Table Talk

By Deb Cooper

We at The Canine Chronicle hope that Charlotte Patterson is recovering after her recent illness while judging the Filer, Idaho shows. She was hospitalized while suffering from a flu-like illness. There appears to be a horrible stomach bug travelling coast to coast amongst the dog show community. It worked its way down motor home row in Blackfoot, and I’ve heard of people being affected as far as Florida.

Best wishes to Lydia Hovanski as she continues her fight against lymphoma. Lydia is a true example of positive thinking and perseverance as she brings her treatment on the road and maintains a normal life. Every time I saw her at the Blackfoot cluster she had a smile on her face. Lydia’s fight week-in and week-out is demonstrative of the support we get from our close-knit community of dog lovers. There are many fellow fanciers willing to pitch in and help when she is not feeling well.

The final word from Blackfoot is the good news for the 2 Boston Terriers stolen from the van at the hotel when the owner was loading: They have BOTH been reunited with their family!

The Kennel Club of Philadelphia has entered the 21st century and is no longer an all-male club. They invited Ann Viklund, Director of Conformation with the Professional Engagement Team/Breeder Enthusiast Group of Nestle Purina Pet Care as the first female member. “I am extremely honored to be invited to become a member of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and look forward to making a contribution to this historic organization” said Viklund.

Congrats to Dana Cline on achieving “All Around” status with AKC. We also would like to wish Bill Shelton safe travels as he is off to judge at the World Show in Russia.

Last week I mentioned to my fellow fanciers to be mindful of your surroundings: My focus then was for safety purposes. There are many reasons why one should be mindful of surroundings, and those around you, and it is not just for securing your dogs and belongings. When making negative comments to a friend or colleague about someone else’s dog or family, please keep in mind that negative commentary can be hurtful to others. If one feels negative comments are necessary, perhaps holding said commentary for the privacy of your home, rig, or hotel room would be more appropriate and foster goodwill among fellow fanciers. Harsh, hurtful words cannot be taken back.

I am once again disappointed that friendships have been negatively impacted by the campaign of a dog. While I recognize that in the heat of the moment a dog’s campaign can be all-consuming and stressful, I dream of the day when we all can recognize that dog campaigns come and go but friendships should remain consistent.

A hot topic over the past week has been the inappropriate use of service vests in order to fly top dogs. Before utilizing this as an alternative, one might want to consider that you never know who you may run into in an airport or on an airplane, and how this can come back and haunt you. Handler organizations and AKC have been urged to take a stronger stand on this behavior.

Birthday wishes go to Patti Neale, Stephen Cabral, Celia Weatherhead, Whitney Perry, Randy McAteer and Vicki Seiler-Cushman.

Be safe out there everyone, and give your dogs a hug!

Until next time…..

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Posted by admin on Jun 22 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.