Page 142 - ShowSight - June 2020

(UD), Master Agility Champions Title (MACH), Therapy Dogs (THDN) as well as sledding, weight pull and backpacking titles.
Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? Our hobbies revolve around the Alaskan Malamute. We like to engage our dogs in other activities as stated above and we do backpack them into the Trinity Alps (outside of Weaverville, California) where they carry 30% of their body weight. This makes the hiking much easier when you only carry 10-15 lbs on your back. I also enjoy needlepoint and baking.
How often do we breed? Do we breed to compete in conforma- tion or performance? We breed only when we want to keep a puppy or two and we breed to the Standard. Conformation dogs should be able to do performance and retain their type. I do not under- stand why anyone would not breed to their Standard. This breed is designed to work, so adding Agility, Obedience, Therapy Dog, backpacking, and sledding is part of their heritage and maintains conditioning which adds to an overall outstanding representative of the breed.
Do I compete in AKC National Owner-Handler Series? I com- pete in the National Owner-Handled Series and enjoy competing with other owners. The series seems to be growing in popular- ity and is very competitive with breeder/owners-handlers, and the quality of dogs are very competitive.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner- handler? We strive to breed each generation better that the previous one. Choosing the right sire and dam is always a compli- cated process. Then choosing which puppy is the next champion is always challenging.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? We have been blessed with numerous Best In Shows, Best In Show Owner-Han- dled and High In Trial. Showing your own breeding is always an honor when chosen.
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? Since our dogs are Working dogs, we have numerous activities as described earlier. This coming June we will be back- packing into the Trinity Alps just outside of Weaverville, Califor- nia. The area where we backpack is the site of old gold mining, with steep inclines and descents. I usually carry 10-15 lbs. in my back- pack and the Alaskan Malamutes carry 30% of their body weight which computes to 21-27 lbs., depending on female or male. This makes backpacking into the Alps very enjoyable—one can cover as much as 17 miles a day. We also run Agility and some of our dogs are Registered Therapy Dogs through Pet Partners. Hopefully, we will be ready for competition and our usual activities when the dog shows return.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? We are looking forward to returning to the conformation ring as well as the Agility ring and our weekly visits to an acute rehabilitation facility.
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? In my opinion, the owner-handler is vital to this sport and we need to encourage and welcome new individuals as well as Juniors into the sport of dogs. As I look around the ring, I see mostly a senior group of individuals showing their dogs and without the new exhib- itors and juniors we will see this sport slowly decline in participa- tion and spectators.
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/own- er-handler? Many years ago, we had a litter planned and I too was pregnant with our daughter. The due date turned out to be the same day. My husband and I were up most of the night delivering puppies and I had a Cesarean section planned for that morning. Our daugh- ter was born noonish and for many years she would come to the shows and stand in the picture with the dog that was born on her birthday. When she was old enough to show in Juniors, she would show that dog. One day he won Best of Breed and was showing for
Best Junior. They scheduled Best Junior just before the Working Group and the announcer states that the handler and dog were born on the same day. He hesitated and then said, “Boy, that mother was very busy,” and the spectators laughed.
DEBRA DAWE
I live in Whitmore Lake, Michigan, just north of Ann Arbor, Michigan. I am owned by Belgian Tervuren and Belgian Laekenois. I have been involved in the “Dog World” since the early 1970s.
Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? I am an AKC Judge licensed for Belgian Laekenois, Malinois, Sheepdogs, Tervuren and Junior Showmanship. My oth- er life is underwater. I am a PADI Master Scuba Diver, DiveMaster, and Assistant Instructor with the following specialties: Rescue Div- er, Deep Diver, Search/Recovery Diver, Wreck Diver, Night Diver, Great Lakes Diver, and Ice Diver.
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conformation or performance? I only breed a litter when I have a specifically cho- sen stud for one of my bitches that will improve on her. No breed- ing is done unless I want that specific pedigree and believe in that pedigree. On average, this may happen every three years or more.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? Yes, I do not have many judging assignments due to my limited number of breeds I judge.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-han- dler? When I first began “specialing” my dogs back in the Working Group, it was developing my handling skills to become competitive with the professional handlers. When I reached that stage, I began to be treated as an equal. Now, it will be accommodating my health issues to be able to gait my dogs properly, and not use a “runner.”
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? Some of my biggest thrills have been receiving Group One’s from some very great judges (Annie Clark, Michelle Billings, Robert Moore, Betty McHugh (Canada), winning a BISS with my non-preferred color Terv bitch, having one male and two bitches in the Top Ten Ter- vuren for multiple years, and many Awards of Merit at Tervuren National Specialties as well as the second bitch to earn her Gold Grand Championship. I now look forward to being able to show my Belgian Laekenois male after July 1st as a newly-recognized breed.
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? I have to admit that we have been rather lazy and not doing too much. Dogs are getting to be just dogs. They’re learning how to relax again, though I definitely think they would rather be going to shows. It’s now time to get back in the swing of things and refresh our training.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? I do! I will be bringing a new class bitch out, hopefully this year. However, I am extremely excited about being able to show my young Laekenois male as a newly recognized breed. The folks in this breed have worked long and hard to bring this to fruition, and it will be very exciting!
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? I believe that the owner-handler is a very integral part of our sport, and truly important. It is a sport that everyone can participate in, and the professional handlers need to recognize that owner-han- dlers can be competitive. On the flip side, owner-handlers need to realize that they have to be able to correctly present their breeds, and do it well. It isn’t just a sport where you walk in the ring, wave some bait around and win. It requires just as much work and learn- ing as many performance events. An owner-handler needs to act the part, walk the part, and believe in themselves to be successful. Why walk in the ring if you don’t believe that you can win, and do it well?
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/ owner-handler? It was a lovely sunny day, and we were outdoors for
140 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020
BREEDER/OWNER-HANDLER Q&A