The two-day show in Lompoc combined with the Sighthound et. al. Specialties is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Entries used to be larger when it was part of the Ventura, SB weekend but have settled in the 1,500 area. Perhaps with a little innovation in judges' slates, entries could increase by 300 or 400 dogs, but really, who cares? The ambiance here is one of the most pleasant around, the site charming, even with the loss of some of the old shade trees, and as a dog show experience it's just a laid-back, nice, pleasant one to be at. Dorothy Ingamells, Pete DeSoto and Glenn Brand are some of the names that come to mind as this club year after year sticks to what it knows best—how to put on a basic well-run show that captures the imagination and support of the cognizetti without being the least bit ostentatious or presumptive.
 The line-ups for Best both nights were very representative if not outstanding. The winner the first night was the liver and tan bloodhound from Northern California, which is a dog I really do like. He is getting the recognition now, which, personally, I think he deserved much earlier on. Next night was a young Great Pyr that I have admired since he was a pup and I was happy to hear of his Best. Both exhibits were winners of their National Specialties and both are number  three in their respective Group  ratings and number one in their breed standings. The bloodhound is Ch. Heathers Knock On Wood, owned by Lyn Sherman, bred by Heather and Peter Whitcomb and handled by Ken Griffith. The Pyr is Ch. Dieudonne Impyrial Acclaim H.O.F., owned by Kyle Simmons, Paula Midporden and Paul and Karen Bruneau his handler. Karen does a great job not only with this breed but with others as well. She has the Gayle Bontecou Deerhound touch in handling Pyrs, if you know what I mean. She sort of flows with the dog, and together they make a tough team to beat.
 As for the Hound Specialties, they are always interesting and the basic hard work and result of Gloria and Nat Reese and Pat Ellis. I must say, Greyhounds over the three days were fascinating to watch and were an educational experience for anyone interested in learning about them. It seems that a prominent breeder associated with another sighthound breed has become quite active in  Greyhounds. I don't really follow the breed so I don't know if this is a new endeavor or not on his part, but his thinking about what they should look like seems to have incorporated (to the dismay of many longtime greyhound people), the racing look into this line. And certainly watching his dogs as opposed to the other  more traditional bred dogs was interesting if not fascinating. The judge of Friday rejected this type in the altogether while the Saturday judge used them with frequency. The Sunday judge basically used the non racing look in his major placements. I have no intention of getting into an endorsement of one type over another as I am anything but a student of this breed, but certainly I better understand the arguments being made about the differences in type after watching the breed for those three days.
 Interestingly, I saw a terrier — a cairn — for the first time, which really caught my eye. I take it back. I guess I saw it over the Great Western weekend but did not hone into it. This dog really impressed the hell out of me. Owner-handled, this little dog was a standout to my mind anyways. Unfortunately the group judges failed to find him or so I am told. Certainly I know this was the case the first night. Cairns are not exactly the standout type, particularly in that very competitive West Coast Terrier group but let me tell you it was hard not to see this little showdog.
A new report in this week's PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES traces roots of the collie's family tree. A mutated gene found in collies suggests that several herding dogs, including the  Old English as well as some hound breeds, including the longhaired whippet, are in that tree. Researchers at UC Davis studied 4,000 blood samples from purebred dogs and discovered the mutated gene in 54.6 percent of collies; 41.6 percent of long haired whippets; 25.9 percent of miniature Australian shepherds; 7.9 percent silken windhounds (whatever they may be) and smaller percentages of Australian shepherds,  OES and several other sheepdogs. The researchers suggest that the herding dogs with the mutated gene probably shared it before the time of dog shows and strictly controlled breeding when sheep owners used a variety of dogs to tend their flocks. As for the longhaired whippet and silken windhound, the researchers note that the windhound was developed in the 1980’s by crossing several breeds—the whippet the likely gene source. (Does FCI recognize the windhound, one must wonder?) Other theories seem to be that the gene came to the hounds by crosses between collies and Borzois when Czar Nicholas II gave them to Queen Victoria. I'm not too sure what this all proves or why this research was conducted in the first place. Seems the money could have been better used, but that's the news as reported in USA TODAY. Must have been one of those August dog days, wouldn’t you think! • |
