Pure Dog Talk

All the News That's Fit to Record Welcome to Pure Dog Talk’s “News” Report for Monday, April 1, 2019. I’m your host Laura Reeves. We start today’s show with a brand new report that the Labrador Retriever, America’s most popular dog for, like, a million years running, will be the star of the show at a specialty featuring more than ONE THOUSAND Labs, all wagging their tails in sync, at the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac. This mind-boggling event, held April 8-12 in Fredrick Maryland features, amongst any number of amazing opportunities to be bruised by a Labrador tail, a *stud dog auction* ---- just think! High bidder wins what?? Swimmers!!! Here at Pure Dog Talk, twice a week we bring our listeners all the news that’s fit to record in regards to our canine companions. And next on the list of major announcements for today is the GALA Poodle Club of America *hunting* entry! Before the Labs even finish up in Maryland, the Poodles take to the field in Missouri! Listen in next week when I talk with an act

Pam Bruce: Crime Scene Investigator and Dog Show Judge Pamela Bruce, Canadian and AKC judge. Canadian and AKC judge Pam Bruce recounts her background working as a police investigator for the elite Special Victims Unit in Toronto in part two of her interview with host Laura Reeves. Bruce, a cancer survivor herself, (10 years ago in April she was given three weeks to live) reminds us that dog shows are not curing cancer or solving world peace. Dog people are fascinating Bruce was a real-life Mariska Hargitay in Toronto. Her professional life and dog life frequently intertwined in cases in which Dr. Richard Meen (CKC/AKC judge and long-time breeder) was called as an expert witness in cases dealing with young offenders in which she was the lead investigator. “When I first came on (police work), there was a horse and a woman assigned to every platoon,” Bruce said. “Women were assigned to strip searches, sex assault and child abuse cases. They gave us the janitor's closet to change in.” Bruce spent only a year in

Herding Dogs: “Eye,” Competition and Genetic Instinct Tammy Van Deusen works with Shetland Sheepdogs in herding trials. Herding dog trainer and Shetland Sheepdog breeder Tammy Van Deusen joins host Laura Reeves to share her knowledge. "Give 'em the Eye" We talk about “eye” contact, the way Border Collies and Kelpies control stock, versus “loose eye” breeds such as Shelties and the Belgian breeds, that control the stock with their movement. Van Deusen takes us through all of the testing options, what they are and how to train for them. And most importantly, she talks about the loss of genetic instinct in herding breeds. Van Deusen’s first advice is to find a good instructor. Check out the facility before you sign up, she said. She works with clients who want to see if their dog has herding instinct. She’ll often give them three to four lessons with her “school sheep” to see if the dog will “turn on” to stock. If the dog doesn’t have a lot of drive on stock, Van Deusen said, it can still be successful in ot

Pam Bruce: Memories and the Essence of Style in Purebred Dogs Pam Bruce and Michael Canalizo get groovy at Woofstock. Pam Bruce, fourth generation Canadian dog fancier, joins host Laura Reeves in part one of a wide-ranging very personal interview on history, people, judging, breeding and the essence of “style” in purebred dogs. The quintessential dog person, Bruce shares stories and humor and insight reminiscing about the legends of the sport – Michelle Billings, Jane Forsyth, Anne Rogers Clark, Michael Canalizo, Ginny Lyne, Dick Meen and many more. Bruce finished her first dog, a Maltese, at four years old. Her family owned Maltese and later Lhasas. Perhaps best known for her association with Canalizo and the Grandeur Afghans, Bruce breeds Airedales today. Bruce and Canalizo in competition with Ch. Tryst of Grandeur and Ch. Yours Truly of Grandeur. Allowed to Brush In a lifetime of “doing hair,” both brushing and hand stripping, she finds that the two coat types develop balance. “You brush away and pull

Jeff Pepper on PBGV and Understanding Standards Through Performance Jeff Pepper judging the hound group at Westminster Kennel Club in 2018. Jeff Pepper, AKC judge, breeder and Take the Lead Treasurer, joined host Laura Reeves at the AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin. Listen in for this absolutely fascinating conversation on the history and type differences of PBGV (petit basset griffon vendéen) and GBGV (grand basset griffon vendéen) and much more. Pepper started his purebred dog journey with a pet Golden Retriever in 1968. After breeding Goldens for many years, he became involved in PBGV in 1984, importing one of the earliest dogs into the country. "You have to watch them work" A strong advocate for the functionality of breeds under judgement, Pepper said, “You can’t understand any breed if you haven’t seen them performing their job.” He even went so far as to attend a duck tolling test Ch Pepperhill East Point Airily, BOB at the 1984 Golden National and a multiple BIS winner. She was own

David Fitzpatrick on Pekingese, the Palace Dogs of Peking David Fitzpatrick, 2012 Westminster Kennel Club BIS winner with the Pekingese, Malachy, was obsessed with dogs as a child. Although his parents wouldn’t let him own a dog, he found ways to be involved with them by walking and housesitting dogs in the neighborhood. David Fitzpatrick receiving the Westminster Kennel Club BIS ribbon from judge Cindy Vogels. His passion took off around 1970 when he wrote a letter to a local handler to see if she needed help. Before he knew it, he was being picked up after school, earning $5/day helping her with Pekingese and other toy breeds. “It could have been pretty much any breed,” Fitzpatrick said. “I fell into the lap of the Pekingese and loved them from the start. It was fate really.” “Speak to anyone who is remotely involved with the Pekingese breed and the mention of David Fitzpatrick’s name will result in a degree of awe and reverence, for this American gentleman is acknowledged as being as fine a handler and

Clean Paws Are Very Important For a Scottie, You Know DWAA Award Winners Rod Ott, Pilar Kuhn, Larry Linder and Lisa Peterson at the awards banquet. Pilar Kuhn and Rod Ott, authors of the award-winning children’s book “Clean Paws are Very Important for a Scottie, You Know” joined host Laura Reeves live at Westminster Kennel Club. Scottie registrations are down, Kuhn said. The breed has witnessed an astonishing 70 percent decrease in overall number of registrations in the last 15 to 20 years. Ott believes the “Adopt don’t shop” mentality has impacted registrations. He also notes that breeders have aged out and the overwhelming number of activities available makes it harder to get young people involved. Kuhn and Ott share with Laura the five-year long story of developing the book idea, acquiring the illustrations, battling cancer, and the life-saving focus the project provided. The hardback book brings children’s attention to purebred dogs, teaches life lessons and features charming illustrations of Scottis

Managing the Neonate – Early Detection and Management of Newborn Risk Factors By Dr. Marty Greer, DVM, JD Breeders, experienced and inexperienced, will benefit from monitoring their newborn pups for the following parameters. This information is modified from recent research gleaned from Neocare in France. Having specific numbers to assess and monitor can be very helpful in early intervention with newborn pups, to avoid and prevent loss of these fragile new pups. Simply peeking into the whelping box does not give adequate information for either the breeder or the veterinarian asked to help with intervention. Once you have collected this information, you can open a productive dialogue with your veterinary team. You can only manage what you can measure. With this data, we can assess, intervene and provide specific treatments early enough in the first few days of life. This will significantly reduce neonatal loss, sometimes reported to be as high as 40 percent of newborn pups. Parameter Risk Managing the Ri

Travel with your dog to see amazing sights David Blank founded Happy Tails Canine Adventure Tours, designed specifically for people who want to travel and adventure with their dogs. Blank is a professional tour guide and dog trainer who has been to 49 US states and 45 countries. He has hitchhiked from the US to Guatemala to study Spanish, backpacked and hitchhiked throughout East and South Africa, and spent a year motorcycling 20,000 miles throughout the US, Canada and Mexico with his dog Max. He has an MBA in International Business and has lived and worked in Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, China and France. “As a guide, the only thing that is really important to me, besides sharing my love for the world, is that my clients have a unique, fulfilling experience that they will remember prominently and fondly for the rest of their lives!” The Happy Tails tours are designed to learn about traveling with dogs and build great relationships with dogs while seeing new sights on guided tours. The next tour travels to

Westminster KC Treasure Trove: The VOICE of MSG and Yukon Vet Michael LaFave, Westminster Kennel Club Announcer “May we have the hound group please” may be the most thrilling line in dogdom. Westminster Kennel Club announcer Michael LaFave has been the announcer voice at Madison Square Garden for 18 years. Host Laura Reeves caught up with LaFave and Yukon Vet Dr. Michelle Oakley in New York City earlier this month. LaFave was a Basset Hound fancier and president of Eastern Dog Club in Boston when the revered Roger Caras fell ill before the 2001 Westminster dog show. That last minute “fill in” assignment launched nearly two decades associated with his deep, powerful voice describing each dog being judged on the green carpet. Intense moments and gorgeous dogs mark his tenure speaking to the thousands of fans filling the seats at the famed Manhattan venue. His favorite winner? Uno, the Beagle. His most memorable moment? The presentation to the Search and Rescue dogs who worked 9/11, just months after the tra

#takebackourstory: how YOU Can Help the Fight for Breeders' Rights AKC Vice President of Government Relations Sheila Goffe shares details about the Political Action Committee. This fund, administered by AKC, is another tool helping breeders #takebackourstory. "We are constantly fighting bad legislation," Goffe said. "One of the things we can do that is the best short cut is make sure the folks who get elected understand us. The PAC provides campaign contributions to people running for office. Our Board looks at candidates who are already in office, people in position to make a difference. People who have worked with us in the past, we want to be sure they get re-elected." The AKC PAC makes contributions through YOU, Goffe said. "This is your dollars, but we work with local clubs to invite local people in specific district to deliver the donation. The enables us to develop relationships in the local community with local legislators." The reality of money in politics, Goffe noted, is it's not a quid pro quo. "

Carlos Puig: All About Dachshunds and Getting in a Dog’s Head Handler Carlos Puig and Longhaired Dachshund, Burns, Hound group winner at the 2019 Westminster Kennel Club. Anyone who watched the joy with which the Longhaired Dachshund, Burns, showed at Westminster Kennel Club last week, or loves Dachshunds in general, will appreciate this talk with handler Carlos Puig. A Dachshund fancier, breeder and handler for 45 years, Puig brings out the pure spirit in each of his charges. How and why this “jazz pianist” of dog handlers does this is an amazing story. His encyclopedic knowledge of the Dachshund breed is equally impressive. “(Dachshunds) are almost like an accordion,” Puig said. “They are very flexible because they had to be able to get in the badger den, maneuver underground and then back out.” Dual Champion Does it All In fact Burns, GCHP DC WALMAR-SOLO'S OMG SL JE, is believed to be the first dual champion of any breed to win a group at Westminster Kennel Club. Puig is proud that Burns has been succes

Flying the Not so Friendly Skies with Dogs PLUS Woof by WoofWest Sheila Goffe, AKC Vice President of Government Relations, shares what she’s learned from the airlines about flying with dogs, what her team is doing to help the purebred dog fancy and what we can do to help. March 1 is the date Delta will stop flying dogs in crates larger than a 300 size. Goffe said her office has been developing relationships to be able reach out to airlines and have a voice in the conversation. “Really think about what it is we can do to concisely explain to (the airlines) about our experience flying dogs. Their concerns are liability. We need to think like the airlines,” Goffe said. “Sharing YOUR experiences with us and with the airlines is invaluable.” Goffe noted that her concerns about United Airlines are regarding breed specific limits. “American Humane Association provided these guidelines. We’re trying to work with the airline and provide them with the science,” Goffe said. “We can’t make (the airlines) ship our dogs.

Will Alexander on Grooming, Handling and Heroes Will Alexander winning BOB in Gordon Setters at Westminster Kennel Club this week. Canadian dog handling legend, Will Alexander, shares his memories, his handling tips and grooming tools that have brought him significant success in the last 25 years. “My heroes were people like George Alston,” Alexander said. “He basically taught me to trim Irish Setters over the phone.” “I always wanted to be a handler, but before embarking on a handling career I worked for Garry MacDonald in Canada, and for Bobby Stebbins in the States,” Alexander said. Carving the picture Will Alexander grew up with Irish Setters and learned from George Alston, over the phone, how to trim them. Grooming is not a recipe, Alexander noted. Every dog is different. Famous for his meticulous grooming of setters particularly, Alexander describes a process to “build a shell around the dog” when trimming the back coat. He works with a stripping knife, his fingers, a grooming stone and, the most im

AKC Doubles Your Cancer Research Dollars More than 50 percent of dogs over 10 years old will be diagnosed with cancer. Dr. Diane Brown from AKC Canine Health Foundation wants to change that statistic. AKC has pledged $250,000 in matching funds this year toward research into prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of all cancers in dogs. This enables individuals and clubs who donate to the matching fund to literally double the impact of every dollar. Age is not a disease “Age is not a disease,” Brown said. “There are quality of life issues to consider, but I believe we can get to a point of treating older dogs.” Since people and dogs are affected by the same types of cancers, much of the research being done can be applied in what Brown describes as comparative oncology. Prevention and Detection In the prevention category, some cancer vaccines are a reality today and more are being studied. A melanoma vaccine is on the market now, Brown said. Early detection of cancer saves lives in dogs and in people. Curr

Special: Allison & Laura Handicap the Line Up at Westminster Kennel Club Special edition!! Allison & Laura jam on the Westminster Kennel Club show, the fabulous contenders and who may or may not rise to the top of the pack. Las Vegas oddsmakers have occasionally offered up a “line” on the Garden. But those are not Dog Show Divas! Pure Dog Talk brings you two of the sport’s long-time observers with input on who stands a good chance in the green carpet final seven line up this year. Whiskey the Whippet and King the Wire Fox Terrier are high on the list of the potential winners. The Havanese, Bono, is peaking at the right time but could be pushed by Treasure, the Papillion. The Border Collie, Slick and the new German Shepherd Dog, Tony, are set to duke it out in the herding group. A surprise appearance from Elsa the Old English Sheepdog could upset that applecart. Breed judging on Tuesday will make or break a lot of the group judging. Will Bean the Sussex Spaniel who won the group last year come back and play

Canine Cognitive Dysfunction is More Than Old Age Dr. Marty Greer, DVM is back with this month’s Veterinary Voice topic, Canine Cognitive Dysfunction. Canine Cognitive Dysfunction/Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome: (CDS) is a neurobehavioral disorder affecting geriatric dogs and cats that is characterized by an age-related decline in cognitive abilities sufficient to affect functioning, with behavior changes that are not attributable to other medical conditions. Signs of Dog Dementia To look out for canine cognitive dysfunction, remember to check your dog's "DISH": Disorientation Paces Wanders aimlessly Becomes stuck on the wrong side of the door or behind furniture Staring at walls or into space Seems lost in the yard or forgets the purpose of going outside Forgets where the water and food bowls and doors are Fails to recognize familiar people or dogs Reduced responsiveness to name or verbal commands Abnormal response – increased or decreased – to familiar objects Difficulty learning ne

"Judges Were Not Hatched From an Egg" Regina Kennel Club judging panel on Ugly Sweater Day. Host Laura Reeves moderates an international judges panel discussion at the Regina Kennel Club in Saskatchewan, Canada. The panel includes Lee Anne Bateman, Saskatchewan, Linda Buckley, Australia and Tabatha Buckley-Bettis, United States. The panel discussed their views on how to “mentor the future” of purebred dogs. Bateman noted that it’s important for judges to remember “how much fun it is to have dogs in your life” and to be proud of ones dogs, “that’s how everyone feels coming in your ring.” “Just because I don’t put your dog up today, it doesn’t mean I don’t like YOU,” Buckley said. “On the day, I preferred someone else’s dog, but I’d still like you to come out and have a drink with me.” Everyone Wins a Prize? Tabatha Buckley-Bettis observed that “giving everyone a ribbon” isn’t necessarily improving the sport. “Unlike where most people think everyone should get a prize, how I excel is people telling me what

Mari-Beth O’Neill: "Guardian of the Galaxy" American Kennel Club Vice President of Sport Services, Mari-Beth O’Neill, is the walking, talking institutional memory of the organization. One of the longest serving current staff members, O’Neill is also a second-generation AKC employee. Her father was Executive Vice President of the organization and show chair of the AKC Centennial Show. “I attended dog shows in utero,” O’Neill said. “My parents had Dobermans, but the rule was I had to have a dog I could pick up and carry out of a situation. That led to Manchester terriers.” O’Neill owned and showed the top winning Toy Manchester Terrier of the time period, winning the toy group brace at the Garden in 1968 and the toy group in 1969 with Ch. Renreh Lorelei of Charmara. No Gypsy Caravan Her parents insisted she couldn’t “just be a gypsy,” so she went to college and worked as a classroom teacher, along with working as an assistant for then-handler (Theresa) Terry Hundt. “It was held over my head when I was growing

The Ancient Breed Believed to Predate all European Hunting Dogs The Bracco Italiano is depicted in the fourth and fifth centuries BC. Dating back 2500 years, the Bracco Italiano is one of the world’s oldest hunting dogs. Host Laura Reeves is joined by Bracco Italiano Club of America member Marilyn Vinson to learn more. Braccos are frequently compared to the Spinone Italiano, but Vinson said the similarities are more in country of origin than in appearance. “The Bracco is a breed of angles,” Vinson said, “the Spinone a breed of curves.” And while the Bracco may have a very houndy look, Vinson said, they are a versatile hunting dog, designed to hunt, point and retrieve. Hot Knife Through Butter Vinson said the breed’s characteristic trot is one of its most identifying features. While the Bracco may sometimes appear to be “put together with rubber bands,” Vinson said the trot “is like a hot knife through butter, so smooth.” The breed’s enormous 10- to 12-foot long stride is designed to keep them working effi