Remembering Karen Prickett-Miller

Karen Prickett-Miller

August 25, 1941 – May 26, 2022

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of one of our sport’s greatest characters of modern times. Karen Prickett-Miller died May 27, 2022, at 11:15 Thursday morning. She was surrounded by those that so lovingly cared for her in these past months as she declined after two falls.

Those who knew Karen well often referred to her as “one of our sport’s unsung heroes.” She was a student, a mentor, a serious breeder, a master trimmer and an impeccable dog trainer and handler.

Karen was an only child, born to loving parents and was raised in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. Studious and deeply intelligent, Karen excelled in both academics and music. Her talent with the violin won for her a spot at the University of Cincinnati College- Conservatory of Music where she excelled in classical violin. After college Karen went on to play with the Cincinnati Philharmonic Orchestra where she was destined for greatness had the dog world not come calling.

Beginning with her parent’s English Springer Spaniel, Karen began taking Obedience classes. She excelled at that, too, and quickly put a High in Trial on her parent’s Springer. At a dog show, English Springer Spaniel breeders Louise and John Greeno watched Karen working her parent’s dog and approached her. Soon after, Karen was working for the Greenos, first putting obedience titles on their dogs which she then began showing. Karen said, “I realized I had to make a decision about my career; dogs or violins, and the dogs won.”

Eventually, the Greenos added English Cocker Spaniels to the Loujon name, and Karen helped with their breeding operation of all the dogs. When the Greenos retired, they signed over the kennel prefix “Loujon” to Karen who carried the name on to great acclaim.

Karen soon met famed English Springer Spaniel breeder Julia Gasow, and the two became great friends. Mrs. Gasow was a good mentor to Karen, and she learned so much. Karen was in the background when the great English Springer Spaniel, Champion Salilyn Aristocrat, won Best in Show at Spaniel Club in 1967 and she was also there when “Risto’s” son, Ch. Chinoe’s Adamant James, won the same show in 1972 followed by back-to-back Best In Show wins at Westminster Kennel Club in 1971 and 1972. It was during this period that Karen met the veterinarian, Dr. “Mickey” Prickett, who owned Adamant James (known as DJ). The two fell in love and together they began an ESS breeding program of their own using the Loujon prefix. In 1974, a son of DJ, Ch. Loujon Executor, won Best in Show at Spaniel Club under the great dog man, Mr. Ellsworth Howell. Executor was also a Group winner at Westminster that year–both times handled by Karen. In 1984 Karen piloted another English Springer (this one, her all-time favorite) Ch. Loujon’s Black Label to Best in Show at the American Spaniel Club under the respected AKC judge, Mrs. William Whitney Clark.

While her roots were in Springers, Karen was beloved by English Cocker fanciers, too. In 1996 Karen showed the great English Cocker Spaniel, Ch. Blarney Divil Made Me Do It, to Best in Show at the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America. The following year, this very same team won Best in Show at the American Spaniel Club dog show.

Today, our youngest dog fanciers will remember Karen as a specialist in English Toy Spaniels. Some say Karen ‘put legs on the breed’ because in her capable hands, they really could fly. In her long association with the ETS, Karen won the U.S. National Specialty eight times between 2000 and 2021. She also won the French Club Show (the French Equivalent to our National) with dogs of her breeding three times with three generations of her own dogs. Probably her most famous English Toy Spaniel was the one we all knew as “Venture”–Ch. Loujon’s Backroad Adventure–who won the Breed the ETS National Specialty, Westminster Kennel Club and Crufts Kennel Club where there was a record breed entry of 148.

In her lifetime, she won many specialties and her association with English Springer Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, and later English Toy Spaniels, kept her in the limelight almost until her death. Mickey Prickett died in 1985. Many years later, Karen married Jim Miller who was her helper and beloved companion until 2019 when he died following complications from a fall.

Karen was a mentor to many over the years, and if one admires top pros such as Robin Novack, Tony Vacha, and Kellie Fitzgerald, tip your hat to Karen Prickett-Miller. All three started out with guidance from the Mistress of Loujon and have made great names in their own right.

This writer must give vast credit to Karen for setting my feet on the right track with both English Cocker and English Toy Spaniels. Co-breeding with Karen has been one of those gifts that keeps on giving, and even though Karen now guides us all from a different point of view, we can still reach deep inside to hear her encouragement, her laugh, or her warning to move in a different direction. Karen was a gift to us all. The show really must go on, and it can because we knew Karen.

Written by Kerrin Winter-Churchill

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=232852

Posted by showresults on May 28 2022. 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.