“Author Archive”
Stories written by AnthonyA
The breed standard for the Flat-Coated Retriever includes one of my favorite phrases describing a breed – “power without lumber and raciness without weediness.” The standard also lists the “distinctive and most important features” of the breed in the General Appearance section – silhouette (moving and standing), smooth effortless movement, head type, coat, and character. They reflect the five items of breed type in Richard Beauchamp’s book, by the way. It is helpful when breed standards provide us with explicit priorities. I looked for the survey that this article is based on to corroborate and elaborate their priorities.
April 16th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Facebook has become the best friend and the biggest enemy of our social media lives in Dogdom. What can be a positive interaction can just as easily become a destruction derby. Here are viewpoints from three judges on this very challenging area of our daily interactions. Maybe these responses will encourage the way you use Facebook to do good, or to temper your words before they do harm? ~ Elaine Lessig, Moderator
April 15th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Icancelled our show. The show we had been planning for a year, the show that broke all our entry records for the past decade. It wasn’t an easy decision. I have a reputation to uphold as the last person to prepare for a hurricane/metro impact/zombie apocalypse…I have handlers contacting me to make sure the show is still on, reminding me their livelihoods depend on my decision; I have all those memes on Facebook telling me “it’s no worse than the flu…”
April 11th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Finally, after several weekends in a row of family events and dog show commitments, my husband, Marvin, and I were both at home at the same time. For us, yes indeed, this is a very special event. What better way to celebrate than to have Chinese take-out? There was just one issue to be resolved, where to order the food.
April 10th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
I took my annual hike up to Rye Brook to check out the 2020 Winter Garden specialties. I don’t blame you for losing track of exactly what, where or when. These shows have moved around A LOT.
April 6th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles | Read More »
Just before the group judging on Tuesday night, the Westminster Junior Showmanship finalists enter the ring. They had to qualify for the privilege of competing at Westminster. Now, the top eight from the daytime preliminaries compete at the Garden for scholarship awards and the title of Best Junior Handler.
April 3rd, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The Best in Show lineup at the 144th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show didn’t disappoint judge Robert H. Slay of Cary, North Carolina. He called it the strongest he’d ever seen—among the seven were two repeat group winners from 2019 (the Havanese and the Boxer) who also happened to be 2019’s Number 1 and Number 2 show dogs (all-breed), respectively. The Standard Poodle was the top Non-Sporting dog in 2019, and 4th in all-breed points. And, the Hound Group winner was the formidable Whippet Bourbon, the top hound last year, and Number 3 in all-breed points.
April 1st, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Almost everyone who does any work with their dogs outside a temperature-controlled training facility and who lives north of the Mason-Dixon Line has had times when they were cold. Now by “cold,” I don’t mean the sort of namby-pamby cold that can be cured by a hot buttered rum, a cup of Irish coffee or by putting on a fisherman’s wool sweater. No, I’m talking about the kind of cold that no matter what you do, you can’t warm up, when your teeth chatter like castanets, when even your hair seems to shiver and you feel like there’s an icicle lodged in your core.
March 29th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
I just couldn’t stay away! A bad back can’t stop me now! I’ve found a new venue in which to adjudicate; one that does not include standing out in the rain, on dirt floors, or in the blazing sun ‘til perspiration runs rampant in places I will not mention.
March 28th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Bred to hunt hare, the Basset Hound is heavier boned than any other breed of dog considering its size. Its large nose (second only to the Bloodhound in scenting ability), loose skin, and long ears contribute to its skill and success at trailing. The breed originated in France that has several breeds with “basset” as part of their names, from the French “bas” which means low to the ground.
March 26th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
