DOWN AND DIRTY AT DEVON

The spotty returns continue to come in from Pennsylvania, demonstrating the advantage our two terriers have over their top ten competition this weekend. Neither the Scottish Terrier, CH Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, nor the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe’s Hidalgo at Goodspice made it to the Best In Show ring at the Devon Dog Show Association event in Blue Bell, PA, on Saturday, placing second and third, respectively, in the Terrier Group. However, each collected almost five times the points of the winners from the other six groups. Group one in the Terrier Group went to the Airedale, CH Stirling Cool Hand Luke, who was bred by Shirley R Good & Susan S Rodgers, is owned by Frank Pulice of Bloomfield Hills, MI, and handled by Ernesto Lara.

CH Stirling Cool Hand Luke

Best In Show went to the Scottish Deerhound, Jaraluv’s Ouija while the Country’s number one and two dogs, CH Gailee’s Pure of Spirit, and CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry watched. We can’t say definitively until Monday, but it looks as if we’ll see Charmin and Ouija move up in the standings.

EARLY WEEKEND RESULTS

Yesterday the Hatboro Dog Club held the first of two weekend warmups in Wrigthstown, PA. These shows benefit from all the terriers in town for Sunday’s Montgomery County Kennel Club show. Of 1926 dogs entered yesterday, 1118 were terriers. Not surprisingly, BIS went to the our number six dog, the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice.

CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice.

Not only did Charmin face the toughest terrier group this year, he bested three of the country’s top ten dogs: the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit, the Pointer, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, and the Scottish Deerhound, Jaraluv Ouija. Ouija left the number nine dog, the Harrier, Ch. Downhome Family Tradition, back in the Hound Group with a second place rosette. While we suspect the number seven dog, the Scottish Terrier, CH Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, was somewhere in the mix, we have not been able to confirm her participation. We do know that she did not make it into the top four in the Terrier Group.

After a less than outstanding September, Charmin slipped from third place to sixth. However, he has the potential of picking up more points this weekend than he did all last month. A good performance this weekend could possibly let him resecure the third position and hold it for the rest of the year.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COUNTS

Back on September 18 we wrote about the terrier orgy that is the annual Montgomery County Kennel Club limited breed show, the largest such show in the United States. The counts for the show, which is October 5 in suburban Philadelphia, PA, are in. Although the entry is down, it is still impressive.

There are 1953 dogs entered in the regular classes, led by the Scottish Terriers with 157. The second highest entry are the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier with 151 expected. The top winning Wheaten in the country is CH Doubloon's Ultimate Player, owner/breeder/handler, Elena Landa of Bothell, WA .

CH Doubloon's Ultimate Player

In third place are the Smooth Fox Terriers numbered at 149, followed by the Cairns with 145. The number one Cairn in the country is CH Dogwood Love Affair, who was bred by an is owned by local lady Pam Davis of Plymouth Meeting, PA. “Romeo” is handled by the formidable Ernesto Lara.

CH Dogwood Love Affair

Other breeds with over 100 entries are:

• Norwich Terriers 133
• West Highland White Terriers 117
• Kerry Blue Terriers 116
• Airdale Terriers 115
• Minature Schnauzers 113
• Border Terriers 105

So if you are looking to spend a pleasant Sunday, drive on out to Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, PA, and see some of the most entertaining dogs in the game. And now for some completely gratuitous cuteness, the Westie from the Ceasar’s dog food ads.

CANINE SHARK BAIT

If you ever wanted proof of man’s love for his canine companion, look no further than Greg LeNoir, a 53 year old carpenter from Islamorada, FL, a tiny village in the upper Keys. Last Friday, LeNoir took his 14 lb Toy Fox Terrier, Jake, for his daily swim at the Islamorada Marina. Soon after Jake jumped into the water, he was seized by a five foot long shark.

Jake and his owner, Greg LeNoir

The Miami Herald reports that LeNoir said, ''I clenched my fists and dove straight in with all my strength, like a battering ram, I hit the back of the shark's neck. It was like hitting concrete.'' Thankfully, the shark released Jake, who beat a hasty retreat to shore, closely followed by his owner.



Just two days later, on Sunday, a surfer was bitten in New Smyrna Beach. He was the 23rd bite victim of the year off the coast of Volusia County, FL, setting a record for that area. According to the University of Florida, nearly half of the world’s shark attacks occur in Florida and two thirds of Florida’s attacks occur in Volusia County. I know people that would walk away from a Las Vegas casino if the odds were that great against them.

Bull Shark

Oh, and did I mention that Florida has alligators too? According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, an alligator attack is three times more likely to be fatal than a shark attack. People, keep your dog on a leash.

American Alligator

REAL TIME RANKINGS

Technically, it’s not the end of the month until midnight, but since there are no AKC dog shows being held today, I thought I would get a jump on the better known dog show magazine rankings and publish the first almost real time rankings. That’s right, you can come here after an AKC show and check to see if there has been a change in our top ten dog rankings. After all, in the age of 24 hour news coverage, why should we wait six weeks for show dog rankings? So take a look at the sidebar on the left of this post and take note.

CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry

The top two positions remain unchanged. We had previously predicted that the number one dog, the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit, would end the year as Top Dog. At the end of July Spirit led the number two dog, the Pointer, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry, by over 12,000 points. However, Holly cut that lead to 10,000 points by the end of July and, by my calculations, Holly has pulled within 4,500 points of the leader as of today.

CH Tamarin Tug

We have a new number three dog. The supercharged Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin Tug, has catapulted all the way from number six to the number three slot, While the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, fell all the way to number six. The Standard Poodle, CH Randenn Tristar Affirmation, and the Brussels Griffon, CH Cilleine Masquerade, remain at numbers four and five respectively.

The Scottish Terrier, CH Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, remains at number seven, if just barely. The Scottish Deerhound, CH Jaraluv Ouija, is breathing down Sadie’s wee highlands’ neck, a scant 500 points behind in the number eight spot. The Harrier, CH Downhome Family Tradition, remains at number nine thanks to a big win at the Douglasville (GA) show. Slipping two spots to number ten is the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, CH Coventry Vanity Fair. Carly skipped this past weekend’s show and it cost her.


So what do we have to look forward to the rest of the year? Less than 4,500 points separate the numbers one and two. We have a 2,000 points spread from numbers three to six. Finally, there’s a bare 1,800 points between number seven and number ten. Will we have a new addition to the top ten? I’m not sure….but if we do, you will read it here first.

A RARE WEEK

My regular readers know that I am a cheerleader for our rare breeds. It is my opinion that it is just as important that we preserve our rare domesticated animal breeds as it is that we save wild species from extinction (see my August 29 post). The rarest of AKC 157 recognized breeds is the English Foxhound, with only eleven registered in 2006. Yesterday one of our top ten dogs was unlucky enough (or lucky enough, depending on one’s perspective) to witness an English Foxhound go Best In Show. The number four dog, the Standard Poodle, CH Randenn Tristar Affirmation, showed up in the unlikely town of Hot Springs, a lovely spa village in central Arkansas. It was a small entry, but Yes managed a Best in Show on Saturday and a Group one on Sunday. Sunday’s big winner was the English Foxhound, Whipperinn's The Wizard, bred by Virginia Crowell-Brook & Malcolm & Lynn Fellows and owned by Mike Penny & Virginia Crowell-Brook of Dripping Springs, TX. Note that this dog is not a AKC Champion, doubtless because it’s hard to find other English Foxhounds to compete against. You can, of course, win championship points by winning a Group one or BIS. Now that’s the hard way to win a major! Congratulations to the breeders and owners of this dog and all other English Foxhound enthusiasts.

English Foxhound

For the rest of our top ten dogs, it was a hit and miss week. Let’s start with the dog missing in action, the number eight dog, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, CH Coventry Vanity Fair. Carly was conspicuously absent from the shows this weekend. She will certainly fall to the number ten spot, or lower, when all of the September numbers have been tallied. Our number seven dog, the Scottish Terrier, CH Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot, also had a rough weelend. On Saturday Sadie was surprised in the breed by another very good Scottie, CH Blueberry’s Attitude Dancing, at the Burbank KC show in Burbank, CA. Sadie rebounded on Sunday to win the breed and a Group one.

CH Blueberry’s Attitude Dancing

Also at the Burbank double header was our number six dog, the Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin Tug. Taser had started the week in upstate New York with four other top ten dogs, but after going Group two on Thursday decided to try his luck closer to home, It proved to be a smart choice as he went Group one on Saturday and BIS on Sunday. Saturday’s BIS winner was the Bloodhound, CH Quiet Creek’s Mi Amor, bred and owned by Susan LaCroix Hamil & Evelyn Jones and handled by Bruce Schultz. Our applause for their first Best.

CH Quiet Creek’s Mi Amor

The four top dogs the stayed behind in Romulus, NY had a mixed bag. The most successful was number two dog, the Pointer, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry. Holly went Group one on Thursday & Friday and BIS on Saturday and Sunday. The number one dog, the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit, and the number ten dog, the Scottish Deerhound, CH Jaraluv Ouija, each took home a BIS prize, Spirit on Thursday and Ouija on Friday, but were left out of the Group placements on Saturday. They did take Group ones at the remaining shows. The number five dog, the Brussels Griffon, CH Cilleine Masquerade, was consistent, taking first in all four Toy Groups.

CH Charisma Utopia Von Rocky

The remaining top ten dog, the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, spent a three day weekend in Millwood, VA. On Friday, Charmin wiped out the competition, going BIS at the Warrenton KC show. Saturday, he stood by and watched the Standard Schnauzer, CH Charisma Utopia Von Rocky, take the top prize. Rocky was bred by Constance C Adel, is owned by Robert & Lois Ann Bedford of Livermore, CA , and is handled by Jody Paquette. We tip our hat to them all. Sunday, Charmin was at the Old Dominion KC show. This time it was the Old English Sheepdog, CH Reflection’s Delovely, bred and owned by Marti & Jack Harrison & Tim Cujdik., Salisbury, MD, taking the BIS.

CH Reflection’s Delovely

This was also the first Best In Show for Ellie. She is a very young bitch, less than two years old, and obvioulsy has a tremendous career ahead of her. Kudos to all.

HURRICANES AND HARRIERS

You don’t often get hurricanes on the North Shore of Long Island, but such was the luck of the Brookhaven Kennel Club, who held their show yesterday in Oyster Bay, NY. New Yorkers seldom visit Long Island after Labor Day and even dog enthusiasts opted to head upstate for the Finger Lakes cluster in lieu of visiting the shore in the off season. Only 554 dogs were entered and only 311 showed up to compete. Our number nine dog, the Harrier, CH Downhome Family Tradition, garnered the BIS, getting the equivalent points of the group winners at the Finger Lake event. The only solace Long Islanders can take is this hurricane, Kyle, has the most WASPy name of the season. It would have been an embarrassment indeed had they been rained out by a storm named Ike.

Hurricane Kyle's Path

Further south, and further inland, in Millwood, VA, the Warrenton Kennel Club hosted 677 dogs for their Friday affair and it was our number three dog, the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, who took the top prize. Will it be enough to keep Charmin in the top five come October 1? I’m betting not. We’ll know more come Monday morning.

FINGER LAKE FIVE

Well, even our show dogs like a little fall foliage. Five of our top ten dogs are in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, in the lovely little burg of Romulus, NY. Romulus is 250 miles northwest of Manhattan, in between Syracuse and Rochester. Forty years ago, I went to school at the University of Rochester expecting to find the entire state of New York to be concrete canyons. Three things stick in my mind about that area. It is incredibly cold in the winter, there are more rednecks in upstate New York than there are in the South, and when the snow melts, the landscape is amazingly beautiful.

Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes

Kanadasaga Kennel Club hosted yesterday’s event, which was remarkable for two things. The entry was very large, 1638 dogs, on a Thursday yet, and there were no surprises. The routine began in the Toy Group with the number five dog, the Brussels Griffon, CH Cilleine Masquerade taking GP one and the number six dog, the Affenpinscher, CH Tamarin Tug going GP two. Joining Lincoln in the BIS ring were the number ten dog, the Scottish Deerhound, CH Jaraluv Ouija; the number two dog, the Pointer, CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry; and the number one dog, the Giant Schnauzer, CH Galilee's Pure Of Spirit. And it was the Giant Schnauzer, Spirit, who got the nod from judge Dr. Donald A. Gill.

This series has the potential to really shake up the top ten rankings. While the top two dogs have a firm grasp on their respective positions, look for the current number three dog, the Sealyham Terrier, CH Efbe's Hidalgo At Goodspice, to fall to number six. Also look for the deerhound, Ouija, to move up two spots to number eight. Gone are the days when you can work a regular job and just attend shows on Saturday and Sunday. Being a top ten dog is getting to be a full time job.

What a great weekend in store for those living in upstate New York. They have a chance to see the fall foliage, visit the Finger Lakes wineries, and see some of the countries finest purebred dogs.

PETA PUPPETS

Two People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) related stories crossed the news wire this week. The first was relegated to the section of the news that is reserved for humorously bizarre items. PETA has sent a letter to the manufacturers of everyone’s favorite ice cream, Ben and Jerry, suggesting that they should replace the cow’s milk in their ice cream with human breast milk. PETA rationalized that cows’ milk should be reserved for baby cows. They were, however, silent on the effect on human babies. As much as I would love to know under what name the purveyors of Chunky Monkey would market such a frosty departure from tradition, I’m afraid the Freudian implications could damage an entire generation.

The second story was the announcement that funny man Fred Willard will emcee the First Annual Worldwide Fido Awards, airing in primetime, October 5 on Nick at Nite. Willard is one of the Hollywood denizens that have come under PETA’s influence. In fact, he co hosted PETA’s 25th Anniversary Gala. It is affront to parents and dog owners everywhere that Nickelodeon has chose a PETA sympathizer to host a program dedicated to our pets. It’s like asking Pamela Anderson (Willard‘s cohost of PETA‘s 25th) to do an infomercial on chastity. I have already sent an e-mail to VIACOM protesting Willard’s choice. I encourage all of you to do the same. http://www.viacom.com/Contact/Pages/default.aspx

Pamela Anderson and Fred Willard
at PETA's 25th Anniversary Gala

I am old enough to know that you can outlive almost anything. There is a certain economy in this approach. You can conserve your disdain for those who really deserve it. Among those I hold in such low esteem are the following members/supporters of PETA listed below. Some of them are just wannabes and has beens, but some are genuinely influential and talented people. I would like to think that they are just misguided. Hopefully their friends and publicists will persuade them to end their association with this truly evil organization.

One of their number deserves special attention. That is the eternally smug Bill Maher. Maher has used his HBO soap box to demean mainstream politics, religion, marriage, traditional medicine, meat eaters, and sobriety. While he makes a living off a society that embraces tolerance and freedom of expression, he advances a doctrine of intolerance and conformation to his own rigid sense of political correctness. Maher proudly serves on the board of PETA.

Bill Maher and Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA

If you only know PETA as a somewhat non-traditional animal rights organization, do a little educational reading. I’m not even going to recommend you visit their detractors' sites. I want you to get it straight from the horse’s….mouth. Visit the PETA web site and read it in their own words. Then take a shower and come back here and be thankful for the people who protect our right to keep pets.

Two things you won’t read on their site are these tidbits:

When Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh decided to refrain from eating meat during his last meal before his execution for the murder of 168 people, including children, PETA’s Bruce Friedrich told reporters: “Mr. McVeigh’s decision to go vegetarian groups him with some of the world’s greatest visionaries, including Albert Schweitzer, Mohandas Gandhi, Leo Tolstoy and Albert Einstein.”

In a Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Online Animal Report, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reported that in 2006, they took in 3,043 animals that were surrendered by their owners. Of these 3,043 animals (1,960 cats, 1,030 dogs, 52 other companion animals, and 1 chicken), the organization reported that 2,981 animals were euthanized. The report filed by PETA shows that only 2 cats, 8 dogs, and 2 companion animals from the 3,043 animals were adopted out. This means 1,942 cats, 988 dogs, 50 other companion animals, and one chicken were euthanized which made PETA’s euthanization rate 97%.

PETA PUPPETS:

Casey Affleck, Gillian Anderson, Pamela Anderson, Christina Applegate, Rosanna Arquette, Bea Arthur, Sean Astin, Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, David Boreanaz, Simon Cowell, James Cromwell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Taylor Dayne, Rebecca De Mornay, Andy Dick, Edie Falco, Corey Feldman, Carrie Fisher, Sara Gilbert, Ryan Gosling, Woody Harrelson, Paul Harvey Jr., Joan Jett, Shirley Jones, Swoozie Kurtz, David La Chapelle, Ali MacGraw, Bill Maher, Paul McCartney, Rue McClanahan, John McEnroe, Sarah McLachlan, Alyssa Milano, Hayley Mills, Heather Mills, Moby, Esai Morales, Kathy Najimy, Martina Navratilova, Olivia Newton-John, Todd Oldham, Sharon Osbourne, Sara Jessica Parker, Dolly Parton, Joaquin Phoenix, Pink, Victoria Principal, Paul Reubens, Denise Richards, Alan Rickman, Melissa Rivers, Dennis Rodman, Rev. Al Sharpton, William Shatner, Ally Sheedy, Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, Oliver Stone, Charlize Theron, Fred Willard

BAILEY WON'T YOU PLEASE COME HOME

Among the good news stories this week (and believe me, I have to look for a good news story) is the report of a lost show dog that has found his way home. CH Brigadoon It's All About You, a Bearded Collie, had bolted his home in Stamford, CT, on September 17. Bailey, the 2007 Westminster breed winner, was bred by Penny Hannigan and owned by Michele and Scott Piskin of Stamford, CT. Happily, he was found in nearby woods two days later and was returned home. The Piskins had equipped their property with an “invisible fence”, but had removed Bailey’s collar while indoors. When Bailey was startled by the sounds of power tools during a home renovation, he made a run for quieter spaces.

CH Brigadoon It's All About You

I am not a fan of the so called invisible fence. My brother, who owns miniature dachshunds, equipped his yard with such an underground stun gun. At one family barbeque, my brother-in-law, encouraged by an alcohol induced curiosity, decided to test the effectiveness of the fence. He removed the collar from one of the dogs and approached the fence. A moment later he laid on the ground, the collar in one hand, an empty beer can in the other, and an amazed look on his face. My brother had a conventional fence installed the next week, under threat of neutering from my wife and daughter. Albeit a bit of Monday morning quarterbacking, this old dog recommends that dogs be locked up when there are workmen are in the house.

CH Bohem C'est La Vie

Nonetheless, we are happy for Bailey and his family. Way too many dogs go missing each year. Our readers may recall the 2006 Westminster entry, the Whippet, CH Bohem C'est La Vie, who escaped her crate at JFK airport enroute home to California. “Vivi” was never found. It is somewhat comforting to remember that these incidents are rare. Most dogs make it to and from shows without any problem. Yet, we all can identify with the heratbreak of those who have lost their pets. Keep a watchful eyes on your dogs!