”
Stories written by ralbee
As many sporting, hound, terrier and even a few Poodle owners decide they owe it to their dogs to give them the opportunity to do what the breeds were intended to do, hunt, the odds increase that someone in their circle of friends and acquaintances will regard the dog owners as rating somewhere below child molesters and axe murders. And, the odds are also good that the dog owners will find themselves in hostile conversations with anti-hunters and quite possibly awkward ones with non-hunters. So, you need to have some idea of how to deal with these folks.
January 2nd, 2021 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
The dog walking routine has cycled through countless fads and stages. And I’ve done it long enough to observe plenty of this unfolding drama. Back in prehistoric times, I was the lone dog walker pounding the pavement.
December 21st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
The English Springer Spaniel evolved from land spaniels developed in England, differentiated initially by behavior (springing) and size (bigger). It is the most popular sporting spaniel according to AKC’s 2014 registration statistics. The breed is very competitive in the sporting group, with multiple English Springers often ranked among the top twenty sporting dogs.
November 26th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Throughout the 1930s and ‘40s Madeleine and James Austin campaigned some of the era’s most legendary dogs under their respective Catawba and Wissaboo banners. Of course, many famous couples have reigned at the top of the dog game. Their substantial accomplishments are generally attributed to cooperative effort. The Austins revised that formula in one notable respect. When it came to that perennially cutthroat business of campaigning specials, they were definitely not teammates.
November 25th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Dog Show History,Featured,Remembering Our Past? | Read More »
As a rule, dog people confront things head on without recourse to fantasy or rationalization. That overriding, collective personality trait is therefore difficult to reconcile with our secret vice– an enduring fascination with supernatural dog stories.
October 21st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
One would have to be far out of the loop if they weren’t catching some of the controversy that has been escalating of late when it comes to the topic of the Owner vs. the Professional Handler. I think my recent articles may have precipitated others to pen their thoughts on this hot button. Oh well…I might have been one of the first…but I won’t be the last to try and figure out what the disconnect on this might be.
October 14th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
AKC exhibitors have become accustomed to new breeds popping up in the group lineups. In many respects, their presence represents a refreshing turnaround from AKC’s traditional begrudging reluctance to admit new breeds. They didn’t do it very often, and when they did, the process was generally a chaotic affair. Over the years, breeds have been admitted to the studbook sans viable gene pools, written standards, or organized clubs.
October 13th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Uniformity and predictability are familiar allegations leveled at our sport by purebred detractors. Among the breeds frequently targeted to illustrate the detrimental impact of that objective is, rather ironically, the Bulldog.
October 4th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
German Shepherd Dogs are in a class by themselves. In 2014, they had over 150 independent specialty shows, not including designated specialties or supported entries or herding group shows. Some dogs can and do show only at specialty shows. And since there are over 200 breeder-judges, specialty judges at specialties usually outdraw the entry at all-breed shows.
September 6th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
In 1920, the late, great poet Robert Frost published a book of poetry titled Mountain Interval. Contained within this slim volume was his famous poem, “The Road Not Taken,” which virtually every high school English student in the 1960s and ‘70s and probably to this day had to read, analyze and sometimes memorize.
September 4th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
