Looking Back · Houston & Toddie Clark – A Lifetime in the Sport

by Amy Fernandez

People are drawn into the dog world from every corner of the universe. Within their myriad back stories there’s one common denominator. Regardless of the how, when, or where there’s never a why. Sometimes it’s a slow, determined journey, sometimes it reroutes life overnight. Either way, there’s an overwhelming certainty that this is meant to be, kind of like love at first sight. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. This deal NEVER includes a free pass.

Houston and Toddie Clark know something about carving out a niche in this sport. Quite simply, Toddie says, “There is a place for everyone in the dog show world. If you want to succeed, watch, learn and do the best you can do.” Where there’s a will there’s a way. They’ve proven it more than once. After three decades as one of the country’s top husband/wife handling teams, their shared dedication became the basis of an equally successful judging partnership. Large or small, obstacles just got taken down along the way. Really? There’s gotta be more to it. What’s the secret?

It’s best to start at the beginning. And that, she notes, was the same old carrot that lures everyone down this path. She says, “A love of animals that goes back to childhood.” Although there’s nothing unique about that motivation, the reality of it has changed dramatically since they entered the sport of purebred dogs. The Clarks are old school dog people. They grew up in a time and place where learning to recognize and appreciate quality animals was as natural as mastering any other basic skill. “Horse peo- ple,” says Toddie, “come into dogs with an innate ability to recognize structure and gait.”

Houston’s education started at Hillview, his family’s dairy and horse farm 25 miles outside of Chattanooga. Like all kids growing up on a farm, Houston and his two younger brothers were milking cows, doing chores, and gaining a comprehensive understanding of animals for their effort. He got on a horse at age four and that’s when things took a more serious turn. Throughout his teens it was all about riding and showing horses. There were plenty of dogs too but they weren’t all standard issue farm dogs. As Toddie recalls, the Clark farm always had a variety of purebred dogs. Working dogs, hunting dogs and “Although she didn’t breed or show, his mother always had a Pekingese,” she says. Born and raised in Chattanooga, Toddie’s parents owned a drugstore where, by age 11, she was also helping out. Her family kept horses but Toddie, the youngest of three girls, was the lone dog lover. She learned that for sure as a teenager when she surprised her father with a Boxer for Father’s Day which he im- mediately made her return to the breeder. That rebound effect of a dog deprived childhood brings plenty of people into this sport.

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Posted by Alex on Apr 19 2020. Filed under Current Articles, Dog Show History, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.