Table Talk – March 20, 2019
March 20, 2019
Another successful Kentuckiana Cluster is in the books and I am so glad that Table Talk Live! got to be part of it once again! Dave Johnson, Cindy Smith and Melinda Lyon along with countless volunteers worked very hard to put on a fantastic cluster. From public outreach to exhibitor experience, these folks did a spectacular job. Nina Fetter, Ryan Wolfe, Elizabeth Salewsky and many other volunteers worked hard to mark the floor and organize the free reserved grooming. Over 800 grooming reservations were received and processed. How many of you remember the mad dash to get space at Louisville (and Cleveland, OH) where we ran in and threw plastic down, etc. to save space? Some of us barely came out of those “mad-dash” days alive! Thanks to the reserved grooming concept, that scenario is no longer necessary! A big shout-out to the team who worked so hard to keep it organized.
I hope that those of you who were not able to join us in Louisville kept in touch via our Table Talk Live! Online coverage. If you missed it, you can catch past clips on caninechronicle.tv or on our Canine Chronicle Facebook page. Many thanks to those of you who took time out of your busy schedules to chat with us! I’d also like to thank those at the Kentuckiana Cluster for your awesome hospitality. Thanks to so many of you for your kind comments about our coverage. I encourage one and all to ping me with suggestions regarding topics you think would be helpful and interesting to those in the fancy. I’d love to hear from you at deb.cooper@caninechronicle.com
When I was leaving the Kentucky Expo building on Sunday, I was a bit disappointed. Several of the setups had been broken down and the exhibitors were long gone and on their way home. There was a lot of dry kibble, garbage, sawdust, hair, etc. left on the floor. Is this the image we want to leave behind to those who might not be so enthusiastic about purebred dogs? This kind of disrespect leaves a poor impression of exhibitors and gives our sport a bad name. Someone has to clean up that mess. It is sad to think that it may be necessary to walk the building upon exit time in order to police such behavior. We should all have enough pride to take a moment to clean up our grooming/crating setups before we leave. We may have to bring the Pig Pen award back, guys! (My apologies for the soap box my friends!)
A good number of exhibitors left Louisville to drive 500-plus miles to Raleigh, NC for the upcoming Tar Heel Circuit. This is not the easiest drive, folks: It goes through the mountains of Kentucky and Virginia and navigation is definitely a challenge. Safe travels to all as you make the journey to Raleigh, and I’ll see you there! When you get to Raleigh, don’t forget to support the Take The Lead Wine Wagon fundraiser!!
Unfortunately the Topeka, Kansas shows that are normally held May 10-12 have been cancelled due to a lack of volunteers and a declining entry. This reminds us all that we should try to volunteer for our local kennel clubs! They need help and it takes a lot of work to put on a dog show.
Michael Faulkner has returned stateside from his St. Patrick’s Day judging assignment for the Irish Kennel Club. Michael and Desi Murphy both spent their Irish holiday judging in Ireland! I wonder if they had to wear green!
We extend our most sincere condolences to Katherine Wurz Smoot and her family on the loss of her father, James Wurz. Mr. Wurz passed away after a short and violent fight against cancer. Katherine, you and your family are in our thoughts.
Janice Hayes lost her long-time friend and client Donnie Moore last week. Donnie and his wife, Donna, were high school sweethearts and were married for 61 years. We are thinking about you, Janice, and we wish Donna along with Donnie’s family peace at this difficult time. Kaycee Klang and her mom, Gina, drove the van and dogs back from Louisville so Janice could be there Tuesday to say her final goodbyes to her dear friend.
Clover Allen, AKC Judge and retired handler, passed away at the age of 89. Her husband, John, also an AKC judge passed away back in 2013. Clover was an AKC judge for over 50 years. She was one of the first judges that I showed to when I started showing dogs, and she was one of the nicest people I ever met. Our thoughts are with her family and friends. She will be missed.
I was sad to hear that CH. Tells Matrix Reloaded aka “Matrix”, the Afghan Hound specialed by Christian Manelopoulos, passed away recently at the age of 12. We never have them long enough! Our thoughts are with Team Matrix at this difficult time.
Healing thoughts to Rindi Gaudet as she heals from ankle surgery. Rindi broke her ankle the day before Westminster and was in a boot for 3 weeks. Unfortunately, it did not heal the way they had hoped, and she had ankle surgery a couple weeks ago. I hear she will be non-weight bearing for 8 weeks. We look forward to having you back in the ring soon, my friend!
Celebrating birthdays this week are: Susan Allison, Tyler Crady-Roche, Dick Greaver, Doris Cozart, Jan Hepper, Roberta Whitesides, Fan Yu, Pilar Kuhn, Kay Belter, Mercedes Vila and Carol Harris.
I leave you with this thought: Everyone thinks they have the best dog. None of them are wrong!!!!
Be safe and be kind, everyone! Until next time…
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