“Author Archive”
Stories written by AnthonyA
The end of the dog show calendar for 2023, like it always does, features a treasure, The Star of Bethlehem Cluster. This gem is known to many of its loyal fans as the BEST cluster of the year. It features a great show facility that is easy to reach from good highways and small and large airports. Ask the exhibitors and judges who arrive at the Lehigh Valley Airport. It’s 15 minutes from the venue, The Agri Plex at the Allentown Fairgrounds. On the very same site is The Allentown Farmers Market that features a neverending array of culinary delights. Everyone flocks into the market each day to eat there or bring food to the show. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee, desserts, and pretzels are avail-able–among so much more. Name it and you can probably find it and eat it.
February 22nd, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Yes, the current president’s dog is a biter. Every day the news brings a brand new political scandal of some type. Remember when politicians were boring? Yeah, that idea seems pretty nice nowadays. Anyway, this news was not boring. Apparently, a FOI request yielded a string of biting incidents involving the presidential German Shepherd, Commander. You might recall that Biden’s other German Shepherd, Major, was also known for a less than personable approach to White House life.
February 21st, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Like all lifelong students, I have had many mentors. I first learned about straight fronts when I was eleven and a crusty old breeder of German Shorthaired Pointers told me that while yes, my dog was beautiful to the eye, he was terribly, straight fronted. Unfortunately, my early mentor must have thought I understood her meaning but I did not. Why, I thought, was his beautifully boned front legs – stick straight from elbow to paw – considered a flaw? It wasn’t until much later I learned that while words are helpful, they are not enough.
February 20th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Every breeder wants their puppies to have ears like the ones described in their breed’s standard. They want this because they know that a dog’s ears influence their overall appearance–not just in size, but in position and shape–and more often than not, they produce the characteristic look that represents the recognizable traits of their breed.
February 19th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Sportsmen commit themselves to values of fair play, honesty, courtesy, and vigorous competition, as well as winning and losing with grace – AKC’s Code of Sportsmanship.
February 18th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Sometimes I get a distinct feeling many don’t “actually” read all the rules regarding exhibiting dogs at AKC shows. That includes both exhibitors and judges.
February 17th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
About a year ago I met Tom Schonberger at a show where we were on the same judge’s panel. In our discussions, he told me he breeds Siberian Huskies and also his passion is the sport of mushing with his dogs–especially long-distance mushing. I received an invitation to judge in Alaska in November and told him my desire to go on one of his training runs and watch the dogs work in harness.
February 16th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
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.
February 15th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
Every year thousands of dog show exhibitors head East on 1-70 toward St. Louis and Purina farms. On their way, on I-70, about an hour-and-a-half east of Kansas City, Missouri, they pass the exit for the town of Marshall, population 13,065. Marshall is the Saline county seat, but that’s not what its famous for–Marshall was the site of the 1937 National Corn Shucking contest, which drew a record 120,000 attendance. But that’s not what it’s famous for either. Marshall has all the things you expect to see in small town America: an old county courthouse, veterans’ memorial, antique shops and a big statue of a dog. That’s what makes Marshall famous.
February 14th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
It’s been almost four years since I officially retired from professional handling. I know there was that earlier time when I announced my retirement. My hip was so bad I just couldn’t drag my carcass around the ring. I received so many accolades, I started wondering when I had passed away. It truly was overwhelming. Makes me blush just thinking about them all. Anyway, I had my hip replacement surgery and I felt like a million bucks again. Well, a hundred thousand anyway. And when the pandemic shut everything down, I really got to rehab. When the world opened back up again, I was fit as a fiddle–to a degree. But not working for a year, well, I wasn’t eating Kraft® dinner but things could have been better. Shows started up and I did what I knew best. I started showing dogs. Now, I have really retired. Not the Mike Tyson kind, for real this time–I promise.
February 13th, 2024 | Posted in Current Articles,Featured | Read More »
