MONTANA MAMBO

Yesterday, I predicted that things would get shaken up in Bozeman, Montana. Today we awoke to the results of day two of the doggy dance hosted by the Gallatin KC. Judge James Frederickson awarded BIS to the Siberian Husky bitch, CH Paragon’s Red Red Wine. “Merlot” (Only on the west coast would they hang such a name on a dog) is bred and owned by Terri Erickson of Lake Tapps, WA and handled by Scott Price. Wednesday there were four top ten dogs competing in Bozeman. On Thursday, there were also four, with one substitution, and only one, the Standard Poodle, CH Randenn Tristar Affirmation, made it into the final seven. The number one dog, the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit, and the number seven dog, the Scottish Terrier, CH Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, had to settle for a Group 2 ribbons while the number ten dog, the Scottish Deerhound, CH Jaraluv's Ouija barely made it with a Group 4.

CH Paragon’s Red Red Wine

The number six dog, the Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin Tug, made it into to the BIS ring on Wednesday, but was conspicuously absent from the toy group final on Thursday. Did “Taser” bolt (oh, I do love this one) and run for friendlier spaces? We will just have to wait a couple of days to see where the mini money face dog will surface. My guess is Taser will garner a BIS somewhere before Monday.

DON'T TASE ME, BRO'

Or so said the other six BIS finalists at Thursday’s Eugene KC show in Eugene, OR. OK, this one has it all…A rare breed going Best In Show, a tribute video, and owners with a connection to a product synonymous with police brutality. The first of this week’s Best In Show winners is the number six dog, the Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin Tug. “Taser” was bred by Jacqueline & W Terry Stacy, is owned by Phil & Patti Smith of Paradise Valley, AZ, and handled by Jorge Olivera. The Smiths are the parents of Rick and Tom Smith, the inventors of the famous stun gun used by police forces everywhere. These justifiably proud parents decided to name their top winner in honor of their sons’ contribution to technology.

CH Tamarin Tug

This stunning (I’m not even going to apologize for making the most of this one) little dog epitomizes the “monkey face dog” description of this rarest of toy dogs (only 215 registered in 2006). Taser is currently the number two toy dog, but is in hot pursuit of the number one spot, having won seven of the last ten shows entered. We can all look forward to an electrifying (you ARE allowed to groan) match between the Brussels Griffon and the Affenpinscher at the Eukanuba World Championship.

I promised you a tribute video and here it is.

RENT THESE MOVIES

I wrote in my first post that I was one of those dog show junkies that could identify the real dog show people who inspired the characters in the movie, BEST IN SHOW. Hollywood has often looked to less mainstream sports to break the tedium of action flicks, slasher films, and date movies. Here are three films that every dog show junkie should see.

BEST IN SHOW, released in 2000, is another “mockumentary” by the wonderfully sly Christopher Guest, the man who gave us THIS IS SPINAL TAP. BIS follows the owners of five dogs as they prepare for a Westminster-like show. Christopher Guest not only directed and wrote this gem, he plays the role of a country boy Bloodhound owner, who is also a ventriloquist. As funny as Mr. Guest is, my favorite characters are the duo of Jim Piddock and Fred Willard, as the dog show expert and the clueless color commentator. Anyone who remembers the urbane James Edward Clark and the rough around the edges Joe Garagiola from the early Westminster broadcasts will appreciate the parody. My only criticism of the movie is that there is only one professional handler in the final seven. Now that’s a Hollywood ending.

Now for a memorable portrayal of a pro handler, you can’t beat Harry Dean Stanton as Philo Skinner, a desperate man who dognaps a top winner to pay his gambling debts. Happily, I’ve known no real life inspiration for this character in Joseph Wambaugh’s 1980 film, THE BLACK MARBLE. Wambaugh is a former Los Angeles cop who has written several successful novels based on seriously jaded police officers. After being unhappy with the first movies made from his books, Wambaugh penned his first screenplay for THE BLACK MARBLE which resulted in several extremely memorable characters.

If you are a fan of film classics, then look for a copy of 1933’s THE KENNEL MURDER CASE, the precursor to William Powell‘s THIN MAN films. Like all in that series, this one has deliciously decadent rich people, lightening quick dialogue, and dogs who steal every scene they’re in. If you know the THIN MAN movies, you will remember the mischievous WIRE FOX TERRIER, Asta. In this film, Powell’s canine companion is an equally clever, SCOTTISH TERRIER. There’s also a DOBERMAN PINSCHER , who gets to play a near death scene followed by a miraculous recovery, and a heroic capture of the villain. I’m sure all the actors were jealous as hell.

Now every movie visit should end with a cartoon.Try the wonderful 1939 Disney offering, SOCIETY DOG SHOW, starring Mickey Mouse and Pluto, It just doesn’t get any better than this.

LONG, LONG WEEKEND

When I first starting showing shows rarely occurred on week days. We doggy people were pretty much restricted to the traditional weekend, Saturday/Sunday events. However, fancier enthusiasm and skyrocketing transportation costs have conspired to popularize the “Cluster” concept. This allows exhibitors to park the gas guzzler at one location and attend three, or more shows. Add in a Federal holiday, like Labor Day, and you have a Dog Show Happy Meal.

Charmin and Owner/Handler Margery Good

And no dog took more advantage of the Cluster Craze this past week than our number five all breeds dog, the Sealyham Terrier, Ch Efbe’s Hidalgo At Goodspice. Charmin parked the RV at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh and romped to five BIS at the Cary, Alamanace, Durham, Salisbury NC, and Raleigh KC shows, August 28-September 1, defeating 4937 dogs along the way.

So how did the rest of the top five fare? The number one bicoastal team of CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit and Taffe McFadden started off the long weekend in Kentucky, going Group one on Thursday, at the Lexington KC show, and BIS the following day at the Northern Kentucky show. They then hopped on a plane and showed up fresh enough in Grass Valley, CA to go BIS on Saturday and Group 1 Sunday at the Gold Country KC shows, amassing 3531 points.

Ch. Ab-Rafiki The Icon Of Cool

The number two dog, the pointer bitch, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, spent the long, long weekend in Kentucky. Thursday, Holly and Spirit faced off in the final seven, but it was the Basenji, Ch. Ab-Rafiki The Icon Of Cool, who ended up BIS. Holly didn’t even make to the BIS ring to face Spirit on Friday, going Group two behind the English Springer Spaniel, Ch. Cerise Jesse James. On Saturday with Spirit 2,000 miles away in California the path to BIS was clear for Holly. However, it was the tiny Long Coat Chihuahua, Ch. Tradewinds Star Dust that got the top prize. However you can’t keep a good dog down and Holly is one of the goodest dogs. She finished the weekend with BIS on Sunday and Monday, ending up with 3690 points for the five days.

Ch. Tradewinds Star Dust

The Standard Poodle, CH Randenn Tristar Affirmation, the number three dog spent a leisurely weekend in St Helens, OR, going Group one and BIS at the Longview-Kelso KC shows on Saturday and Sunday, defeating 3259 dogs. Rounding out the top five is the pint size short coat Brussels Griffon, CH Cilleine Masquerade. Lincoln was bred by Denise Barney, is owned by Mamie & Evalyn Gregory & Anne & Harlowe Jahelka, and handled by Paul D Catterson. Paul lives just north of Kansas City, MO and spent the weekend in Amana, IA, where he and his charge went Group 4 on Friday and BIS on Sunday, picking up 1031 points.

Lincoln and Handler, Paul Catterson

Look for the energetic Sealy to move up two spots when August results are tallied.

ANOTHER RARE BREED BEST IN SHOW

Here’s a follow up on endangered AKC breeds. The current number three hound in the US is CH Downhome Family Tradition, a Harrier dog. “Coda” was bred by Barbara & Jeff Fox & Linda Johnston & Susan Lowder, and is owned by Dr & Mrs William Truesdale & Susan Lowder. Coda is capably handled by Kimberly A Calvacca. Coda led the pack at the Muncie KC and Anderson KC shows in Muncie, IN on August 16 & 17, judges Mrs Lee Canalizo and Mrs Donelle Richards presiding respectively. Harriers are the second rarest AKC breed in with only 23 registered in 2006. Only English Foxhounds are rarer, with eleven registrations.

CH Downhome Family Tradition

Susan Lowder literally grew up in the game as the child of professional handlers. We applaud Susan and Down Home Harriers for promoting this wonderful breed. I encourage you all to visit their terrific web site. It has lots of information on the breed and beautiful pictures. I would have provided a link here, but unfortunately, Coda’s breeders/owners not only sound like a law firm, they have more legal jargon on their web site than do drug companies. So just Google “Downhome Harriers” and find their site. It is worth the extra effort. Are you beginning to understand why some breeds are so rare?

And just so you know that I’m not singling out Poodle people, here’s Coda’s vanity video from You Tube.

THE POODLE, DOG SHOW CLICHE?

To those people who have never been to a dog show (deprived souls that they are) the ubiquitous Poodle is the epitome of the effete dog show world. The poodle show clip is universally ridiculed as representative of the shallow mentality of dog owners. Even I, after 40 years of show dog indoctrination, still snicker every time I hear a Poodle owner tell some one that the unique grooming is designed to protect the dog in cold water when performing as a duck hunter’s retriever. Right…that is definitely the raison d’etre of the French, the same people who convinced us to eat snails.

Nonetheless, the Poodle is one of America's most beloved pets. I, myself, own two (Well, my wife owns two). I can remember a time when the Poodle was number one in the AKC registry. It has been declining recently, slipping from number five to number eight in the last decade. However, there are still nearly 30,000 Poodles registered by the AKC each year. I can’t fault the Poodle as a pet. They come in a rainbow of colors; large, medium, and small sizes, and are hypoallergenic. They are smart, athletic, and versatile. Our toy Poodle, Fannie, is the smartest dog I have ever met. She is amazingly agile and a better ratter than my Scottie.


Poodles are not as popular in the show ring as they once were. However, there are always a couple every year that impress. The current number three dog in the nation is the black standard Poodle bitch, CH Randenn Tristar Affirmation. “Yes” was bred by Randy Garren and Dennis McCoy, is owned by Toni and Martin Sosnoff of New York, NY, and handled by Timothy Brazier. Yes' most recent BIS was Saturday at the Longview-Kelso KC show in St Helens, OR. (Ever notice the number of people who shell out the big bucks for a top dog and then immediately ship it to the opposite coast to compete?) The general public tends to gravitate to the dog that they see in the company of their favorite celebrity in People Magazine or the latest cute dog food commercial. However, you have to see a dog in person, moving across a show ring, to fully appreciate a breed. Here’s a video of Yes going BISS at the recent Columbia Poodle Club show in Portland, OR. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth of a million of my poor prose.




Among the show results trickling in is the report of a BIS for CH Smash JP Moon Walk. This little beauty got the nod Saturday at the Newton KC in Augusta, NJ. He was bred by toy Poodle maven, Yukiko Omura, and is owned by Ron Scott & Debbie Burke of Dillsberg, PA. Looks like Ron and handler Kaz Hosaka have another winner to challenge the big dogs this year.

CH Smash JP Moon Walk

Ron and Kaz campaigned the top winning toy Poodle in history, CH Smash JP Win A Victory, affectionately known as Vikki. I found this unintentionally funny tribute video to Vikki on You Tube. And Poodle people wonder why the rest of the world smirks about the funny haircut. Let me tell you, capturing this girl on video is difficult. If you were lucky enough to have seen this gorgeous toy in the flesh, you know that she was all flash and fire, a spectacularly moving dog with a metlting expression.

WHO'S TOP DOG

Show dog rankings are fun things. We have links on our front page to the three most popular rankings, Dog News, Show Sights Magazine and the Canine Chronicle. Like the Associated Press' college football rankings, these monthly rankings are sources of great pride and great consternation. This year we have two really superb animals at the top of the rankings.

CH Gallilee's Pure of Spirit

Currently in the lead is the Giant Schnauzer bitch, CH Gallilee's Pure of Spirit, with 68, 405 dogs defeated and 38 shows and 75 groups won as of July 31, 2008. Spirit is almost four years old and owned by Mary Hayes of New Canaan, CT.

Bill McFadden

Spirit is handled by Taffe McFadden, wife and handling partner of the superstar handler, Bill McFadden. Because Bill and Taffe are based in Northern California, Spirit's specials campaign has been concentrated on the west coast. Bill has jet set clients and he himself is quite the traveler. He never misses a Westminster (We all remember the dazzling Kerry Blue he piloted to BIS in 2003). Taffe was just in Atlanta this past weekend, where she and Spirit went BIS Friday and Saturday. They went Group One on Sunday, but lost to the German Shepherd Dog, CH Woodside's Pacino in the BIS ring.

Second in the rankings is the three year old Pointer bitch, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry with 56,178 dogs defeated and 52 shows and 90 groups won as of the end of July. Holly is owned by Sean McCarthy & Tammy McCarthy of New York, NY & Helyne Medeiros of Cape Cod, MA. Holly was bred by Cheryl S. LaDuc, A. Cantor, and A. Walker (You can tell by the number of owners and breeders that this dog is a major business venture. I know law firms with fewer partners). Holly is also partnered by a powerhouse handler, Michael E. Scott, who is married to the former Michelle Ostermiller. You might remember Michelle as the handler of the 2005 Wesminster winner, Ch Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses, German Shorthair Pointer (more on that win later).

CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry
with Handler Michael Scott

While dog show rankings are more objective than the aforementioned AP college football rankings, they are still can be debated over post show cocktails. At first glance, they seem straight forward. By the end of July, Spirit had defeated 12,227 more dogs than Holly, a whopping 22 percent more. However, Holly has amassed 14 more best in shows, 33 percent more, than Spirit. During the current month Holly has picked up six more BIS to Spirit's five. The most telling statistic is the Cantfield, OH hat trick pulled off by Holly on the first three days of August. She went BIS at the Columbiana County, Beaver County, and Mahoning-Shenango shows in head to head match ups with Spirit.

So which is the real top dog? We will reserve our opinion until we see the results of the Eukanuba National Championship and Westminster 2009, dogdom's version of the playoffs and the Superbowl. Did I mention that the number five dog, the striking Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo at Goodspice, went BIS over both Holly and Spirit at the Saratoga New York KC show on August 6? Damn, I love this stuff!

CH Efbe's Hidalgo at Goodspice

Now, back to the lovely Michelle Ostermiller Scott...I am a person that catalogues life as a series of memorable events. I have a mental scrapbook of snapshots that remind me how good my life has been. Everyone remembers the day they got married or the day their first child was born. Of course, those are cherished memories, but I have also those memories where I stumbled across extraordinary talent. Among my favorite experiences have been seeing Evita in San Francisco with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin before they and the show won Tonys on Broadway; seeing Bette Midler perform at the Concord (CA) Pavillion the month before her Oscar nominated movie, The Rose, premiered, and seeing tenor Rolando Villazon in a super tiny concert hall in Atlanta six months before his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Equal to these was watching Michelle's Sporting Group and BIS Westminster wins in 2005. The two things that we all dream of in a show dog are spectacular movement across the ring and a free stack stare down of the judge. I have seen a lot of great show dogs and thrilling finals, but in 40 years of following dogs I have never seen the equal of Michelle's presentation of the GSP bitch, Carlee. She literally dared the judge to take her eyes off her. She was not one of the favorites going in. I remembered the pundits never even mentioned her. However, when she came back to the group judge and Michelle dramaticly dropped the lead, Carlee took over. She hit her mark and stared the judge down like she was a pheasant in the cross hairs. The entire garden was transfixed and, for a moment, all of us, pet owners and die hard enthusiasts, knew we were witnessing greatness. I live for moments like that.

Ch Kan-Point's VJK Autumn Roses
with Handler Michelle Ostermiller Scott

CAIRN TERRIER GOES BEST IN SHOW!

For the first time in over three years a Cairn Terrier has gone Best In Show! CH Winsome Fergus Macflynn scrambled to the head of the pack in Longview, Texas. July 26, 2008. Mr. Terry Stacy, Mr. Jay Richardson, and Mr. Jon R. Cole awarded the Breed, Group, and Best In Show respectively. Congratulations to breeder, Nancy Jane Seaberry Smith, owners, Kendall & Tim Lake, and handler, Patsy B Benson-Wade.

CH Winsome Fergus Macflynn

Now, some may say that this was an insignificant win at a small show off the beaten path. There have may have been only 745 dogs in competition, but the Best In Show ring included the number five hound, the Petit Basset Griffon, Vendeen, CH Afterglow Ebeneezer; the number five non-sporting dog, the Chinese Shar-Pei, CH Asias Excalbur Whiplash; and the up and coming Pekingese, CH Franshaw Hear Me Roar, handled by the always formidable Hiram Stewart. Let me tell you, unless we're talking Westminster or Crufts, a Best In Show is a Best In Show is a Best In Show.

Why are BIS Cairns so rare? Without endorsing any of the following theories, here are some possibilities:

• Cairns are just too "ordinary" looking. Well, I don't think they are. Besides if a beagle can win at Westminster, why not a Cairn?
• They are a relatively rare breed. Well they are in some parts of the country, but they are just as numerous as Scotties and way more common than Sealys, both of which have been very successful over the years.
• The over all quality of Cairns being shown is not up to the level of the breeds which do get BIS. Now, I'm no Cairn specialist, but I really think that the over all quality of Cairns is better than a lot of other breeds being shown, especially breeds outside of the terrier group.
• The terrier group is the most competitive group in dogs. I'm partial to this theory. Terriers dominate the big shows.
• There are more owner handlers in Cairns than in breeds which go BIS frequently. While this may be true, when Cairns are paired with a professional handler they still get overlooked.

CH Asias Excalbur Whiplash

While I have no desire to see the Cairn become so popular that we see the kind of negatives associated with top ten registrations, I would like to see Cairns recognized for their many admirable traits. I think Cairn temperament just epitomizes show attitude. I also think Cairns are just as cute as it gets. Am I just being too Walter Mitty when I dream of going BIS?

CH Afterglow Ebeneezer