Remembering, Barbara Humphries-Gossett

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120 – February, 2024

By Amy Fernandez

Anyone seriously contemplating a long-term relationship with this sport confronts a startling realization early on. You can do it the right way or the wrong way–because either choice can lead to success. Ethics is the thing. Despite official rhetoric to the contrary plenty of people succeed in dogs without a shred of ethics or morality. And, as we know, the right way is generally not the easy way. And that brings us to Barbara Humphries Gossett. The dog world lost Barbara in September but she left a legacy to this sport that is in drastically short supply.

Papillon breeder Andi Meloon met Barbara through an encounter that could have instantly derailed her involvement in the sport. Instead it led to exactly the outcome we hope for each time. Andi was a long-time Akita exhibitor but that didn’t help when she walked in the ring and stacked her brand new Papillon for Eugene Blake. She recalls, “Cooper was the first Toy dog I showed back in 2004. I had bred and owned a national specialty winning Akita and bred the first Seeing-Eye Akita, and she was also the Delta Society Dog of the Year. Then I decided to downsize and go into Papillons. Cooper was very protective and I had only had him for a few weeks when I entered him at the local show here in Scottsdale. I was nervous about showing a table dog for the first time and as Eugene Blake approached Cooper growled at him. I recall hoping the judge didn’t hear that when he put his hands on the dog’s face and said, ‘You are awfully cute but I can’t put you up today because you growled at the judge.,” Well…there is a rule about that. “As I came out of the ring, the judge stopped me saying that I needed to go and see the Papillon lady.” He pointed to Barbara, a dominant presence in the West Coast Toy ring. But approaching a busy handler at a show is a dicey and often regrettable prospect. Barbara was an exception to that rule. That encounter led to a 20-year friendship.

During that time Barbara had become known as the Papillion lady even though she has shown top winners in many breeds, won groups at the Garden, and was voted handler of the year multiple times. Andi says, “She never talked about any of that. She was a class act–always kind, polite, very humble and always helpful if someone came to her with questions.”

Click here to read the complete article
120 – February, 2024

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