Page 142 - ShowSight - May 2020

JULIE MUELLER
I am from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. My mother, Arlene, built the first Aurora Kennel in 1968 and we bred Poodles, mainly Miniatures and Toys, but we also had Standards too. I handled Poodles exclusively for our kennel and breeding program. I met Eugene Blake at a dog show in Enid, Oklahoma, October 10, 1976 and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1979 to join Gene. Shortly after moving to Oklahoma, I was in a near fatal car accident. It was necessary for me
to return to Wisconsin after being released from the hospital. My injuries included a severe head injury, fractured neck and clavicle, with limited use of my left side and arm, for which I required exten- sive physical therapy and assisted care. I still have regular Physical Therapy, and I am blessed to have a fantastic Physical Therapist. Soon, after I returned to Wisconsin, Gene called me one morning and said, “I bought you something.” I was thinking maybe earrings or a necklace. No, it was a Saluki, but not just any Saluki. It was “Karim.” That was in January of 1980, and I would see “Karim” for the first time in May of 1980 when he would win his first, of 30, career Best In Shows. He would become the first Saluki to ever be ranked in the Top 10 all-breed. “Karim” defeated more dogs in competition than any other Saluki ever shown in the USA, defeat- ing over 90,000 dogs in his show career. Eventually I was able to return to Oklahoma and that would be the beginning of Aurora Salukis with “Karim” as the foundation. I have been in dogs for over 50 years. I opened Aurora Kennel in Tulsa in 1990, which offers professional grooming, boarding and supplies. I consider myself very blessed to have been in dogs long enough, and fortunate to watch and learn from the great breeders, professional handlers and judges in our sport.
“Outside” of dogs, photography has always been a passion. I absolutely love grooming dogs, and have dedicated my life to help- ing dogs and their owners, utilizing the strength of my knowledge.
A brief overview of my breed’s purpose, temperament and level of care: Saluki are hunters, an athlete. Not a couch potato, although they revel in lounging on a couch! Being a Sighthound lends them to particular behavior traits. The Saluki temperament has improved largely in the last 50 years. The first Saluki Gene showed 50 years ago; when the judge approached the dog to examine, the Saluki immediately wrapped herself around Gene’s legs! They are extreme- ly intelligent, but at the same time they can be very easily affected by negative or abrasive actions. I think all dogs can be sensitive, giv- en any encounter, but a Sighthound has a heightened sight sensory.
How do I think Hounds have adapted to living indoors? I don’t think the majority of Salukis lead an air-conditioned, indoor life. This is a breed that is 90% owner-handled, or breeder/owner-han- dled, and the majority of these dogs are free running or coursing or performing whatever activity fulfills their need to run and play. My dogs run a minimum of four to five hours a day, leading very active lives, and I am sure most Salukis do the same. They would not be happy if they could not be out running. We have a number of peo- ple in our breed who are successful in performance competitions.
Any particular challenges that I, as a breeder/owner, face in our current economic/social climate? I don’t believe that a professional handler has any advantage in winning over a breeder and/or owner- handler. Especially with a Sighthound that is so devoted to its own- ers. I don’t know of one dog that ever made its own entry to go to a dog show. We ask them to show, we ask them to lay in a crate while we drive them to a show, endure whatever weather we have to walk
them in to use the restroom, wait around to “show” and the list goes on. We all know what we all experience to show our dogs. Do they love to show? I believe they love our attention and love that we share when they are being shown, and the food!
Any trends I see that I hope will continue or I’d like to see stopped? More emphasis is being placed on judging breeding stock. Yes, many of the dogs being shown are used for breeding, but judges are judging dogs based on the AKC breed standard, which some- times defines the purpose of the breed, but not their ability as a pro- ducer. I can think of several top producers that never finished their AKC championship, and top winners who never produced anything worthy, and I am I not speaking of Salukis.
The biggest pitfall awaiting new and novice judges? I would like to say, that I believe that judges go into their ring to do the very best job they are capable of doing. There are some breeds, that are not as popular, that may not receive the recognition they deserve. The Saluki AKC breed standard is not very descriptive, and leaves open areas for the Saluki. For example, there is no mention of movement in the AKC Saluki breed standard. And there are colors that are shown that are not mentioned in our AKC breed standard. Crazy.
The dog show community is vast and varied. We have the entire spectrum (from the very wealthy backer to the owner living pay- check to paycheck) showing his or her beautiful dog; the owner- handler, breeder/owner-handler, the professional handler and our future, the juniors. Now, more than ever, our sport is in jeopardy of becoming extinct. The continuance of our sport, the success or failure, is dependent on our ability to come together, support each other and move forward in making smart decisions to keep every- one safe and healthy.
The funniest thing I’ve ever seen at a dog show? This question could make for a best seller book!
DENISE PARKER
My husband, Al, and I live in Temecula, California. Our Hound breed is Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen “GBGV” and we currently have two, Dyna and Jimmy. We also have an English Setter, Jack. We have always had purebred dogs, German Shepherds, Shih Tzus (including a rescue from a Shih Tzu club), Irish Setters, and Gold- en Retrievers. I grew up with an American Cocker Spaniel and a Labrador Retriever. Al grew up with his mom’s Toy Poodles and his Irish Setter. We began to show in conformation dog shows in 2015 after acquiring our first GBGV as a show puppy from breeder friends, George and Betty Barth of Gebeba GBVs. Since we were now both retired, we had the time—instead of traveling for our jobs, we began to travel for dog shows! We have also introduced our granddaughter Gwen and grandson Kai to the fancy, as well as one of our nieces, Lexy. Kai, age five, has two Pee Wee competitions under his belt now!
Outside of “dogs” we enjoy wine tasting (we even owned a vine- yard here in Temecula for a while). We are “foodies”—enjoy finding good restaurants, but we also like to play “chef” at home, spending time with grandkids and my 88-year-old father, as well as all the rest of our family and, of course, our friends! We really enjoy travel and our last trip to Italy in October was with dog show and non- dog show friends. We visited Rome and then spent a week in Sicily staying at a “B&B” which is a perk for belonging to one of our wine clubs here in Temecula, Poggio Leano! We also love cars and have owned at least a dozen or more Porsches, both old and new, over the years. We even tried having a small, boutique “used car business” for awhile after retirement—too much work and the DMV stuff was exhausting! We met 28 years ago when we were divorced single parents, each with two kids, and we were both avid cyclists, riding many, many hundreds of miles with friends, clubs and at various races. No more cycling, however, these days.
HOUND GROUP Q&A
140 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020