The Gossip Column: March 17, 2023

The ongoing saga of the real or imagined move of MADISON SQUARE GARDEN continues. As the time left on their lease to hold large crowds in their arena nearing its time to renew, Garden vice president JOEL FISHER attended a meeting of the local community board. He said MADISON SQUARE GARDEN would in fact move if they could rebuild a new arena across the street on Seventh Avenue at the site of the HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA, which is in the process of being demolished. However generous the offer, there are no plans for such a project. Time will tell. As a result of the pandemic, there is a new dynamic of changing show dates and venues, causing other clubs on the same weekend to rethink what is best for their own club. With that very thought in mind, the PALM BEACH COUNTY DOG FANCIERS ASSOCIATION, which is hosting their show this weekend, will move to a new date in 2024 with the 
BOCA RATON DOG CLUB. The four-day event will start with back-to-back BOCA RATON followed by PALM BEACH; the new dates are Thursday through Sunday, March 21, 22, 23 and 24. FOY TRENT will superintend. Multiple group judge and PALM BEACH member SULIE GREENDALE-PAVEZA is in recovery from reconstructive leg surgery that will keep her sidelined from judging during the month of March. Still in a cast, she attended the show, good member that she is. She hopes to be back in the ring judging in April. The recent of passing of ALLEN STEPHENSON, one of the most successful breeders of Skye Terriers, has saddened not only the English dog community but his many friends and admirers around the world. With his late life partner PETER CHAPPELL, their Mariquita prefix was very well known and respected. Certainly, one of the kennel’s most notable wins was winning the Terrier Group under judge MAUREEN MICKLETHWAITHE at the Crufts dog show. 
Among the familiar faces seen around the rings at CRUFTS were perennials PETER GREEN, BETH SWEIGART and GEIR FLYKT-PEDERSEN, with a major in AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB employees DENNIS SPRUNG, GINA DINARDO, MARK DUNN, MARI-BETH O’NEILL and JUDY & DOUG LJUNGREN for a quick fly-over, missing half the of the four-day show, as they had to get back for the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB ANNUAL MEETING. Not so rushed for time were DOTTIE COLLIER, ELIZABETH FLETCHER, ALMA & SEAN SANTINI, REBECCA CROSS, RACHEL & CHRIS MANELOPOULOS, NONIE REYNDERS, ANTOINELLE VOLPUS, JAN GLADSTONE, DON STURZ, BARBARA ANDERSON, POLLY SMITH, MICHAEL FAULKNER, SHARON NEWCOMB and SHERRI HURST. A great long weekend, more next week as time allows.