“Author Archive”
Stories written by AnthonyA
A few weeks ago, a group of friends of mine were sitting in my living room ragging on me about the amount of time (and money) I devote to training, hunting, showing, trialing and just plain caring for and loving my dog. One of them, clearly a non-dog person, pointed to Bo’s toy box and said, “How much do you think you’ve spent just on toys for him? Multiply that by all the dogs in this country and you have an idea of how much people spend on just one aspect of dog ownership. You could arm a fair-sized nation on American dog toy expenditures alone. How many dog owners do you think there are worldwide? For that matter, how many kinds of dogs are there in the world?”
July 11th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Especially in 2020, when COVID-19 has many people exceptionally worried about what their future might hold, a puppy is the ultimate vote for optimism. Is it one you made this spring? How are you doing with socialization during social distancing and limited gatherings? Most people have extra time for training and socialization, just at a time when both are proving to be difficult.
July 11th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Every dog registry in the world has one thing in common: they enter, store, and retrieve data. In fact, they are IT and customer service companies at their core. Their biggest assets are the names of dogs, lots of names of dogs. Their inventory is words and numbers. Some of those words and numbers could be of great use to breeders while simultaneously creating revenue for AKC – if used far more creatively than it is today.
July 11th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
After many years of posing with my dogs de jour–a zillion times a day–I can probably consider myself somewhat of an expert on the photographer-exhibitor-judge connection at our AKC dog shows.
July 9th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The growing list of canceled shows is distressing to anyone who loves the sport of purebred dogs. Every day seems to bring a bit more bad news. However, we are not here to talk about cancellations specifically. We are here to celebrate the valiant efforts of those trying their damnedest to make sure the show goes on!
July 7th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
There has been plenty of conversation about what the return of dog shows and other events will look like in the post-quarantine age of COVID-19. Opinions run the gamut from “I am never coming back” to “Wherever it is, I will be at the first show that sticks”. As we begin to try to imagine what shows and trials will look like, suggestions range from measured thoughts and concerns to the ludicrous.
June 30th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Germany is quite rightly famous for its Autobahn, beer, wurst and of course its automobile industry. However, something that never quite seems to make the ‘Top Ten Things Germany is Famous For’ list, and in my opinion a contribution that is far more important (than cars, beer or sausage) for bringing joy to millions all around the world, are the numerous dog breeds that have also come from this country.
June 28th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The worldwide need for explosive detection and parole dogs continues to grow despite the fact that there are more than 80 million dog owners in the US. The shortage quickly followed the events of 9/11, Brussels, Boston, Las Vegas, New York and London. According to government sources, the U.S. has historically been buying about 90 percent of its detection and patrol dogs from European breeders. Other countries have also relied on these European breeders for the same dogs, and European vendors have become the middleman who brings dogs to several locations for the convenience of the buyers. Most of the dogs are sold without pedigrees because most buyers have no interest in breeding. This system works, but not without some fault. There are issues involving the quality of the dogs, the cost and time required to train them and the fact that only about 35% of those purchased successfully complete their training and ultimately become working dogs (3). Guide dogs have a somewhat better success rate at about 50% (4).
June 26th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The Great Pyrenees was named for the Pyrenees mountain range, which forms a natural border between France and Spain, where they have been used as flock guardians for millennia. In Europe, the breed is called Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Their ancestors were likely the primarily white mountain flock guardian dogs from thousands of years ago in Asia Minor. They are renowned for their devotion to their flocks and their shepherds and their families. Many people recognize some breeds as dual dogs, succeeding in their original function as well as the show ring. The same can be said for flock guardian dogs. Many of these breeds we see in the show ring also work to protect livestock and other animals.
June 24th, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
The virus came in deadly silence. One by one, it stalked its victims. There was no immunity against it. Clinics and hospitals around the U.S., and the world, soon were overwhelmed with patients; fatality rates soared. Sound familiar? It should: the canine parvovirus outbreak in the late 1970s did to dogs what the 2020 coronavirus (covid-19) outbreak is doing to humans.
June 22nd, 2020 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
