Memories of Dr. Elsie

By Jay Hyman (Rollingsridgebacks.com)

Today, as the sun came up, before it was hot, I took two Ridgebacks (age 12 and 4) for a ride because they love to go for a ride in the minivan. We drove through the country where some garages are larger than the houses.

In my seventh decade of raising Rhodesian Ridgebacks, I looked back on my first dog show in 1941, where I showed a Wire Fox Terrier at the old Shouse Estate which is now Reston, Virginia. I focused on what we do for our dogs. They give us so much comfort and peace, and we often take them for granted.

Some breeders do not take their dogs for granted, and one of those Dr. Elsie Neustadt of Rudel Greyhounds. Dr. Neustadt came to the USA with her husband while fleeing the Holocaust in Germany where she set up a practice in Massachusetts. Elsie was a psychiatrist. Her hobby was breeding Greyhounds, and she bred some of the best in the country at that time.  Her kennel name was Rudel, and she had many of the best Greyhounds “in the day”.  In the ‘60s, ‘70s and the ‘80s her dogs won numerous BOB, BIS, and Greyhound Specialties. One of her dogs won the Hound Group at the Garden. His name was CH. Argus of Greywitch and he also sired 33 champions.  Her handlers were Tom Gately, Damara Bolté and Richard Bauer. Dr. Neustadt typically, even when “old”, would put her dogs in a station wagon and drive for hours to go to shows up and down the East Coast. She would sit for hours each day telling stories or giving advice to those who appreciated it.

Dr. Neustadt had many great dogs, but my favorite story is about a bitch she had who loved to go to shows. The bitch was old and sick, and it was time to end her pain. She made a reservation at a motel, local to her home, and took her old girl there for the weekend, pretending it was a dog show. Then Dr. Neusdadt took her home for what had to be done.

Dogs are luckier than people, and some owners like “Elsie” are great.

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Posted by admin on Jul 25 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Featured, Remembering Our Past?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.