Looking Back With Lee – Remembering Dr. Frank Booth

By Lee Canalizo

Our wonderful sport has produced more than a few generations of great canines in the past, and our sphere of notables of the human kind has some powerful contributors within a family, but few span across three or more generations. This month I’d like to look back at one very recognizable family in the game…starting with the patriarch of the Booths, Dr. Frank Booth, DVM.

To the veteran reader, his name conjures up a warm and gentle smile. Most who knew him will always remember his calm demeanor and considered him a “staple” in the dog community. To me, I will forever remember his kind face and the sweet congratulations when he awarded me the first points I was ever to receive. I actually could feel his excitement of seeing the joy he brought to the newbie in the Afghan Hound ring. Little did I know then that this wonderful judge had some impressive credentials to back up his decisions.

Frank was an accomplished veterinarian in addition to being a breeder of Wire Fox Terriers. He was from Elkhart, Indiana and along with his wife Lenore raised two sons, Frank, Jr. and Martin. Frank’s vocation as a veterinarian enabled him to have a practice that catered to dog breeders, and during World War II he played a vital role with the Dogs for Defense program that supported our troops. His veterinary expertise was sought when Gaines Dog Food needed a host for their movie on Movement and the Dog. He would become the first veterinarian to hold an All Breed Judges License.

Their St. Joe Kennel name bred many champions and the Booths were founding members of the Wire Fox Terrier Club of the Central States and the Michiana Kennel Club. I guess after knowing this, it would come as no surprise that Frank would be a close friend to other Terrier greats from the region including Mr. George Ward and Mr. Thomas H. Carruthers, III

If his practice and showing weren’t enough, Frank took on the position of Secretary for the American Animal Hospital Association. Along with this came the need to travel extensively, much of this travel being international. Long before it was fashionable, Frank became a very popular and sought-after judge in many countries. He was once quoted as saying, “I judged my way around the world twice”!

Frank and Lenore epitomized the dog show “family” and I’m told their son Marty got his foot in the door of dog show photography quite by accident. Seems while attending a show with his parents, Marty, (who was a fledging photographer of the “modeling” kind) was called in to take pictures of the winners when the official photographer didn’t show up. And as they say, “the rest is history”! Martin Booth Photography was born. Marty would marry Phoebe Jordan and for many years Martin Booth Photography took the best pictures in the Midwest… that is until the third generation came of age. The fancy took a huge hit with the premature loss of Marty to a heart attack in 1985. I’m not positive about the transition, but Phoebe eventually would gravitate back to handling dogs, which she had to sideline when she married the ever so busy photographer, and Marty’s son, Kim, would carry on the Booth dynasty behind the lens. My son will credit Kim for some of his favorite pictures of all time. It seems the Booths (and now we have Angela Booth shooting as well as breeding some beautiful Papillons) all had and have an innate talent to capture the moment, much to the delight of their many clients.

It seems not too long ago (but I bet it has been a few years) that Michael came to me with a sad look to tell me that Lenore had passed. It seems that many years ago the two had met as casual spectators watching some judging and struck up a chat, neither knowing the other’s background until they reveled their “pedigrees”. Both faithfully found time to visit at the Sarasota shows each January. It was a “Same time, Same place, Next year” sort of affair. For many years the first thing Michael would do was to seek out Lenore in the seats at Robart’s Arena. The seemingly odd couple would sit and talk dogs for hours. Michael thought she had a great eye on so many breeds and often would lament on how many people would miss a precious opportunity for not having the time to sit for a spell and strike up a conversation with the petite lady with the gigantic wealth of knowledge within.

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Posted by admin on Apr 26 2020. Filed under Dog Show History, Featured, Remembering Our Past?. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.