Meet the Breeds – Giving Back
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By Joan Harrigan
Owning a purebred dog makes you a de facto ambassador for the breed every time the two of you leave your home.
At its core, “Meet the Breeds” is a formal version of what most of us do almost daily—presenting our breeds to the public and answering their questions. Encouraged by the AKC as outreach, Meet the Breeds events are staged at dog shows, hosted by kennel clubs in pet supply store parking lots, or may take on gigantic proportions, as they did in New York in February. The AKC and Westminster Kennel Club-sponsored “Meet & Compete” at the Piers the Saturday before Westminster was a 95-breed extravaganza combined with action at the Masters Agility Championship.
To some of the exhibitors, it was “fun”—to others, “exhausting.” Representing a breed is a daunting task. First, there’s the booth set-up. It needs to be attractive and inviting, with visuals that represent and explain the breed, while providing room for the public to enter and interact with the dogs. The Pembroke Welsh Corgi fanciers had atmosphere nailed, as a volunteer dressed as Queen Elizabeth II used the royal wave to welcome visitors.
The booth staff needs to be knowledgeable, personable, and perhaps most importantly, patient. After all, they are going to be answering the same questions over and over, while maintaining a sense of humor. The dogs themselves need to have stable temperaments, be immaculately groomed, and good physical representatives of their breeds. And, it’s wise to bring back-up humans and dogs to these all-day events—both will need breaks from the public.
Education, More than Promotion
Giant breeds are showstoppers and always draw crowds. At the Leonberger booth, Pamela Isaacson of Boston, Mass. knows that her job is not so much to promote her breed as to ensure the public understands it. With their lion-like manes and sweet expressions, these huge dogs radiate goodwill. Leonbergers aren’t common in the U.S., and didn’t gain full AKC recognition until 2010. That said, they are now 93rd in AKC registrations, outranking the English Setter and other more familiar breeds.
The Leonberger display table holds large cartons of fluffy beige coat labeled simply “do they shed?” For a donation to rescue, visitors can take home a crocheted heart made of Leonberger fur—more effective than a flier in making its point. Isaacson points to her own Leo, GCh. Corleone Joyful Burton. At 6½ years old, he weighs 152 pounds. “This is not a casual dog to own,” she cautions. “They are very much like a child—they are clingy like a toddler and eat like a teen competing in sports.” In fact, Isaacson adopted Burton when his original owners gave him up at 16 months. “He came from Montreal, and knew only French commands,” she says. “He couldn’t even understand his name the way I pronounced it.” After solving the language problem and acclimating him to Boston, Isaacson thought “how hard could it be to show him?”
It was harder than she anticipated, yet exclusively owner-handled, Burton achieved his Grand Championship with two group placements. “He’s the most awesome dog ever!” she says. But that doesn’t mean that a Leonberger is for everyone. “As they age, you need to keep an eye out for weight gain, and be careful not to overexert them,” she says, “You really learn to read your dog.” When age makes climbing difficult, this is not a breed that can be picked up and carried upstairs. Puppy buyers think that day will never come, but Isaacson recommends teaching a Leonberger to do small steps and ramps when they are very young.
Her sentiments are echoed at booths for other mastiff breeds. Gabriel Razzano literally stops traffic outside the Neapolitan Mastiff booth with Pirate, who is also 6 years old and at 133 pounds weighs slightly less than Burton. Pirate isn’t a show dog—in fact, his story is a cautionary tale for buyers considering these giant breeds. “I got him as a puppy from a pound in New Jersey,” Razzano says. “He was just dropped there.” Razzano agrees that the large mastiff breeds aren’t for everyone. “They tend to be the leader if they can, and while they are great with kids, they will try to lead you.” As if to make his own point, Pirate planted his front paw on a visitor’s shoe, while doing his part for rescue—he wears a collection bag to encourage donations. It should be noted that breed rescue is a part of virtually display. This is Razzano’s fourth Meet the Breeds, and he doesn’t mind the effort it takes—“the public gets to see, handle, and touch the dogs,” he says. “And, they can talk to people who are experienced with the breed instead of getting a dog and ‘uh oh!’”
Pounds of Food in Means… Pounds of Food Out!
The Empire State Mastiff Fanciers wear medieval attire at their booth, but their message is clearly to educate, as well as to celebrate their breed’s origins. Reading the charts that line their booth is enough to make anyone think before acquiring a Mastiff puppy—and that’s just what they are intended to do.
“Living with a Mastiff or how a Mastiff will change your life completely,” is one heading. “Mastiff puppies grow to 75 pounds in just four months,” it continues. They mature at about 210 pounds—“expect your vet bills to be similarly large,” another sign warns. As for toys: “Never give a Mastiff a ball smaller than a soccer ball.”
And, perhaps most spectacularly: “A Mastiff will eat 33 pounds of food in 20 days, and 33 pounds in is 33 pounds out.” Pat Flanagan Borracci of Dix Hills, Long Island is accompanied by her two teenage daughters, Morgan and Veronica, all in costume. She heads the public education efforts of the Mastiff Club of America, and is very clear about why she does Meet the Breed events: “Your goal is not to talk people into the Mastiff—people can do that themselves. Your goal is to make sure that someone who shouldn’t have a Mastiff doesn’t get one,” she says.
Borracci feels that Meet the Breeds events are “the best time spent” in terms of providing education. She may talk to hundreds of people at an event like this, knowing that probably only five or six will be good matches for a Mastiff. She says that it’s a good sign when a person returns to the booth several times, each time asking more questions.
The “designer dog” fad is a concern for many purebred dog fanciers, and sadly, Mastiff breeders aren’t exempt. The “American Mastiff,” is a crossbreed including the Anatolian Shepherd and the Mastiff. “The goal was to get a Mastiff that doesn’t drool as much,” she says. However, Anatolians were bred to protect flocks from predators and not for a welcoming attitude toward strangers. Add that to a dog the size of a Mastiff—“What you’ve got is a loaded gun,” Borracci says. “If you want a dog that doesn’t drool, don’t buy one with jowls.”
“A giant breed is a giant commitment,” she says. That commitment should include taking the puppy to training classes. And about those classes—“A Toy Poodle can stand comfortably in a Mastiff collar,” another visual states. “We do not recommend the use of a Mastiff collar as an exercise wheel for Toy Poodles.”
Breed Popularity Changes with the Times
Other breeds are both familiar and increasingly rare. Jackie Caruso of Ridgefield, Conn. mans the Collie booth despite being on crutches. The Collie is a breed that virtually everyone can identify—“there’s Lassie!” However, as Caruso observes sadly, “you just don’t see them as much anymore.” She’s been in Collies for 30 years—her first was a Christmas present from her husband. “Breeds go through fads, and then retire,” Caruso explains. “The Collie’s heyday was the 1950s and ‘60s. Today, people are afraid of the grooming, but it’s actually less than on the breeds that have to be clipped by a professional. It’s a shame—their temperaments are so easy to live with that it’s a small price to pay for the hair.”
Judy Virchow of Bolton, Conn. agrees. She’s there with her 6-year-old blue merle, “Miley Rae,” named by the granddaughter who helped raise her. “People actually stop their cars when they see me walking a Collie,” she says. Caruso and Virchow view Meet the Breeds as a way to educate the public about Collies, and also to explain their role as purebred dog breeders, in a climate where they feel more and more on the defensive.
At the Sealyham Terrier booth, owner Irwin Shapiro of Marlboro, N.J. is glad to talk about a breed now rarely seen outside the show ring. “Sealyhams were in vogue in the 1920s and ‘30s,” he says. Later, a host of celebrities owned them— Alfred Hitchcock, Cary Grant, Princess Margaret, and Jane Russell among them. Now, they are declining in numbers to the point that they are on the “vulnerable breeds” list compiled by the United Kingdom’s Kennel Club. Shapiro himself has bred one litter, but found it too hard to see the puppies leave to want to repeat the experience. As for their decline in popularity—“there are so many terriers to choose from,” he sighs. Yet, he’s quick to point out that they are wonderful pets—alert, family-oriented, with a comical streak.
If you picture a Sealyham owner, you might think of a tweedy professorial-type or a retired couple living in the city. Josh Rubin, who has come to help out at the booth, lives in New York City but has a very different vibe. Young, tattooed, and distinctly urban, Rubin grew up with an Irish Setter, a Newfoundland, and several “big mutts.” He’s the editor-in-chief of Cool Hunting, an internet publication covering trends in style, technology, travel, and living. “I wanted a small dog with a big dog personality,” Rubin explains. “Sealyhams are hardy, not fragile, and have a great balance of personality and energy, without being ‘too much’.” Rubin’s two Sealys accompany him to work, and are featured on Cool Hunting’s website. He’s glad to help at the booth, knowing that he might attract some interest from the younger attendees. “It’s overwhelming,” he says. “There are just so many breeds, and so few people know this one.”
It’s a long day, a lot of work, and for those who have traveled to represent their breeds, an expensive endeavor, as well. A bit like a dog show, but without the opportunity to win points. There’s no reason for a breeder or owner to spend a February Saturday dealing with crowds and answering the same questions over and over. No reason—except devotion to a breed that has come to be much more than a pet, a hobby, or a sport. When a breed becomes a passion, this is a way to give back.
Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=101508
Posted by ralbee
on Apr 12 2016. Filed under Current Articles, Editorial, Featured.
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