The Gossip Column: January 3, 2024

Happy New Year. I hope all of you enjoyed the holidays at home with family and friends. I’m sure after a few free weekends of shows even the dogs started to believe in Santa Claus. Now it’s start-up time with the big opener PALM SPRINGS, followed closely by 10 shows in Brooksville, Florida. ...

The AKC BREEDER OF THE YEAR presentation is always a high point of the AKC National Championship weekend. The honorees for the seven variety groups were presented to the audience: Sporting Group, ERICA & JOHN BANDES, Kinnike Kennels, reg., Pointers; Hound Group BRYAN & CHRIS FLESSNER’S BLOODHOUNDS, Working Group LIZ HANSEN, Sketchbook Standard Schnauzers; Terrier Group, VANDRA HUBER, McVan Scottish Terriers; Toy Group, JOY BARBIERI and REBECCA MOVALL’S Andi Pugs; Non-Sporting Group, BEN BLANKENSHIP, Trumpet Keeshonden, and Herding Group, SANDI LYON, Margaux Bouviers, who got the final nod. Congratulations all for your dedication to your breed and the success you have enjoyed. For the sixth year there was a posthumous Breeder of the Year Award; this year it was the late breeder and professional handler KAZ HOSAKA. ...

At the Orlando shows GAYLE BONTECOU celebrated her 50th year as an AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB judge. I remember back when her first Whippet assignment was the national specialty. To this day no one has the skill and grace to show a Deerhound like GAYLE. Here’s to 50 more, my friend. ...

A few judges missed their assignments in Orlando: Of course, there was the earlier replacement of Best in Show judge TERRY STACY; GEOFF CORISH, whose passport wasn’t valid for travel owning to an expiration date; DAVID KIRKLAND and GINA WIESER, and two of Texas’ illustrious dog ladies, DENNY MOUCE and PEGGY LLOYD, who have retired from the sport following a 50-year career as breeders, handlers and judges. ...

There was a touching and heartfelt celebration of the life of VICTOR MALZONI, who passed away several months ago. Speeches were made to those who gathered with his wife SUSIE, family and friends. Among the speakers were this writer, GABRIEL RANGEL and PHIL BOOTH. The room included NANCY BROWN, LIVIA & MAX KRAINER, LEONARDO GARCINI, GLEN LAJESKI, BETH SWEIGART, PETER GREEN, RECCA CROSS, LYDIA COLEMAN HUTCHINSON, DESI MURPHY, ANDREW GREEN, AMY GREEN, TORIE STEELE and GEOFF LAWSON. ...

The aforementioned NANCY BROWN is seeing red as she prepares to host the RED DRESS COLLECTION CONCERT on January 30 at Jazz at Lincoln Center, benefiting the AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION as they kick off AMERICAN HEART MONTH. ...

Sad news of the passing of CAPTAIN JEAN HEATH, a retired naval officer who befriended an enlistee named BILL COSBY. Their friendship continued after their military service: COSBY financially helped JEAN and together they bred Miniature Schnauzers and Lakeland Terriers under the Blackwatch prefix — arguably the most successful Lakeland Terrier kennel. JEAN was a formidable competitor. She could be gruff and opinionated, and her physical and military demeanor combined made her a force. Fortunately, we had a good friendship, and under that exterior was a very nice lady. In her later years, JEAN shared a Palm Springs home with well-known and successful Miniature Schnauzer breeder SUSIE ATHERTON. I’ll miss her phone calls and the time we spent together. She was one of a kind, one of the few individual characters we had left in the sport. Rest easy.