Bobby Fowler was one of the better dog men of our time. His recent passing after a long series of illnesses leaves a widening void in the shrinking number of truly knowledgeable dog individuals. Never a judge, his opinion about certain breeds of dogs was sought by the true breeder. Certainly, his word about a Dachshund or a Basset was virtually irrefutable. Quite frankly, Bobby was one of the few people I knew who I would have relied upon to buy me a dog of any breed, in the U.S. anyways. And in that regard, I will tell you a funny “Fowler Story.” He handled a Beagle or two for me years ago, and I asked him to find a bitch to breed to a Page Mill dog I owned. He went to a famous kennel of its day, announced he had found one, and I said, sight unseen, “buy her.” She was unveiled in great pomp and fanfare in front of a bunch of prominent dog people at a get-together I was having, and I saw her for the first time then. She was magnificent; short of back, sweet face, great tail set, which was bushy and full, with a true turn of stifle, virtually flawless front, came and went beautifully, and a perfect size. I got my hands on her for the first time in front of this crowd, looked her in the face and melted. I put my finger under her lip to check her bite and almost lost my index finger. She was as undershot as they came! I looked at Bobby, who was beaming proudly throughout the proceedings, and very quietly muttered, “When was the last time you checked her bite?” He blanched, checked her out, and she became Bobby and Pat's house pet. Bobby was then married to Pat Beresford. So you see, even the great ones can foul up too. By the way, I have never again bought a show dog sight unseen. However, she was bred to Ché, the Page Mill dog, and produced a BOS winner in 15’s at the National. Bobby's overall knowledge is a loss for the dog world. My thoughts are with his present wife, Jane, and his daughter, Jessie.
I was not surprised to learn that HSUS and DDAL have joined forces. This merger brings two animal advocacy groups, which more often than not are an anathema to many dog owners, together. Certainly under the leadership of Wayne Pacelle, who took over as president and CEO of HSUS in 2004, a strategy of aggressive growth is being carried out. It reflects in particular a growing popularity and strength of the animal protection movement. Some of the successes in the wildlife, trapping and cockfighting instance are to be applauded. What his or their attitudes towards dogs and breeders are is much more questionable. Due to the power HSUS wields, it is unhappily necessary to at least talk with them, never losing sight of the frequently duplicitous attitude of Mr. Pacelle in these dog areas. Now that he has joined hands with DDAL, one would assume an even more wary attitude toward HSUS should be had.
And now for yet another contretemps. In, of all things, the Op-Ed page of THE NEW YORK TIMES, Mark Derr takes on Cesar Millan, the erstwhile “Dog Whisperer!” Entitled “Pack of Lies,” Derr claims Millan gets dog behavior all wrong. I must say that the late Arthur Haggerty wrote a similar piece for DOG NEWS. One would expect that to appear in our kind of publication, but for a three-column replete with massive cartoon on the subject to be written for THE TIMES? Just shows the importance of the dog in American society, doesn't it? I make Derr even less of an authority than do most. However, he does have a “rabbi” at THE TIMES, that's for sure. Remember his most controversial article about Labs some 10 or 15 years ago? And then his periodic Border Collie musings can be bewildering at best. As for Millan, he has very cleverly jumped into the scene at the right time. Rightly or wrongly, he is making a great living, using the dog behavior angle to do it. And I have no problem with that, so long as one keeps in mind this is more gimmickry than it is science. Sometimes what he preaches works; other times it does not. It's just not predictable or based on precise and definitive findings. Personally, not only do I believe Mr. Derr has overreacted—perhaps in a jealous pique—to Cesar's acceptance factor, but I think THE TIMES has gone bonkers in giving Derr the space they gave him. •