The Gossip Column: January 5, 2024
Happy New Year. Didn't the two-week-plus holiday break fly by quickly? While counting those days, I realized we are now in our 40th year of publishing DOG NEWS. The changes in publishing to a desktop computer and the advent of the internet have come a long way from photographs being sent to a lab to be made into half-tones for printing. The use of a computer to create copy and artwork instead of a typesetter. The wonderful dogs that have appeared on these pages. Most important, the wonderful and colorful columnists whose words were and are still quoted from these pages. The staff, including SEAN GAFFNEY, our art director from the very first issue, who will be retiring in a few months. He is the backbone of getting every issue to the printer on time. Thank you doesn’t quite cover it. But of all the changes, the one I can’t escape without sadness is not having MATT STANDER by my side. I guess it was SEAN’S impending retirement that brought all those memories back to mind. ...
Enough of yesterday — let’s get on to today. A wonderful sight in Orlando, bringing the BREEDER OF THE YEAR HONOREES to center ring to announce who would hold that title. What a weekend for LUKE & DIANE EHRICHT. They topped off that well-deserved honor, THE BREEDER OF THE YEAR, with winning Best in Show with their homebred Shih Tzu that is co-owned with BONNIE MILLER and SUSAN CARTER. ...
The EHRICHTS, representing the Toy Group, were selected from a powerful pool of six other breeders that included English Springer Spaniel breeder DOROTHY CHERRY, American Foxhound breeders HARRY & LISA MILLER, Samoyed breeders AMY KEILL-GREEN & ANDREW GREEN, Welsh Terrier breeder KEITH BAILEY, Bichon Frise breeders LORRIE CARLTON & LARRY LETSCHE, and Pembroke and Cardigan Welsh Corgi breeders CYNTHIA & VINCENT SAVIOLI. ...
According to NANCY BATTAGLIA, the upcoming evening of music that is to take place this weekend coinciding with the Palm Springs dog shows has had a change of venue. It will now be held at the Revolution Stage Company, 611 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. ...
Sadly, we have two recent passings to report. Hound and Herding group judge DAVID JAY HYMAN passed away. So popular among all his friends and a mentor to many. Our deepest sympathies to his family. KATHY DEVILLENEUVE, the wife of multiple group judge BILL DEVILLENEUVE, passed away suddenly this week. KATHY didn't attend a lot of dog shows, but she was always fun to be with at any social function we both attended. All of us at DOG NEWS send our condolences to BILL and his son.