Dogs In Review Magazine March 2017 | Page 91

Patrick Guilfoyle hibitors can bring valued experience to a breed , or they wear out their welcome quickly with their know-it-all attitude , not having paid their proper dues in this breed . It all comes down to motives , goals and the character of the respective novice or experienced exhibitor .
8 . Absolutely ! Club politics deliberately keep breeds away
from the AKC , sometimes stalling for decades for fear of losing control of proper breed development . There are those horror stories where the breed suffers at the hands of fringe clubs that somehow obtain AKC parent club status at the eleventh hour , irresponsibly mishandling the standard and club . Also , there are reports of breeds where health , type and temperament went downhill after full recognition , having attracted the wrong types of buyers . Politics can be a help when it comes to protecting a breed not quite ready for AKC prime time , and a hindrance when the breed suffers at the hands of ill-intentioned or self-serving individuals .
9 . From Miscellaneous to full recognition , no . It was two
years for the Tibetan Mastiff , and that seemed about right at the time . Too fast and superficial is the moving of the more obscure breeds into the Miscellaneous class to begin with . Some of those could use some political static and interference to protect the breed while it develops more thoroughly .
PATRICK GUILFOYLE , AKC JUDGE , AND PIPPI GUILFOYLE
1 . Venture . Burbank , Calif . Poodles . 2 . At the World Show in Helsinki , Finland , we were mesmerized by the Azawakh from a breeder in Italy by the name of Francesca Zampini of Azamour Kennels .
3 . Yes . As well as success as breeder / owner-handlers in
Poodles , I [ Patrick ] showed several Afghan Hounds .
4 . Well , it ’ s a mixed bag . In our opinion , the parent club
is not progressive in checking off the items needed to bring the breed to the forefront . Other than that , it ’ s the numbers that still remain rather low .
5 . The breed is quite remarkable — loving , with a wonderful sense of humor . We are smitten .
6 . Of course , this is a universal , unanswered question in
almost all breeds . The breed is singularly unique in that they stand and move unlike any other breed of dog , without question . The trick , of course , is one of great education , not just for the judges but also for our community of dog people to spread the word about what is right and what is not . There is a lot of interest in the Azawakh breed .
7 . I don ’ t see cons actually in novice exhibitors . My
problem comes from very little centralized , pertinent , breedspecific information from the breed club , as I feel that is of paramount importance .
8 . Oh my , yes . Aggravatingly so . I tried to be humble and
lovable in the beginning until I realized that I was wasting my time . They don ’ t want change ; they want to stay in the shadows . I ’ ve given up .
9 . Done correctly , recognition can bring with it the legitimacy to allow more people to enjoy this remarkably unique breed .
PATTY HOOVER
1 . I live in the Wenas Valley in eastern Washington state ,
and our nearest town is Selah . My breed is the Xoloitzcuintli , and the name of my kennel is Besito . The word “ besito ” means “ little kiss ” in Spanish , and the first interaction that the puppies have with humans is when their little tongue comes out and they give their first kiss .
2 . My involvement began when I found a small hairless
Xolo at a pet store in Tacoma , Wash . My sons brought her to my attention and we were all amazed , even a bit enchanted . This was our first exposure to a hairless dog . We went home and talked about her as a possible addition to our family . Two days later I went to adopt her and we named her Jazzy . As Jazzy grew , I began to learn more about her and her breed and eventually sought out a specialty for the breed so that I could see other Xolos and gain more knowledge about them and their history . By this time I had purchased her mother and father from the breeder . Her mother was very sturdy and balanced , and she was also registered with FCM in Mexico . I kept the female and neutered the male , placing him with a local relative .
The female was named Chimalma ( Vale ). I spent a year getting her in top condition . I then bred her to an FCM-registered male and we had our first litter .
3 . Life for me and my family has always included dogs ,
but we had only strays and shelter dogs prior to finding Jazzy . I grew up on a farm and always loved dogs — all dogs .
Breeding and showing dogs was not part of my life until we purchased Chimalma . I had never been to a dog show , and without that experience I was really starting from zero . However , I was a teacher and interested in learning . At that time , my sons were nearly grown and I was excited by the prospect of something new to focus on .
MARCH 2017 DOGS IN REVIEW 89