The Gossip Column: April 8, 2022
Our APRIL FOOL’S DAY issue was a great success, and thank you for all the compliments. It did prevent us from reporting on last week’s news, though most of it was very sad, as we said our farewells to several of well-known figures in our sport. ...
My good and longtime friend GWEN DEMILTA passed away from the ravages of cancer. I dislike the expression “lost the battle” because GWEN never considered herself a loser, just a fighter. And fight she did, taking it on with positive and constructive thoughts and actions, as she did with everything in her life. A former neighbor on Long Island, she racked our first Doberman’s ears and gave us great advice about the breed that only made us love her and the breed even more. Her talent, dedication and support of the sport are not lost with the continued talents of her daughter CARISSA SHIMPENO. One of our great honors was to be standing in the main ring with GWEN & RISSA when it was announced that they were the AKC BREEDERS OF THE YEAR. A well-deserved honor. We send all our love to RISSA and the entire DEMILTA/SHIMPENO family. ...
What can be said of WAYNE BOYD, with his wife JEAN a master breeder of Great Pyrenees, whose success in the breed is legend. Age and health kept them out of the ring, but they continued to have winner after winner with the addition of handler ANGIE LLOYD. All of us at DOG NEWS send our deepest sympathies to JEAN and her family. ...
ROMANA ARNOLD, the fabulous and bright wife of former American Kennel Club director LEE ARNOLD, passed away suddenly. RO was taken ill and hospitalized; LEE was in Florida about to attend RON MENAKER’S funeral service when he received a phone call to return home. All of us at DOG NEWS send our deepest sympathies to LEE and their respective children and families. ...
We were saddened to hear that well-known Weimaraner breeder and exhibitor CHERYL LENT has passed away. A judge emeritus, she was the former parent club’s judge’s education chairwoman. We send our deepest sympathies to her partner ROGER GLOVER and her family. ...
WILLIAM BURRED, SR., a well-known and popular dog trainer for the armed forces, movies, service dogs and family pets, has passed away. An animal-control officer, he saved the lives of many dogs. He was a multi-talented man who was a singer who opened for SAMMY DAVIS, JR. Our deepest to his wife SUSAN and children. ...
It has been a tough week, with all these passings. So let’s end on some positive news. Some changing news for the WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB: Congratulations to WHITNEY MEEKS, who has been chosen to replace AMY BOOTH as the Junior Showmanship judge at the upcoming June WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB show. Not the first in her family to enter the main ring, her late grandmother, the popular all-breed judge ANN WANNER, judged Best in Show at the 1986 event. In other WESTMINSTER news, CINDY VOGELS will now be judging Sealyhams, replacing BERGIT KABEL.