Page 154 - ShowSight - June 2020

• Completing the Champion and then Grand titles for Grant’s daughter, Autumn, Starlites Echelon Autumn Jewel, seven points (see Autumn in ShowSight past, current issues!);
• Continue striving to be in the Top 10, NOHS competition;
• Focus on some big, hairy audacious goals—having the Shel- ties I own and handle earn BIS as well as more NOHS
BIS awards.
How important is the owner-handler to the future of the sport? The owner-hander is an extremely important component of dog shows, especially if we are to keep our sport propped-up now and for it to continue in the future. Of course, when we think about our breeder/owner-handlers, we must realize they bring a special commitment and passion to our sport that can fuel the success of dog shows and are especially dedicated workers in dog clubs. Hence, these breeders of NOHS should be showcased through the AKC competition as well. After all, the focus of AKC dog shows has always been to showcase the best that breeders produce, and should be awarded in NOHS as well.
The funniest thing that’s ever happened to me as a breeder/ owner-handler? Funny, but serious! Almost losing my skirt in the NOHS Group ring. In 2019, I had been losing weight and didn’t realize how my favorite suit had gotten too big for me. The NOHS Group judge kept moving us around the ring and I had to hold my skirt up with my right hand as I ran with my dog.
I would like to thank ShowSight Magazine for the work they do for the sport, but especially for having these features and interviews with breeder/owner-handlers. It’s much appreciated to showcase our dogs and have the opportunity to share our stories and goals.
LISA LEADY
I live in Genoa, Illinois. We breed and show Smooth Fox Ter- riers. I have been in dogs almost all my life; my family raised and showed Borzoi. After I got married, my husband saw the Smooth Fox Terrier while we were watching Westminster on TV. We have had Smooths since 1989.
I am an award-winning dog groomer, and since retiring from the competition ring I am a judge for grooming competitions. I also speak at trade shows. One of my passions is teaching other groom- ers how to become better in their craft, and another is traveling. I have been blessed to be able to do both. I have traveled to so many beautiful places in this world, teaching and judging dog grooming.
How often do we breed? Do we breed to compete in confor- mation or performance? We don’t breed often; we have only had six litters in all the time we have had Smooths. We breed for conformation.
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? Yes, I do compete in NOHS.
What has been my greatest challenge as a breeder/owner-han- dler? My greatest challenge has been being the best that I can be in the ring. I am always working on being better in the ring, to have my timing down, showing off my dog’s virtues.
What has been my biggest thrill as a competitor? Although we have won O-H BIS (which is a big deal to me!), my bitch was in the top 10 last year and received the NOHS invitation for Orlando. We went, and my bitch was awarded BOB. She also made the cut in the Group that day.
How are me and my dogs keeping busy now that dog shows are on hiatus? Even though there aren’t any dog shows, we continue to train, and keep my bitch groomed. This is the routine we did before we had to stop. I wanted to keep that routine going. We are having fun by entering some of the virtual dog shows that different groups have been doing on Facebook.
JEANIE TROYAN MCADAMS
Jeanie Troyan McAdams is a breeder/owner-handler of Minia- ture American Shepherds (MAS) and an AKC Breeder of Merit. Her kennel name is “Love That” and she is a parent club Judge’s Education Breed Mentor.
She and her husband, Dr. Douglas McAdams, live in Den- ton County, Texas, where they have a dental practice that Jeanie manages. Jeanie was on the par- ent club (MASCUSA) Board that
negotiated entrance into AKC. The breed was accepted into AKC FSS in 2012, quickly advanced to the Miscellaneous Class, then became fully-recognized July 1, 2015.
Although she has had Australian Shepherds since 1975, Jeanie did not show dogs until 2007. She was busy training and show- ing reining horses in the 1980s and ‘90s, winning many National Reining Horse Association Major Events and NRHA World Titles. When she retired from reining, she missed the training of an animal and putting a show record on them. She bought her first Minia- ture Australian Shepherd in 2007 and began showing at the rare breed shows. (The breed name was changed to Miniature American Shepherd when accepted into AKC.) She has been busy promot- ing the breed ever since. Her bred-by dogs’ accomplishments are listed below.
How many years have I been in dogs? I’ve had Australian Shep- herds since 1975, but didn’t start showing dogs until late 2007 at the “rare breed” shows. Our breed [MAS] was accepted into AKC FSS January 1, 2012. I showed my co-owned pup a few weeks later and won Best in Show 4-6-Month-Old out of 52 entries, the first time our breed was shown in an AKC show! When our breed advanced to Miscellaneous, my bred-by boy, RBIS MBISS GR CHS Love That American Red White and Blue CM17, set the record for the most number of Certificates of Merit won at that time—17! I showed several dogs in Miscellaneous to promote the breed to the world and was very excited once our breed was AKC fully-accepted. Since then it has been a whirlwind showing my bred-by dogs. Since July 2015, I have shown six bred-by dogs to their AKC Championships, five Grand Championships, one Silver Grand Championship and one Gold (almost Platinum) Grand Championship among many other titles!
Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from breeding and showing dogs? I love to travel and explore, also snow and water ski- ing. I love design, architecture, and construction, and have designed and built two homes for Doug and myself. I’m retired from showing reigning horses, but still love it. Training and showing an animal and putting a great show record on them has always appealed to me; first with horses, now with dogs.
How often do I breed? I breed for myself (to have something to show) and have several dogs I could be showing now. However, since they would all be in the same class (Best of Breed), I can only show one at a time!
Do I breed to compete in conformation or performance? I breed for conformation, but want a very agile, beautifully-moving dog that could compete in performance or herding if I ever have time to do that!
Do I compete in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series? Yes, a lot of the time I do. Sometimes I won’t if the NOHS Groups are before the regular Groups as I like to try to save my dog and show him fresh in the regular Group. (I prefer the regular Group before
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BREEDER/OWNER-HANDLER Q&A