The Great Ones – Ch. Kabik’s The Challenger
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By Kerrin Winter-Churchill
All dog lovers understand the bittersweet irony that the life of a dog is much too short. While they’re with us, we cherish their company and when they’ve passed on, they live forever in our hearts. Some charismatic creatures have captured our imagination through their breathtaking careers and champion producing progeny. In their time, these canine superstars set the dog world on fire with a brightly burning torch that we’ll carry with us always. These are the dogs known as “The Great Ones”.
Turn your eyes inward to the shores of the Pacific and gaze out into the distance of a rolling, turquoise sea. Emerging with the crest of a roaring wave, a beautiful young man rises onto his surfboard, balanced between wind and water, twisting and turning as he races toward shore. Turn your eyes inward to Madison Square Garden and gaze out into the distance of its smooth emerald sea. Emerging with the crest of a roaring crowd, a glorious Afghan Hound rises with the energy flowing through his lead, balanced between spotlight and velvety darkness. He races toward history with a ground-covering stride. There’s an unlimited source of strength that lives deep within a quiet mind. Its endless power meets every change with a freedom of expression derived from a studied discipline of training and practice.
When Chris Terrell piloted Ch. Kabik’s The Challenger out onto that sea of emerald green, all noise and distraction fell away. Turning inward, a focused confidence surged through his hands, enabling the great hound to reveal his very essence as the king of all dogs.
Known as ‘Pepsi’ by his many adoring fans, the magnificent black-and-tan Afghan Hound had been crowned Showdog of the Year for 1982 just one month before Chris Terrell showed him to his Westminster Best In Show. They won this great honor as an owner-handler team.
Of all the good dogs out at the time, Chris and Pepsi were quite possibly the least advertised, and almost certainly, their pockets were the most threadbare. Like now, the early 1980s was a time of bank-rolled show dogs traveling from coast to coast in motorhomes, supported to their wins with expansive (and costly) ad campaigns. There’s nothing wrong with showing dogs in grand style. Everyone wishes for it, but few have the resources to show on that level.
Some say a dog can’t get to the top without an unlimited bank account. Discouraged by those words, many dreamers quietly tuck their most tender hopes away, but Chris Terrell says, “Don’t you believe it.” An ardent dreamer would do well to heed Terrell’s words. As the saying goes, “a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” For Chris Terrell, his journey to the top of dogdom took a mere 10 years, one step at a time.
Santa Cruz Surfer Meets an Exiled King
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Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=206558
Posted by Jane Alston-Myers
on Jul 8 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Dog Show History, Featured.
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