Page 80 - ShowSight - July 2019

ShowSight Interviews
BY ALLAN REZNIK
ED THOMASON, ALPINE AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIERS
Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Northern California. My wife Karen was
born and raised in Washington state.
Do you come from
a doggy family? And if not, how did the interest in breeding and showing purebred dogs begin?
Neither of us came from dog show or breeder families. Karen had a Smooth Dachs- hund growing up. My
father had two Amstaffs, and a Treeing Walker Coonhound that he used for boar hunting.
Who were your mentors in the sport? Please elaborate on their influence.
We have had many. I don’t think being mentored ever stops. Just this weekend I had the opportunity to watch a large entry of Field Spaniels with Andy Linton. I loved hearing how he saw the breed. But since I have to pick one, I would say Laurie Fenner. Her patience with me as a young man really drove me to be the dog handler I am today.
In Amstaffs, Chris Lee, Fred Sindelar, Margret Lyons and Lydia Castagna all really molded the two of us into what we are today. Each of them took time to work with us and teach us different things that we still use today. I got my first Amstaff from Chris. She helped fuel the fire for showing dogs. Fred taught Karen and me
what correct type is in Amstaffs. I would spend hours on the phone with him and listen to the same stories over and over again. I always seemed to pick up something new. Margret got Karen started in Amstaffs. She purchased her first few dogs from her and later went on to co-breed under the Timberland prefix before Karen and I got together. Lydia was one of the first people to hire me to show a special. We also went on to use one of her stud dogs to sire one of our first Alpine litters.
The Alpine Amstaffs are widely known, highly successful and well respected. What breeding philosophies do you adhere to?
Type, type, type. We work hard to produce a consistent type that is recognized anywhere in the world. Karen and I agree that when we consider a particular dog and bitch for a breeding, they must both meet at least two of the following three criteria: cor- rect type for our breed, correct structure for our breed, and correct temperament for our breed. But it is type before all else. And it is important to mention that long before these criteria are discussed, the dogs must have passed all their health clearances.
How many dogs do you typically house, your own Amstaffs as well as the dogs you show for your clients? Tell us about your current facilities and how the dogs are maintained.
That number goes up and down. We are, first and foremost, a breeding kennel. We keep a good number of bitches and very few stud dogs. We believe you can purchase semen. If a male stays in our kennel, he has to be of the quality of a top-ranked terrier. Right now, we have two Amstaff males, Jelly and Pancho. We also have clients’ dogs with us. We almost always have a Tibetan Mastiff and several other terrier breeds living with us.
We have several outside covered runs and two run-out yards. The dogs are rotated between the house and yards throughout the day. In the evening, usually around 7 pm, they are crated in the kennel room for the night.
©Nor Cal Bulldogger 2018
74 • ShowSight Magazine, July 2019