Progressive Through the Years

By Amy Fernandez

Progressive Dog Club is one of those quirky little shows that has been around forever. Founded in 1933, AKC grudgingly accepted the club’s membership and approved its inaugural event in November of that year…  mainly because everyone at the helm fully expected this unorthodox project to quickly go down in flames.

AKC’s first group club, Montgomery, came on the scene three years earlier. However, that was a Terrier show. More importantly, it was the pet project of AKC heavy hitters such as its ninth president, Russell Johnson.

In contrast, Progressive was a Toy dog club cooked up by a bunch of women!! Although they comprise half the human race, back then AKC didn’t even consider them worthy of voting privileges or delegate status. The same could be said for their patronizing attitude about Toy breeds in general.

Obviously, they severely miscalculated both groups. Progressive’s inaugural show defied all expectations and, despite the Great Depression and WWII, the club’s fortunes continued to rise.  For almost a century, some of the sport’s fiercest females have been driving the bus to make it one of the country’s most successful and prestigious shows. Its founders included first President Mrs. Sydney Franc, Mrs. James Austin, and Mrs. Leonard Bonney. They knew dogs, got no backtalk in this male dominated sport, and set a precedent for strong leadership.  Subsequent presidents like Miss Iris del la Torre Bueno and Mrs. Shirley Thomas maintained that momentum with equal flair and vision. In 1992, Mrs. Thomas made the bold and very controversial decision to move the club’s longstanding fall show date to February. Since then, Progressive has been a mainstay of Westminster week. It is a spectacular kickoff to the sport’s most celebrated weekend.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Feb 14 2016. 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.