Page 84 - ShowSight - January 2020

My First Westminster
BY DAN SAYERS
EVERY MEMORYEIS “CATALOGUED” FOR POSTERITY
veryone earn a 5-pt. major in Afghan Hounds! Interestingly, five points remembers could be awarded in Labrador Retrievers with “only” 21 dogs and their first 31 bitches competing.
Westminster. The 1981 judging panel was headed by the venerable all-rounder
Whether the initial expe- Langdon Skarda. Group judges were Haworth Hoch (Sporting),
rience was that of an exhibitor, handler’s assis- tant or wide-eyed specta- tor, every dog lover’s first visit to “The Garden” elicits a sense of wonder at the extraordinary vari- ety of dogs that are on display. To the genuine dog person, the illustri- ous event in the heart of Midtown Manhattan is
equal parts Kentucky Derby, Superbowl and Three-Ring Circus. Make that a Ten-Ring Circus with a benching area to rival that of any sideshow.
Memories of my first visit to Westminster are chronicled in my copy of the show’s 1981 catalog. I’d originally read about the leg- endary event two years earlier in a New York Times story by Walter Fletcher. That year’s winning Irish Water Spaniel, Ch. Oaktree’s Irishtocrat, appeared in several John Ashbey photos that accompa- nied the article. Those images sparked my interest in the sport of dogs and encouraged me to ultimately attend the show where I’d purchased my first catalog for the princely sum of $10.00. Although the price was steep for a struggling college student, the acquisition was a good investment. The information provided by its 322 pages (names of dogs, sires and dams, breeders and owners) so impressed a 19-year-old dog-crazy undergrad that he decided to give the sport a try. Nearly 40 years later, my well referenced catalog, cover torn and binding split, remains one of my most treasured keepsakes.
“TO THE GENUINE DOG PERSON, THE ILLUSTRIOUS EVENT IN THE HEART OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN IS EQUAL PARTS KENTUCKY DERBY, SUPERBOWL AND THREE-RING CIRCUS.”
The entry at the 105th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show was 2,910 dogs with a total of 2,945 entries in 138 breeds or varieties. The largest entry was in Golden Retrievers with 79. Other breeds with big entries were Yorkshire Terriers (74), Lab- rador Retrievers (66), German Shorthaired Pointers (53), Minia- ture Poodles (56), Afghan Hounds (45), Old English Sheepdogs (45), Standard Poodles (45), Maltese (43) and Bichon Frise (43). The catalog includes a Schedule of Points for Division 1 that rep- resents the strength of these breeds and others. For example, the following number of dogs and bitches were needed at the time for a 5-point major: Golden Retrievers (45/42); Irish Setters (53/72); Doberman Pinschers (55/68); Great Danes (44/57); and Siberian Huskies (43/52). Sixty-three dogs and 58 bitches were needed to
Louis Auslander (Hound), Mrs. G.R. (Eileen) Pimlott (Working), Derek Rayne (Terrier), Mrs. Tom (Ann) Stevenson (Toy), and Mrs. George John (Anna) Wanner (Non-Sporting). Their top choices include many of the sport’s legendary figures. The Group winners brought to Mr. Skarda for his consideration were the Parti Color Cocker Spaniel Ch. Kamp’s Kaptain Kool, bred by Harriet Kamps and handled by Ted Young for Mrs. Byron Covey and Mai Wilson, the Whippet Ch. Sporting Fields Clansman, bred by Richard Suf- ficool and Bruce Tague and handled by Bob Forsyth for Mr. & Mrs. James Butt and Dionne (Debbie) Butt, the Briard Ch. Phydeaux What’s Happenin’, bred by Mary Lou Tingley and handled by Art Tingley for co-owners Mary Lou and Ira Ackerson, the Tasmanian- bred Smooth Fox Terrier Ch. Ttarb The Brat, bred by Mr. & Mrs. D.G. Bratt and handled by Ric Chashoudian for Dr. J. Van Zandt and Ed Dalton, the Pug Ch. Dhandy’s Favorite Woodchuck, bred by Mrs. W. J. Braley and Mrs. R. D. Hutchinson and handled by Bobby Barlow for Robert Hauslohner, and the Miniature Poodle Ch. J. L. C. Critique, bred by Marie Walstrum and handled by Paul Edwards for Robert Koeppel. The Herding Group was not established for another two years, so only six dogs competed for Best in Show
Spectacular though their performances were, the Group winners were not the only talent in The Garden that year. Among the entry in Junior Showmanship were several youngsters who would grow up to enjoy their own turn in Westminster’s spotlight. Among 1981’s more notable Juniors, Gail Miller is now AKC’s Director of Media Relations and the current “Voice of Westminster.” Also competing was Eddie Dzuik, presently the Chief Operating Officer at OFA. Eddie is also the co-owner of two Westminster Best in Show >
82 • ShowSight Magazine, January 2020
The cover of the writer’s 1981 Westminster catalog is as torn and tattered as it is well referenced and thoroughly treasured.