Audrey Sutton
of the dog clubs. To say that she will be sadly missed is an
understatement. The Italian Greyhound world is diminished
by her loss. Audrey was one in a million.
Joe Tacker
NOVEMBER 6, 1924 - AUGUST 27, 2016
BY DAN SAYERS
“H
Joe Tacker
was also a hard-working member and officer of the Northern
California Italian Greyhound Club. Audrey was well known
for her extensive collection of Italian Greyhound artwork,
antiques and other memorabilia, about which she and her late
husband, Larry, were extremely knowledgeable.
An almost lifelong student of this iconic breed, Audrey was
deeply involved with it for more than 50 years. Not one to
suffer fools quietly, she had a reputation for being outspoken
and authoritative, yet never hesitated to respond to even the
most basic inquiries from anyone with a question about her
beloved Italian Greyhounds or anything related to dogs or one
94
DOGSinREVIEW.com
e began his involvement with dogs in 1951 with
a Cocker Spaniel bitch, who never won a point,”
writes Connie Vanacore of AKC all-breed judge
Joe Tacker in Who’s Who in Dogs. Although Joe’s 65-year career in dogs began inauspiciously, he rose through the ranks
to become a highly respected arbiter who always wore a smile
and had a kind word for every exhibitor. A retired commercial
airline captain for Hawaiian Airlines, Joe passed away on August 27, 2016, at the age of 91.
Born in Corinth, Miss., Joe Tacker graduated from high
school in 1942. “He joined the Navy in 1943 and served as assistant navigator and helmsman on the highly decorated USS
Buchanan, DDF484,” reports the Honolulu Star-Adviser in its
September 11, 2016, edition. “The day the war was over, his
orders for flight training arrived.” He was reactivated during
the Korean War and sent to Pensacola, Fla., for retraining.
While living in the Florida Panhandle, Joe and his wife, Marilyn, became involved with a local dog club and began to breed
and show Cocker Spaniels.
In a 1993 interview with Ric Routledge, Joe talked about
his start in purebred dogs. “My wife came with a love of
dogs,” he explains. “She had a dog all during her childhood
and dearly loved her Black Cocker Spaniel.” Marilyn’s notso-comely Cocker cost a mere $35, but the purchase was a
wise investment for the couple who became immersed in
breeding and showing Parti Cockers, Boxers, English Setters and Norwich Terriers, among other breeds. As a pilot,
Joe’s vocation proved the perfect vehicle for showing dogs.
“I flew a DC-3 for an Admiral,” he told Routledge. “I sold
him a Cocker Spaniel, and we went everywhere showing
dogs. We made some really good friends on the Deep South
circuit.” Joe eventually began to handle dogs — though not
professionally — and started to write show reports for various dog publications.
In 1957, Joe was offered a job with Hawaiian Airlines,
so he and Marilyn moved to the archipelago with their new
bitch in whelp. “We raised our first litter in quarantine,” he
explained in a video interview produced by Dale Roots for
Once Around. “In those days, a budding judge in the yet-tobe 50th state had a difficult time trying to garner additional
breeds,” Routledge reported on Joe’s burgeoning career as
a dog show judge. However, Joe’s profession afforded him