Every February seemingly everyone involved in the sport of purebred dogs makes the trip to snowy New York to worship at the Temple of The Garden – Madison Square Garden. They come for the show of shows, the one and only Westminster, America’s oldest dog show.
There are some youngsters who stand out from the crowd from the moment they are born. They have a combination of beauty and talent that endures as they mature to adulthood. Then, they burst on the scene as young adults and find adoring fans wherever they go. Such is the case with Freedom.
Last night I enjoyed a rare treat. My brother, my mother and I had dinner at a restaurant and got a chance to visit for a while. Don’t get me wrong. I love the big family gatherings and adventures, but sometimes it is nice to have a little more individualized, quieter time. Of course, present or not, the rest of the family doesn’t get left out of the conversation.
Despite 150 years of predictable, unvarying routine, dog shows never get boring. The volatility of breed popularity certainly contributes to the sport’s endless surprises. Some breeds rise to the top and remain securely ensconced there for decades. Then, without warning, they plummet into the abyss of anonymity. Equally often, fringe breeds rocket out of nowhere and suddenly dominate the game for no logical reason. This powerful undercurrent of purebred evolution says so much about the nature of this sport. The weird trajectory of Maltese success provides an unparalleled example.
Click here to read the complete article 86 – The Annual,2015-16 The Relationship Between Dominant and Recessive Genes By William Given A great many misconceptions seem to exist in the minds of novice and highly experienced breeders alike regarding the impact of dominant and recessive genes on phenotype. I believe this is primarily due to [...]
Click here to read the complete article 66 – The Annual,2015-16 BREEDERS • I will plan every breeding for the betterment of the breed. • I will refuse to breed my champion stud dog to unworthy bitches. • I will not breed more puppies than I can properly care for. • [...]
Pointers are one of the earliest breeds recognized by AKC, one of which is part of the logo of the Westminster Kennel Club. I was confident that I could find many breeder-judges to participate in this survey on the breed’s priorities. I was surprised to identify only twenty-four to contact and invite. Twenty-one agreed to do the survey. Fourteen completed surveys were returned.
This Thanksgiving I was sitting contentedly with my family after a sumptuous Turkey dinner with all the fixings. The bird had been done just right, the stuffing was out of this world, and there was plenty of one of my favorites, grapefruit Jello salad. Our two granddaughters and their parents had done the dishes, and we started to relax in front of the TV. Flipping through channels, with all of us real dog people, we stopped when a three-legged dog hopped across the screen. A rescue dog, we heard. What a nice thing that someone cared enough to give this dog a good life. Fascinatedly we stopped on that channel and watched a parade of various other similarly afflicted dogs with the pitch for rescue dog and especially shelter dog adoption increasing in intensity. Well-known performers made cameo appearances with that pitch. This was in prime time but not on a regular network channel. They were heart-wrenching stories, with tremendous emotional appeal for any compassionate person and animal lover. The message, beyond the obvious, was that breed did not matter.
This article’s main focus is how to evaluate the Coton de Tulear, aka the Coton, as a whole package. As with all breeds, there are some features that hold precedence. These priorities should be used when judging the Coton. One key fact to keep in mind while reading this article, as well as when judging these lovely dogs, is that they should be a balanced breed.
In 1970, Nike had a new athletic shoe they planned to bring to market. At the last minute the product release was delayed. This meant their whole ad campaign for that month around this shoe was also delayed. What could they do to fill the pre-bought ad space at the last minute? According to Terri Langhans, a Certified Speaking Professional who wrote a blog post about this, Nike asked their ad company to come up with something that would “just pat runners on the back.” What the agency came up with completely shifted the company’s focus in advertising into the new millennium.
