Page 152 - ShowSight - June 2020

could think of at the time and that was to literally jump on him and pin him down in the dirt—not grass. I’m now wrestling my dog to the ground (in my new red suit) in dry, dusty dirt. All I could think of is that he isn’t getting away from me. As soon as I had a good hold of his lead I simply stood up and dusted off my suit for the win photo, hoping nobody saw that. I get reminded of that day often. This is the Kerry that won BOB at the National the following two years, so it was all good!
HEATHER HUBBARD
I live in Wilton, Connecticut. My breed is the Samoyed and I’ve been in dogs for 10 years.
Do I have any hobbies or inter- ests apart from breeding and show- ing dogs? We are avid skiers and love being on the water either sail- ing or cruising around in our 1956 Chris Craft (when it’s running)!
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conforma- tion or performance? I have bred
about one litter a year, starting about six years ago. But nothing goes as planned and had two years of no litters, and then two litters last summer. It’s more important to me that the girls are healthy and I am making choices to minimize their risk during preg- nancy and whelp. My primary reason for breeding is to carry on the legacy of my foundation girl and work to improve the breed, generation after generation. She was the reason I got into show- ing in the first place, and saved my life a hundred times over. It’s amazing to have a part of her in her kids and grandkids. I love to compete in conformation, so it’s always a bonus if there is a puppy in the litter that shows promise for being competitive! But at the end of the day, it’s more important to me that my puppy buyers are happy.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? Yes.
My greatest challenge has been finding a balance between show- ing dogs and raising my eight-year-old daughter. Fortunately, she loves the shows. So we find ways to combine dog shows with mini- vacations like visiting Niagara Falls and the coasts of Maine. The [dog show] environment has been amazing in teaching her the prin- ciples of winning and losing with grace, and that walking out of the ring with a ribbon is not the only way to win. Winning can also come in the form of overcoming a personal challenge or having a breakthrough with your dog.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? Winning when I least expected it and sharing that excitement with good friends and mentors!
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? Homeschooling, mostly, but lots of training, exercise and conditioning. We all need it at this point! The hiatus has not been friendly to anyone’s waistline, humans and dogs alike.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? Always. I have a seven-month-old puppy that I’m excited to get into the ring. She’s so much like her grandmother (my founda- tion girl); so hopeful that the love of showing will carry through to her as well.
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? I believe it is essential to the future of the sport. I know that there are a lot of opinions and perspectives on the topic, but for me personal- ly, it’s a way to get more practice, present my dogs (that I’ve proudly bred) to more judges, and meet more people (there’s something you can learn from everyone). It’s not for everyone...but I’m not sure the sport can survive without owner-handlers giving it a go. You can’t
just expect to walk in the ring and win. However, I admire those who are committed to learning and taking a risk!
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/ owner-handler? Funniest often translates into most embarrassing (in hindsight). I was outside a Group ring at an indoor show. I sat on the edge of a grooming table and didn’t realize the leg wasn’t locked and ended up on the floor. Loud crash at, of course, one of the quietest moments. I wanted to crawl into a crate.
LINDA KUNICKI
My husband, Len Kunicki, and I live in a Chicago suburb with our Shetland Sheepdogs, aka Shelties. We have been involved in breed- ing and dog shows since 1985 and joined our local specialty club in 1986. Linda joined our national club, the American Shetland Sheepdog Club, in 1995.
Do I have any hobbies or inter- ests apart from breeding and show- ing dogs? Health topics are of inter-
est on a personal and professional level as I work in private duty homecare. We also have a short amount of warm weather in the Chicago area, so we love beautifying our yard with flowering plants. I have also enjoyed dabbling in photography, mostly of dogs.
How often do I breed? Do I breed to compete in conformation or performance? When it comes to breeding it is mainly to get the next conformation Champion, but also with performance tempera- ments in mind as well. While we do not do performance competi- tion ourselves, we celebrate and encourage those who have acquired our dogs who do participate in this part of the sport.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? I have been competing in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series. In 2018 and 2019, GCh. Starlites Echelon Take Command was in the Top 10 AKC NOHS Shetland Sheepdogs.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-handler? Working a full-time job, it is harder to travel far or attend weekday dog shows (even if they are close by due to limited amount of days off). I often wonder why some shows have weekday NOHS—and not the entire weekend—for those of us who work jobs outside of breeding or dog showing.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? There have been many thrills over the years. I have had dogs that I showed per- sonally that were awarded Group placements over the years. How- ever, the best thrills were my first Group One in 1992 and then, in 2019, a double thrill was being awarded NOHS Group One and regular Group One all in one day. It’s also been an honor and thrill to also win multiple NOHS Groups, BIS and RBIS awards over the recent years.
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? Working in healthcare during this COVID-19 outbreak makes for a busy schedule; also catching up on yardwork and things that needed to be sorted out in the home. Weekends at dog shows doesn’t allow for catching up at home many times.
Since we are lucky to continue working during this shelter in place and the slow reopening in Illinois, we plan on donating some non-perishable items that are much needed for food pantries during this stressful time in our history.
Do I have any specific goals in mind for my return to the show ring? Upon returning to the show ring our goals include:
• Acquiring higher levels of the Grand Champion titles for GCh. Starlites Echelon Take Command, Grant (see Grant in ShowSight past, current issues!);
BREEDER/OWNER-HANDLER Q&A
150 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2020