Rarefied Heirs – Leadership, Part 1 of 2

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178 – November/December, 2025

By Lori Sternola

Over the last month or so, I’ve been ruminating on Leadership. With a capital “L”. You can set a goal and achieve it. You can target a destination and arrive there. But a true leader never really arrives. They become an “expert of the journey”. And that, I’d suggest, is Leadership: It isn’t succeeding and then placing yourself above others to act as an example from on-high. It’s remaining accessible – a real-time role model – and taking others along with you on that road to success.

You bred a National winner? Breed another. You greatly improved the quality in a breed? Help another breed. You provided amazing dogs so that juniors and young handlers could up their game? Help someone else. Our sport rests on the shoulders of a tradition we don’t have enough of anymore: Icons of the sport who gave us fifty or sixty years of their lives, if not more. They ran large kennel operations and had the personal time and commitment, as well as community, to turn out great dog after great dog; and to get those dogs in the ring.

I was lucky enough to get my first Harrier from Margie Dykstra of Blythmoor Harriers. Margie bred our National Specialty winner for seven years in a row (2018-2024); which is an achievement I’m unaware of in any other breed. When I asked her what makes a Super Litter – one with multiple group winners, Best in Show winners, National winners, great producers; I expected her to tell me about the qualities of the parents, or the continuity of pedigrees–or the eye of the breeder. And, undoubtedly, those things matter. But without hesitation, Margie only said one thing: “Great owners who know what they’re doing and will show the dogs.” You could breed an amazing litter. But if you don’t build community, if you don’t offer leadership and make yourself visible and approachable and take people on the journey with you, how will that litter be seen?

Click here to read the complete article
178 – November/December, 2025

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Posted by AnthonyA on Nov 16 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.