Page 144 - ShowSight - June 2020

our Terv National. Making my mother proud, I was wearing a slip so no one could see through my skirt. Unbeknownst to me, my slip kept slipping down and showing. The longer I was in the ring, more kept showing. Finally, it seemed like it was around my knees and I couldn’t keep up with my dog. Gracefully, without missing a beat, I whipped that half-slip off, and threw it out the ring—just like a burlesque show!
SYLVIA DONAHEY
I’ve had Golden Retrievers since 1966. My husband, Bill Feeney, is a native Californian who started in Goldens in the mid-1970s. In 1989, I moved from Michigan to Cotati, Cal- ifornia, and married Bill. Our kennel name is Birnam Wood.
Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? While I wouldn’t classify it as a seri- ous hobby, I collect several antique items: sterling silver napkin rings with an empha- sis on canines; American bril- liant cut glass; and (this one is serious) early Christopher Radko ornaments (I share that passion with my daughter). The holidays at our house are pretty spectacular!
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conformation or performance? In years past, having three or four litters a year was common. Today, a litter a year (maybe two) seems to be all we’re comfortable doing. We breed primarily for conformation. As you know, Goldens excel in many areas. If someone wants a high- powered performance Golden, they probably aren’t going to contact us. It’s unfortunate, because I feel there’s a lot of untapped talent in our dogs.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? I have not—only because the NOHS came into being just about the time I personally quit handling our dogs. I think it’s a great pro- gram that encourages owners to get in the ring with the pros as oftentimes they find themselves in the regular Group as well as the NOHS Group. I’m the coordinator for the Lake-Drake Cluster and we support the NOHS competition with identical prizes for the regular BIS, RBIS and Groups. If scheduling permits, we try to hold the NOHS BIS in the regular BIS ring and showcase it as much as possible. Last year, one of the NOHS Group winners came up to me after BIS and said it was a thrill to be in “that” ring and hear the announcer call out their number and the crowd cheering. That made my day! It’s little things like that that people remember for a lifetime and it encourages them to set higher goals.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-han- dler? Early on, the challenge was getting other breeders, handlers, judges to believe I was serious. I probably drove people crazy with my youthful enthusiasm and boundless energy. Over the next 20 years I shifted direction with my breeding program several times when I hit setbacks with health problems. Health and temperament comes first. Breeding beautiful dogs capable of winning in the show ring isn’t that difficult provided you do your homework.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? Hands down, winning BIS at the Houston Kennel Club show when it was held in the Astrodome in the mid-80s. All the top dogs in the country were
in the BIS ring. Derek
Rayne judged and the
entry was over 3,000
dogs. We had to win
the Sporting Group first
and the top Sporting
dogs were competing. I
never thought we would
survive that. Roy Hol-
loway judged. Neither
Rayne nor Holloway
had ever judged my bitch before that day. Mr. Rayne pulled three of us out into the center at the end (Jimmy Moses with Hatter and, I believe, Roy Murray with his Sammy). I was free baiting “Brooke” with my back to him as he went over to mark his book. I heard the crowd start to scream (and those Texans can really scream) and I said to Brooke, “Let’s go over and congratulate Hatter.” I turned and there stood Mr. Rayne with his hands cupped to his mouth trying to yell over the crowd, “The Golden!”
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? I’ve been fairly busy as I work from home (editor of the Golden Retriever News). We’re still hoping to hold the four-day Lake-Drake cluster in September, so planning for that is a top prior- ity. We had a singleton born in early April. She was such a blessing as watching her develop took our minds off the COVID news. We recently bred another bitch and anticipate a busy summer. The dogs are just happy being with us and hanging out. We haven’t changed their routines much. A friend came to visit recently and we bathed and show-groomed six dogs. Grooming has always had a therapeu- tic effect on me—something about the fur and just touching them.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? We have some young Goldens we co-own that we’re excited about. One is a puppy bitch that I felt would have had a spectacular puppy career, but that isn’t happening. She’ll just have to have a spectacular adult career. Having the Golden National cancelled was disappointing as I thought she would have done very well. Speaking of National Specialties, I feel badly for all the other breeds’ Nation- als that were cancelled. Host clubs put years into planning and watching those topple like dominoes was sobering. I loved compet- ing at the National, especially in Bred-By. I feel deeply that BBE should be the strongest and deepest class at a National Specialty.
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? Owner-handlers have long been the backbone of conformation shows. Sure, the pros may win the majority of the top awards at a show, but a sharp owner-handler can easily take top awards as well. Bill and I both did very well when we were showing. Owner- handlers who are willing to put in the time to learn how to groom and present their dogs are competitive. You have to be patient and pay your dues by staying to the end of a show and really watching the Groups and BIS. There is always something you can pick up from watching the top pros present their dogs. Get good enough and they will be watching you.
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/ owner-handler? When I first started to special Brooke, I went to a card reader named Genevieve with some friends from work. We could each ask a question before she started the reading. My ques- tion was, “What color would the ribbon be that I might win at the dog show that weekend?” I was going to the GRCA Central Regional Specialty and BOB was the goal. Of course, I was hoping to hear purple and yellow. She said, “Blue.” I thought to myself, of course, she would think blue—blue for first place—logical guess, but wrong. I said, “No, blue was not an option.” She grabbed the edges of the table and her head rolled back on her shoulders for a moment. When she looked at me again, she said, “You will win a blue ribbon.” I thought great, I’m taking a class dog, he’ll probably
BREEDER/OWNER-HANDLER Q&A
142 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020