by Joan Harrigan We’ve all seen Rin Tin Tin’s acts of heroism on the silver screen or read about heroic dogs rescuing drowning victims or finding lost children. But it is not every day that one hears about a puppy—less than 4-months-old—prompting his owner to seek medical treatment and perhaps saving her life as a [...]
By Joan Harrigan The crowds were back in full force on Tuesday. Vendors who complained about a slow start and worried that the Purina and Westminster displays kept customers from finding them found their booths packed with customers. Over at Pier 94, Morgan Avila of Lynbrook, N.Y. drew quite an audience with her Leonberger, Ch. [...]
By Amy Fernandez Last night’s Toy Group capped off a day characterized equally by predictability and surprises at the Piers. Judge Keke Kahn didn’t think twice, awarding Group First to the show stopping Min Pin bitch, GCH Marlex Classic Red Glare. Now four years old, Classie’s been a consistent record breaker, racking up a career [...]
by Joan Harrigan Judy McDonald grew up in Queens, N.Y., and her father worked as a fireman. She remembers watching Westminster on her family’s black and, white television. “It always interested me,” she says. “But when I said I wanted a show dog, my mother told me that they were just for the rich.” Now, [...]
By Amy Fernandez After day one, Westminster’s second year at the Piers is working better in some ways. But it’s far from perfect yet. This year’s weather posed new challenges and waterfront locations like the Piers redefine the concept of frigid. Thankfully, the shuttle buses run more frequently, which prevented long lines at corner bus stops. [...]
By Joan Harrigan When Jean Hetherington was a baby in northern New Jersey, her parents—no doubt influenced by author Albert Payson Terhune—had a collie named “Laddie.” During WWII, they couldn’t obtain sufficient meat to feed him, so they donated Laddie to the military, and he served the country as a war dog. “After the war, [...]
By Kerry Rushby I had the pleasure this month of speaking with the breeder of the top winning Affenpinscher of all time in the USA, Banana Joe Tani Kazari, Mieke Cooijmans. Mieke lives in the Netherlands with her partner of 30 years and here Mieke describes the beginnings of her involvement in the breed and [...]
by Francine Reisman As with many “dog show people”, much of my time is taken up by long discussions about dogs and dog shows. The popular topic among my peers is the seemingly end of our sport as we knew it. There have been great changes in the past 20 some-odd years, with seemingly more [...]
By Joan Harrigan Betty Regina Leininger of Frisco, Texas is the kind of judge who finds excitement and glamour at every dog show. Whether dressed in an evening gown and judging a group at Westminster or enduring the heat without a hat at an outdoor show, Leininger says, “there are always wonderful dogs!” Over the [...]
“Ringside With Pilar” Interview with Betty Regina Leininger
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