Table Talk · December 13, 2023
It is hard to believe that we are in Orlando or Allentown for the last shows of the year! It feels like the 2023 show year just started yesterday. Best of luck to everyone as you try to fulfill your goals and live your dreams. Remember, whether exhibiting in the puppy stakes, the bred-by classes, or the regular breed competition, each and every entry is important to someone. Please support your fellow exhibitors with kindness and congratulations throughout the week.
You may have seen photos and videos on social media of the line outside the Orange County Convention Center. To those at home, the line looked quite intimidating. Let me be the first to tell you that our friends with Site Control did an amazing job getting everyone in safely and as quickly as possible. If you see one of the “men in orange”, please stop and say THANK YOU for all their hard work. All I can say to John Miller and his crew is job well done!
Congratulations to John Wade who recently completed approval to judge the remainder of the Sporting Group making him our 13th AKC all-around judge. John will begin 2024 judging at the beautiful Kennel Club of Palm Springs.
Best wishes to Esteban and Jen Farias on the opening of Doggie Dude Ranch Kennel in North Carolina. They held their Grand Opening celebration last Saturday and had great participation from many in the community. We wish you nothing but success with your new venture!
The American Kennel Club recently announced the hiring of Frank Murphy as the Executive Field Representative who is replacing Mary Dukes. The Orlando shows will be Mary’s last assignment. Thank you, Mary for all you have done for the fancy and the sport. We all look forward to having you center ring as part of your next chapter. And congratulations, Frank, on your new gig! These are very big shoes to fill, but with your vast knowledge of the sport and calm demeanor, you will indeed be an asset!
Wally Sommerfelt is home recovering after his second hip replacement surgery. He reports that things went well and being taken care of by his lovely wife, Carol. We look forward to having you back at shows as soon as you are able.
Peggy Beisel-Mcilwaine’s husband, Sandy, is in hospice care, continuing his battle with cancer. Our thoughts and prayers are with Peggy, Sandy, and their family at this most challenging time.
Sadly, the Detroit Kennel Club recently announced that their shows scheduled for February 16-18, 2024, have been cancelled due to delays with the granting of site permission. This is a real shame for Midwesterners who look forward to DKC shows. Hopefully Detroit will be able to host their shows in 2025.
Some of you who have the Dallas shows on your calendar for December may think that you missed the shows, but you did not! Dallas made the decision to move their December shows to February 8-11, 2024. I think this was a smart move. Since Westminster has moved their dates, clubs are beginning to take advantage of these open dates in February. Don’t be surprised if you see more shows on the February calendar in the future.
As we know, many exhibitors are on the road… a lot! Week-in and week-out we travel around the country, often driving through the night into the early morning hours. We stay in areas that are unfamiliar and while safety is always of the utmost concern, we can find ourselves in questionable situations. This happened to Devon Kipp-Levy recently. Devon was sitting outside the hotel at her truck with the dogs in exercise pens when an individual with a dog that was off-lead appeared. Devon asked the man respectfully to remove his dog or put him on lead, but the situation escalated, and he punched Devon in the face. Fortunately, Devon, her assistant and all the dogs are okay, but what a scary time for them! Not surprisingly, Devon did not miss a beat and moved on to the next show. The moral of the story? BE SAFE OUT THERE EVERYONE! You never know when a questionable situation will arise.
Janice Hayes and our 2023 Westminster winner, Buddy Holly (who also happens to be the Canine Mayor of Palm Springs), represented the fancy in style at the Palm Springs holiday parade. Way to go Janice and Buddy Holly!!!!
Today is the day, my friends… entries for the Palm Springs cluster close at noon pacific time! Be sure to get those entries in, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Fanciers celebrating birthdays this week are: Jocelyn Mullins, Paul Catterson, Luke Ehricht, Cheryl Krown, Kellie Williams, Richard Powell, Gerald Roach, Ariel Cukier, Dana Bryson-Benn and Ashley Ryan. Have a great day and I hope you can celebrate with friends.
Please stop by the Canine Chronicle booth at the Orlando shows. We have a new look and l would love to hear what you think! For those of you who cannot be with us in Orlando, we will do our best to bring you fun video coverage from the shows!
Be safe, be kind, and pace yourselves, my friends! It is a long week! Good luck and enjoy! Until next time….
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