Table Talk – April 4, 2018

Labradors are coming from near and far for one of the world’s largest independent specialties.  The Potomac Specialty, held in Frederick, Maryland from April 10-14 has an entry of 979 dogs for 1419 entries.  There are 284 entered in sweepstakes, which is bigger than my national for the last two years combined. Dogs are coming from all over the world to compete.  A gala fundraising event will be held the first night. This is the fourth year for the gala which to date has raised over $75,000 for the Canine Health Foundation and research specific to Tricuspid Valve Dysplasia in Labradors.

I was having a conversation the other day with a good friend who has been involved in our sport for about 8 years.  She attended a circuit this past weekend and felt negative vibes from her fellow competitors.  This lady has worked harder than any other “newbie” I have ever mentored and that mentorship has turned into a great friendship.  Fortunately, she has perseverance and is now committed to the sport of purebred dogs.  A lot of people would walk away after being treated badly time and time again.  This is the type of bullying behavior that contributes to the decline of our sport.  We should all think about our actions and what we say.  Perhaps going out of our way to try to help someone and be kind would be a better way to go.  For some of us the dog show is like our office.  We should conduct ourselves accordingly.

I was saddened to hear of the passing of Christina Hubbell within a week of the death of her beloved husband, Steve Hubbell.  Rest well my friends.  You will be sorely missed.  Doris Cozart’s husband, Gene, passed away this past week after an extended illness.  Doris took the last year off from judging to care for her husband.  Our sincere sympathies to Doris at this difficult time.  Doris has had a sorrowful year with the loss of her daughter and now her husband. I am sure she can use all of her friends at this sad time in her life.

I am glad to hear that Joey Alarcon is on the mend after experiencing what I heard was a minor heart attack.  Take care of yourself, Joey!

Jane Myers’s mom, Patty Lapinski, is recovering from surgery.  Best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.

Happy Anniversary to Matt and Sarah Perchick, Dennis and Judy Melear and Teena and Gary Uyeno.

Several of our friends traveled to Japan for the FCI show there.  Among the exhibitors were Tim Terella and Andy Linton.  Seems that Andy and his daughter, Ava, found time to visit Mickey Mouse at Disneyland in Tokyo!  Edd Bivin also made the trip to judge.  Jason Hoke traveled in the opposite direction as he was off to Dublin, Ireland for a judging assignment there.

Bri Major will be returning to the states from Australia.  She will be taking up residence back in Texas.  It will be good to have you back my friend!

I always try to mention the new provisional judges in this column when the AKC Gazette comes out.  Since AKC redesigned their website again, I was hoping it would be easier to find the information I was looking for regarding new provisional judges.  One of the things that I have found most frustrating is the responsive design on mobile devices.  Maybe they will get it right in the next few revisions.  While I think the website may be a decent tool for the novice individual who is considering purchasing a puppy, or familiarizing themselves with the purebred dog, it is my humble opinion that those of us who are looking more for a “tool” to get information relating to the sport, such as show schedules, results, points, judges, etc. still cannot easily find that information on the AKC website.  Fortunately, there are other resources out there such as the Canine Chronicle website that are much more user friendly, where the graphic user interface is much more intuitive.

Fortunately, I was able to find the new provisional. Judges receiving provisional status as of the March, 2018 AKC Gazette are as follows:

Ms. M.E. Robin Barry, Florida

- Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Whippets

Ms. Julie Mackinnon, Massachusetts

- Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers

Kathryn Sneider, Massachusets

- Golden Retrievers, Labrador Retrievers

Ms. Marsha Struble, Iowa

- Collies

Two judges resigned:  Mrs. Marsha Hall Brown and Ms. Kimberle Schiff.  Three judges went “Emeritus”:  Ms. Virginia Boyle, Mr. Kark Kreck and Mrs. Jeanne Zuver.

We have several birthdays we are celebrating this week:  Sarah Perchick (how cool that you get to celebrate your birthday and your anniversary all in the same week!!), Erin Karst, Chris Jones, Barbara Ohmann, Lesli Smith, Carla Sanchez, Pat Luce, Jen Melani, Will Alexander and, last but not least, Susie Olivera.  Happy Birthday to all!

Please try to go out of your way this week to be kind to someone.  Be safe in your travels and hug your pooches tight.  Until next time….

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Posted by Tom on Apr 4 2018. Filed under Current Articles, Editorial, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.