Morris and Essex 1952 – A Pure-Bred Doggy Holiday

By Amy Fernandez

Arthur Fredrick Jones was somewhat addicted to melodrama, but he wasn’t exaggerating about the pervading sentiment leading up to M & E 1952. Noting that America had just endured WWII, the Korean War and was gliding into the Cold War era “To be sure, Morris and Essex does not wipe out all the troubles of the world, but it does mute them down to the point where life has some bounce again.”  Jones acknowledged that Americans were justifiably tired and cynical by 1952 (which sounds a lot like the general mood of 2021.)

By then, M & E was sustaining its global status in the sport. Entries hadn’t yet returned to those glory days like 1939 when almost 4500 dogs competed on the polo fields, but the 1952 gate was a record breaker. Dog lovers truly were seeking a “purebred doggy holiday”.  Attendance far exceeded 25,000 as seen in past years, and halfway through the show vendors ran out snacks, drinks, everything.

The entry of 2851 wasn’t the biggest, but there was no shortage of quality. The final lineup featured Ch. Blackeen Bali Hai, another BIS white Standard, handled by Robert Gorman. Ramona Van Court’s Smooth Dachshunds, Ch. Peterman’s Candidate, represented Hounds, beating out the Mardormere Whippet to get there. And a Frelinghuysen Poodle topped the Toy Group. But the hands down favorite was Ch. Rancho Dobe’s Storm. Peter Knoop had taken him to BIS at the Garden three months earlier. (And he would do so again in 1953). From the moment that Storm stepped into the Breed ring that morning his contingent of fans had cheered him on, celebrating as he topped the Working Group, beating John Wagner’s Boxer, and they were totally psyched for his impending BIS triumph.

Of course, preshow predictions always hinge on the judge and M & E had built its reputation on excellent judging. No expense was ever spared in that effort. For instance, Raymond Oppenheimer came over from Britain to do Bull Terriers that year. And George Thomas was doing Best. By then, Thomas’s fame was about on par with M & E as far as iconic standing within the sport. Over the years, Thomas had bred, brokered, handled and judged some of the most famous dogs in several breeds. But he was the ultimate Terrier guy. It’s not a stretch to say that his keen eye and dog sense had orchestrated the Fox Terrier’s domination of AKC shows for decades. He had personally overseen the rise of kennels like Sabine, Conejo and Wildoaks.

Of course, Fox Terriers hadn’t triumphed at M & E for 11 years, not since Nornay Saddler staged his amazing comeback. And no Wire had done it for 19 years. It wasn’t obvious then, but after a century of dog show supremacy, the Fox Terrier’s glory days were winding down. Otherwise, that Terrier Group was pretty terrifying, with a Barberry Knowe Scottie and a Trucote Lakeland to name a couple of hot contenders. Trucote also had their recently imported Wire in there, Eng. Am. Ch. Wyretex Wyns Traveller of Trucote. He’d done credible winning since arriving here but as Jones conceded, times were changing. “There is no assurance these days that a triumph at a big show will catapult a breed to popularity. These days a BIS dog must campaign relentlessly from coast to coast-winning consistently.”  If he thought it was getting tough in the 50s you gotta wonder what he would have thought about the late 80s. But true to form, George Thomas went with his heart. Eng. Am. Ch. Wyretex Wyns Traveller of Trucote took his sixth BIS that day.

Eng. Am. Ch. Wyretex Wyns Traveller of Trucote

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Posted by Jane Alston-Myers on Oct 6 2021. 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.