Page 146 - ShowSight - June 2020

win his class and Brooke won’t even win BOS. So off we went to the show where the BOB ribbon was blue. The show chair apologized profusely about the mix-up and offered to replace it. I said, “No way. This one has a lot of powerful ju-ju in it.”
KAREN MARIE DUPRAT
I live in Southwick, Massachusetts, with my husband and our canine crew that includes Havanese, Powder Puff Chinese Cresteds and a little Biewer Terrier. My primary breed is the Havanese and I have been a breeder for 12 years. I have only been an owner-handler for ten years in conformation.
I keep myself busy with gardening, sewing (mainly quilter), and arts and craft work. I will win the “She Died With The Most Craft Stuff Award!”
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conformation or performance? I usually will breed when I am looking for a new show puppy. I primarily compete in conformation events, but we have started to have some fun with barn hunt, and we hope to con- tinue finding the rats and adding titles to the credits.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? I have been a participant in the Owner-Handled Series since the beginning of the program
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-han- dler? I feel that the greatest challenge for me from the very begin- ning has been earning the respect from the professional handlers. Also becoming skilled when it comes to presenting the dogs’ best attributes when we are showing.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? For me, my biggest thrill was to meet my goal to receive an invitation to enter the 2020 Westminster Kennel Club Show held in NYC, then to have my special and his son each receive Awards Of Merit, and for both of them to be eligible to compete at Crufts in England.
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? We have been spending time relaxing with family. I have been fortunate enough to be able to have two of my granddaughters be able to come and stay for several days at a time every few weeks. We do school work, the girls are learning to sew and have been help- ing in the gardens as well.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? I hope to continue working to maintain our Breed and All- Breed and, of course, Owner-Handled rankings on my special. I also want to continue supporting all the clubs and shows that I would normally attend throughout our area for the rest of the year.
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? I continue to feel that the breeder/owner-handlers are the structure behind our sport. As a breeder/owner-handler, we have the time to devote ourselves to improving our breeding stock to parallel our breed standards. We can give time and attention to raising the future all-stars of our breeds.
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/ owner-handler? At one of the last show clusters we had before this break, I had a very successful day with my special in the rings. My poor special literally went from the Breed ring to O-H Group and then right into the regular Toy Group. He decided that he needed to relieve himself and went right in front of the other judges watching the Groups. A very sweet judge opened her purse and handed me some tissues to pick up the mess and said to me, “Here let me give you these, but I won’t take them back.” We continued on to our spot in line, and won the Toy Group! But since the Toy Group was last that day, we had to go right into Best In Show. During the final lineup in BIS judging, he decided that he needed to squat again, so I quickly grabbed him and hand stacked him to keep him from squatting. The next thing I knew he was going into my hand! With no one around, all I could think of was if I won, how I could hold the BIS ribbon and the dog with my hand full! Sometimes we need
to shake our heads, laugh and keep reminding ourselves that we really can’t make this stuff up.
MICHELLE EDLING
I live in The Dalles, Oregon, a small town located in The Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, 80 miles east of Portland. I was born into a family with German Shepherds and they are my first love and breed. We have never been without a GSD in the family. I have literally been an Owner-Handler all my life! In 1984, I discovered my lifetime devotion and breeding passion, the Belgian Tervu- ren. A few years later, Sky Acres Bel- gian Tervuren was born.
144 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020
BREEDER/OWNER-HANDLER Q&A
Do I have any hobbies or inter- ests apart from breeding and showing dogs? I grew up with many creature companions including mice, cats, dogs and horses and was “vet tech” to them all. My last horse lived to be 36 years old! I enjoy photography, desk- top publishing and drawing. When not traveling to dog shows, I do a lit- tle landscaping, antiquing, shooting, private airport).
hiking and flying (I live on a
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conformation
or performance? How often I breed depends on the goals of my breeding program. I may have two to three litters a year or none. I breed dogs that will excel in all venues: conformation, obedience and performance. First and foremost, however, I breed for healthy, well-tempered companions. The dogs I keep are for conformation, breeding and companionship, for success in the show ring, the whelping box, and the house.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? Yes, I compete in the AKC NOHS, but am a relative newcomer. I was a professional handler for over 25 years and only recently retired from handling. After waiting the required five years, I started competing occasionally in the NOHS Groups.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-han- dler? There really haven’t been any great challenges. In the begin- ning, I may have been “out-handled,” but that just made me become a better handler. I always do my best to bring my best (in the ring); a good dog that is well-groomed and well-trained—then it’s up to the judge! I love to show my puppies and that can offer a challenge— puppies are always full of surprises!
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? I have had many thrilling successes as a competitor with my Tervs. One was when my first home-bred Terv won his first Best In Show! He went on to win nine more BIS, which is a lot in this breed. My most heartfelt thrill was winning our National Specialty with my 9.5-year-old veteran under a breeder-judge who had campaigned several top-winning Tervs prior to my discovery of the breed. I have won our National four times with four different dogs and each was a thrill, especially since it is rare for our all-breed winners and national specialty winners to overlap. Another thrill includes hav- ing the #1 Belgian All Belgians All Systems for 30 of the last 36 years. My dogs have set breed records in numbers of BIS, BISS, Group Placements and BOB wins. Sky Acres is home to the top- winning bitch and dog (dam and son) of all time! The bitch is the only bitch in breed history to be ranked #1 and she did it her entire campaign (three consecutive years). All of these dogs and their wins were breeder/owner-handled!