Page 134 - ShowSight - October 2019

Breeder Interview
BY ALLAN REZNIK
MARJORIE MARTORELLA, MARJETTA POINTERS
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, on the 12th floor of an apartment building. Not exactly a conducive environment for having dogs.
2. Do you come from a doggy family? If not, how did the interest in breeding and showing purebred dogs begin?
My mother was afraid of dogs so we were not allowed to have one, no matter how much my sister and I pleaded. My father’s family were all dog lovers and I loved visiting them and playing with their dogs. I finally was able to convince my mother to allow me to get a dog. I purchased an Irish Setter from a pet store. She was a wild child and I brought
her to obedience classes. At these classes, I met a family who also had an Irish Set- ter and they were showing him in conformation. They told me about some match shows and I entered. I started showing her locally. I attended the Staten Island KC’s handling classes. It was there that I met Bud McGivern, Rose Ross of Irish Setter fame, Warren Ubberoth, Arthur Williams and many other top breeders of the time.
I soon realized that my Irish was not as pretty as the others at the shows. About the same time, my sister’s boyfriend was looking for either a Pointer or a Dalma- tian. I had him buy a Pointer from Bill Metz and co-owned the dog with him. He was a nice dog and finished his championship easily. I was hooked!
I bought a French Bulldog for an uncle and fin- ished his championship. All this was happening in my parents’ apartment! It was obvious I needed to move. I bought a place in New Jersey and continued showing the dogs.
I then bought a Pointer from Helen Duggans, a Boxer breeder who had a litter from a Shandown bitch. I also finished her and eventually bred her. The litter was not very good although I did finish some of them.
I visited with Dr. Parker and his wife Susan* in Rehoboth, Mass. He had a litter and wanted me to take one. While in the kennel, I was taken by a year-old liver-and-white bitch. Susan said Bob didn’t want to sell her but she would work on it. Susan and I went to the Worcester show the next day and Bob arrived later in the afternoon with the bitch. Bob told me she was so tightly linebred, she could be bred to a lamppost and produce good Pointers! “Donna” was Number one Pointer in 1976 and became the foundation bitch of Marjetta Pointers. She was the dam of 29 champions including four BIS winners, one being Ch. Marjetta National Acclaim who won Best in Show at Westminster in 1986. “Deputy” was shown by Michael Zollo and is the all-time top sire in the breed.
*Susan and I have remained best friends all these years. She is Susan Bleckley who now shows Papil- lons and resides in California.
“MY FATHER’S FAMILY WERE ALL DOG LOVERS AND I LOVED VISITING THEM AND PLAYING WITH THEIR DOGS.”
Ch. Truewithem A Taste of Triumph, the foundation bitch for Marjetta Pointers.
132 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019