From The CC Vault: Taking Risks, Reaping Rewards

By Amy Fernandez

Originally published June 2016

This sport forces attention in the moment. It’s essential. Developments unfold constantly.Stay on top of things or suffer the consequences. Short term memory, no problem.However,if it didn’t happen last week, last month, or last year, that’s a different story. For instance, a recent random query reveals that hardly anyone remembers Tom Gately.The name sparked a few recollections of him as a Terrier man,a decent judge.His involvement in this sport as a breeder, handler, and judge spanned a lifetime. He made history and deserves better. So here’s a history lesson.

There were no conventional career paths to direct ambitious traffic back when he entered the game. As he explained in a 1967 interview he chose this profession mainly because, at age 16, dogs seemed a lot more important than school. “Deciding to become a handler and wanting to learn from the best, I apprenticed under such men as Frank Brumby, the late Alex Stewart, Lew Worden, and Abe Swartz. In 1927 I started out for myself as an all breed handler and had a pretty tough row to hoe, for in addition to my former employers there were other greats to compete with- including Ben Lewis, Charlie Davis, Charlie Palmer, Len Brumby, Sr. Percy Roberts, Pop Sayres, Ted Ward, and many others.” Even now, I doubt that many pros would want to step in the ring for a showdown with that crowd. The odds were stacked against him, but 30 years later Tom Gately was at the top of the game.

Impulsively choosing a supremely risky career isn’t so unusual at age 16. Sticking with that decision requires a heavy dose of spirit and perseverance. Gately had one decisive advantage; he learned his craft directly from the source. His mentors basically invented professional handling in America. Most of them arrived here in the early 1900’s bringing skills they had honed in top British kennels.

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