Page 84 - Showsight December 2020

BONNIE THRELFALL
EDGEWOOD ENGLISH COCKER SPANIELS
BREEDER INTERVIEW BY ALLAN REZNIK
Where did you grow up?
I grew up on Long Island which, at the time (1950s and ‘60s), was a hot- bed of dog breeders and dog shows. It wasn’t unusual to have match shows with entries of 200 to 300 dogs. There were dog training clubs with huge memberships that also held training classes. The one I went to had Peggy Adamson, Diane Bleeker, LaMar Kuhns, Muriel Freeman, among many others, attending to work their young dogs. It really was an education to see so many high-quality dogs of different breeds.
Do you come from a doggy family? If not, how did the interest in breeding and showing purebred dogs begin?
I am a second-generation dog fancier. My dad had Labradors. His interest in the sport was encouraged by my godmother, who had National Specialty and Group-winning Samoyeds in the 1940s and ‘50s. My dad’s main interest was obedience, but he wanted good-quality dogs. His interest wasn’t in breeding so he would seek out good breeders from whom to pur- chase a dog. At one time, he had two males he was working in obedience. One was a Group winner and the other, a National Specialty Best of Breed winner, at a time when that was the only Labrador specialty.
Who were your mentors in the sport? Please elaborate on their influence.
I can’t say that I had any specific mentors in the sport. Back then I don’t think mentorship was a common concept. I went to handling class and listened to the longtime breeders talk about their breeds. I went to match shows, met people, and learned about their breeds. One of the first people I remember meeting at the match shows was Sybil Sommer, Scott’s mom. All regular dog shows were benched, outdoor ones included. If you were
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