The Gossip Column: September 8, 2023
This weekend has special meaning for so many reasons. It signals the official end of summer, even though summer isn't leaving without one more blast of hot weather. It also has me looking forward to attending one of my favorite weekends, the TUXEDO PARK, SOMERSET HILLS and WESTCHESTER KENNEL CLUB dog shows. ...
The weekend is also the 39th anniversary of TAKE THE LEAD. So, on this special anniversary, let’s once again thanks the founders for having the vision of what this charity has come to mean to our dog-showing community. The magnificent seven were, in no special order, DOTTIE COLLIER, TOM BRADLEY, PAT LAURANS, JEFFREY PEPPER, ERIC STEELE, ELLEN FROST and MICHAEL LARIZZA. Sadly, PAT and MIKE are no longer with us to help celebrate this special occasion. TAKE THE LEAD has made a difference in so many people’s lives when they needed it most. This weekend will be bittersweet with the large void of DAVE HELMING’S absence. So associated with this weekend, for the years he worked to make it the success it is. ...
DAVE & PEGGY HELMING are such a big part of this weekend. ...
A constant complaint that comes to my desk is the continued use of show dogs traveling under the umbrella of service dog. This is a topic DOG NEWS has addressed in the past. I guess every now and then it needs to be addressed again. Now I’m sure some dogs are indeed service dogs, and this not addressed to you. But the abuse and flagrant disregard for these dogs’ real and needed purpose are inexcusable. The need to stop this overreach — not only with some in our community but the whole dog-owning community — has left the airlines no choice but to have the DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION implement stricter requirements for service-dog air travel. An unwanted result of these newer requirements is that people who really need service dogs are finding harder to travel. A recent full-page article in the WALL STREET JOURNAL addressed this problem with examples of travelers who really need this service left stranded because the required paperwork was not in their travel reservation file. We all know why this service is so abused: Your dog travels with you in the cabin and at no cost to the passenger. But every time you abuse that privilege, remember that you are taking the space from someone who really needs it — instead of thinking, there but for the grace of God ...