The 75th Anniversary GRCA National Specialty, “Shades of Gold”, is one for the record books. The National took place in three different states, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina, over nine days, which included overlapping events. If they had all been held consecutively it would have taken 15 days just for the tests, trials and shows themselves. 48 judges filled 53 judging positions.
By Amy Fernandez New York’s brutal weather didn’t prevent 88 Juniors from competing at Westminster 2015. They arrived from all parts of the country. Like most of them, 14-year-old Erin LaPlante didn’t fly solo. Erin and her Doberman bitch, Shamrock, were accompanied by a contingent of friends and family members from back home in Racine. […]
AKC’s early decades redefined the phrase “bumpy ride”. An endless barrage of personal, political, and financial disasters repeatedly threatened to bring down the curtain. Thankfully, things seemed to settle down by the early 1920s – then the president abruptly resigned three months into his second term.
By Joan Harrigan The Cesky Terrier gained full AKC recognition in 2011, and the Chinook two years later. Though the breeds are very different, both are personable, friendly dogs well suited to life as companions and family pets. It’s often thought that when a breed becomes recognized by the AKC and is subsequently seen in […]
The pack has expanded! The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) announced that the Spanish Water Dog, Cirneco dell’Etna, Bergamasco, and Boerboel gained full AKC recognition. This brings AKC’s roster of recognized breeds to 184.
by Lisa Dubé Forman February 13, 2015, was the first in a three-day, multi-breed Specialty event held at the Westchester Hilton in Rye Brook, New York. The Dachshund Club of America show on Friday had an entry of 61 dogs with 56 in competition. For those who have contemplated attending, but not yet have been, […]
Eight years is a considerable stretch. Just ask anyone doing time in a federal or state prison. Among the problems associated with incarceration are such issues as anxiety, hypervigilance, confusion–questioning what is real and what isn’t, losing touch with what’s happening in the outside world and frustration. I can personally attest that these issues occur having once been the unwilling guest of the government in my real job as a journalist when I and my reporting partner on a story declined to obey a judge’s order to reveal the source of our information and the judge found our refusal to be contemptible.
Strangely enough, I find myself experiencing deja vu with some of these same issues surfacing now that I’m again dealing with a puppy after having enjoyed an eight year hiatus with my house populated by sensible grown-up dogs. It goes without saying that I’ve had to relearn a LOT of things and along the way have become anxious, hypervigilant, confused, found myself losing touch with just about anything not having something to do with puppy raising and experiencing some serious frustration.
by Joan Harrigan One of the most interesting aspects of Westminster isn’t even its dogs, but rather the people who attend it. Conversations begin at ringside, on line for lunch, or in the benching area. While spectators are united by a passion for purebred dogs, each individual has his or her own story. Because Westminster […]
By Joan Harrigan Dr. Cindy Marriott of Plymouth, Mich. had never owned a dog. Not as a child, not when she was raising her family. However, after retirement from her work teaching psychology in college and divorce, Dr. Marriott wanted “something to do.” She found it—in the form of a very large dog named Dag. […]
Attending Westminster is often feels like entering a battle zone. No amount of preparation can offset the inevitable mental and physical challenges prepackaged with the experience. Therefore, an uplifting, encouraging anecdote might provide a timely perk for everyone entering the fray on this frigid Monday.
