Remembering Estelle Cohen

By Tom Grabe

It is with great sorrow that we report the passing of Estelle Cohen. Anyone who showed dogs during the ‘80s, ‘90s and mid-2000s will remember Estelle’s warm smile and graceful demeanor in the ring. She judged the Sporting, Working and Herding groups and was as popular amongst her peers as she was with the exhibitors who paid for her opinion.

Estelle was a revered breeder of Great Danes under the Barrister prefix. She was an honorary member of the Great Dane Club of America and she judged the GDCA National Specialty in 1994. She was truly an iconic figure in the breed.

Personally, I had many fond memories of Estelle both in and out of the ring. One of my favorite stories has nothing to do with the top winning dogs we showed, but rather a class bitch. The first year Australian Shepherds were recognized, we were given some veteran dogs and bitches to finish for Frank Baylis of Bayshore Australian Shepherds. He trusted us with an older bitch named Beaver. This was a dog I wish we had in her prime as she was still outstanding at the age of 13. We finished her with two 5-point majors, a 4-pointer and two singles. Her finishing points, a 5-point major, came under Estelle at the Cleveland Classic in December. Estelle was so kind to Beaver and fell in love with her structure and incredible movement. When the photo was taken, we told her Beaver’s age and she showed us that famous Estelle smile and kissed Beaver on the nose while saying, “Us old gals have to stick together!” To me, that was Estelle in a nutshell. She found the great dogs, but she really loved all dogs.

The sport is poorer without Mrs. Cohen. She truly was one in a million.

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