Page 78 - ShowSight - May 2020

PAULA PASCOE, LEHIGH SCOTTISH DEERHOUNDS
“THERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL YOUNG HANDLERS, AND HOPEFULLY THEIR INTEREST IN THE SPORT WILL DEVELOP INTO THE PASSION FOR BREEDING THAT WAS NOT UNCOMMON DECADES AGO.”
won in 2011, followed by her litter brother, GCh. Lehigh Ennis Carmichael, winning in 2012. Ennis won again in 2013! Ennis and Enella each won an all- breed BIS as well. My hounds have also taken every other major award at the national multiple times.
Certainly one of my best-ever conformation hounds was GCh. Lehigh-Dark- wynd Caragh, winner of four all-breed BIS. Caragh came close a couple times but never won the National, though she was a multiple regional specialty winner. I must also mention her regional specialty- and Group-winning daughter, GCh. Lehigh-Darkwynd Flora.
I am very proud to say all these Deerhounds were exclusively owner-handled, by me or by my husband, Grant Winchell.
The Lehigh Deerhounds have also been very well represented in Sweden. Ray Lindholm has had three dogs from me over the years: Ch. Lehigh Renn, Ch. Lehigh Fortune at Champhurst, and Ch. Lehigh Impresario For Champhurst. All three of them were breed show (specialty) winners and all-breed BIS winners. Most recently Impresario rose to No.3 all breeds in Sweden in 2018. Each of these dogs also contributed well as sires to the breed in Sweden.
As producers, a top sire back in the 1970s and ‘80s was Ch. Lehigh Hollister. Ch. Lehigh Kincaid followed in the ‘80s and produced some important hounds. Ch. Lehigh Ross, a son of Noreen, sired very well in the ‘90s, as did his son, Ch. Lehigh Urquhart. In the early 2000s Ch. Lehigh Yuill had an impact, as did Laura Studer’s GCh. Lehigh Darrowby and GCh. Lehigh Eilig of Dunsmuir in the 20-teens. More recently, Ch. Lehigh Glendon has produced extremely well.
Most of my dams have produced some very good offspring, though most of them had only one litter. Caragh produced wonderful hounds in two litters, and I consider her to be my top dam. GCh. Lehigh-Darkwynd Hallie also produced an exceptional litter in 2016.
Please comment positively on your breed’s current condition and what trends might bear watching.
I feel it is not difficult to currently find Deerhounds that excel in bone and substance, with the desired combination of strength and elegance. Good, hard coats are not rare, though correct coat length is somewhat elusive. The typical soft expression is seen more often than not. Toplines vary, but the well-arched loin is still not hard to find. One laudable thing about Deerhounds today is that they are not greatly different in overall type and look from those of 100 years ago. How many breeds can that be said about?
The sport has changed greatly since you first began participating. What are your thoughts on the state of the fancy and the declining number of breeders? How do we encourage newcomers to join us and remain in the sport?
The huge question about the change in the dog fancy is the cause of tremen- dous concern among all thinking veteran breeders and fanciers. I wish I knew what it would take to get the youngest generation in our sport as interested in breeding dogs as was common when I was among the youngest generation.
I think things today are more virtual and less literal. The Internet has been a big influence in that direction. Kids grow up playing video games more than real, physical games. This transfers over into occupations and interests. Many people work, and play, online. On the Internet everything is instant, and if you are clever, you can make very rewarding things happen from behind the scenes in cyberspace.
GCH Lehigh Ennis Carmichael
In contrast, things don’t happen in an instant in breeding dogs. In addition to the mental compo- nent, it is real-world hands-on labor intensive, and time consuming. Working with living beings adds an enormous dimension.
I hope and believe there are more good and seri- ous breeders among the younger population in other countries, and I hope we see an upsurge in this interest among younger Americans. There are some wonder- ful young handlers, and hopefully their interest in the sport will develop into the passion for breeding that was not uncommon decades ago.
Where do you see your breeding program in the next decade or two?
I do not have decades of breeding ahead of me, at my age. I am not ready to throw out the whelping box yet, however. I hope to be able to share some excellent puppies with younger breeders from what litters I have coming. I plan to continue to focus on dogs I know intimately, weaving in dogs from other good families.
Finally, tell us a little about Paula outside of dogs... your profession, your hobbies.
My life outside of dogs is not complex—dogs have been my main focus for all of my adult life. I have worked for several different dog publications over the years. I married a dog person, and I have no children. I treasure my friends and family. I love to read, and I love to shop, though neither of those are hobbies. I enjoy travel and hope to do a bit more of that—maybe even a bit that isn’t centered on the dog world.
I love my life in dogs, with its many rewards. I have great friends, I have living works of art that are also loving companions, and I have many times enjoyed the thrills of showing dogs. The satisfaction gained from a job well done, in the face of so many potential complications, is immense. All of it has made for a rich and satisfying life.
76 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020