Dachshunds Do Westchester!

By Amy Fernandez

“I was doing it on a fairly regular basis but so many times we got hit by a blizzard, I started thinking I was jinxing the show so I stepped down as show chairman.” DALI president and longtime Dachshund breeder Diane Poranski had justified reasons for getting superstitious. The Dachshund Association of Long Island (DALI) was founded in 1950 and is one of many clubs comprising that long tradition of Westminster week specialties. And like the rest, it has been treading water to survive as membership dwindles, entries flat-line, venues become a scare commodity, and New York’s February weather reliably adds another nightmare to that package.   But just maybe…DALI’s luck is changing. This year’s show was a notably flawless production, an even the weather cooperated.

DALI and its companion event, DCA, relocated their Friday and Saturday specialties from the NJ Convention Center to the Westchester Hilton four years ago. Collectively known as the Winter Garden Specialties, the 2018 lineup, which ran from Friday February 9 – Sunday February 11 featured three days of English, Irish, and Gordon Setter specialties, Dobermans and Vizsla specialties on Saturday and Sunday, along with the Sleepy Hollow German Shorthair Club on Sunday. That added up to 15 clubs including the back-to-back Dachshund specialties. On Friday, the Eastern Irish Setter All Breed Ob/Rally also took place downstairs. Incredibly, despite the number of clubs, breeds, and events, the situation never devolved into a jam-packed mashup.

The rings were spacious, there was plenty of grooming space, and the hotel grounds were beautiful, accessible, and convenient for dogs. Parking was tight and the lighting could be better but that’s nitpicking. In terms of the important stuff, the venue is superlative. “We are holding our own,” says Poranski. Dachshunds drew 72 Friday and 78 Saturday. “We’ve managed to pick reasonably good judges and it definitely helps the entry when we have a foreign judge–especially a foreign breeder/judge who hasn’t judged the breed here before.”

Gobi Krishman definitely fit the bill. He flew in from Malaysia for the assignment. Poranski said, “He is very active in the Malaysian Kennel Association and has bred over 100 champions worldwide.” Along with extensive background in the sport and the breed, Poranski says, “He had never seen any of these dogs. He judged them on the day.” Well…that’s basically what the judge is supposed to do, right?

His BOB winner, the Standard Wire dog GCH. Starbarrach’N J’s Sweet Dreams, is no stranger to big wins and top rankings. Things went a little differently at DCA on Friday when Judge Joy Brewster gave the show to Mini Longhair Ch. Correbelle’s Freedom Reigns. Complete Winter Garden show results are posted on Rau’s site (Raudogshows.com).

Decent judges obviously make a difference but that’s not the only reason for DALI’s changing fortunes. Poranski is currently president, and this was her sixth time around as show chairman. “The gate is down since we moved from the NJ Convention Center but even so, the club is doing far better financially in this venue,” she says. While obviously gratifying, it doesn’t make the job any easier. “Truthfully, I am retired so I can do most of the work well in advance, such as buying trophies,” she says, adding that the DALI task force deserves plenty of credit.  She says, “I was very grateful. They’re dedicated and it makes all the difference, especially since our membership is not tremendous. For instance, our ring steward drove in from Pennsylvania just for that event. She’s new in the breed and was interested in meeting this judge. She did a great job. One of our members, Trudy Kawami, is on the board of the Winter Garden Specialties and she works very hard. My friend Maria, who isn’t even a member of DALI, baked all those cookies.” (Poranski was busy making a gazillion Dachshund-shaped chocolate candies.)  “Every night when she got home from work, she baked a batch. She did that all week. I asked for about 80, she brought over 100.”

Homemade treats were just part of the loot packed into those DALI swag bags. Poranski has done them for three years now.  She recalls, “When I first suggested this a lot of the members rolled their eyes and questioned why we would do all this.” That unexpected personal touch certainly adds another dimension of work and complication to the venture. Then again, she just might have a point. “Through the weekend people from the other clubs were coming over to check out what we were doing and commenting that it is a really good idea, maybe they should try it. Let’s face it, these shows are very expensive and the weekend is notorious for bad weather.  You only have so many winners but you can make the experience friendly and cordial. We want to make people feel welcome so they will want to come back. That is something we cannot afford to overlook anymore.”

After 58 years as a DALI member she’s got a stake in this deal. “I already have a lot of next year organized.”

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Posted by chesliepickett on Feb 21 2018. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.