Rufus, Stump, Marmaduke, and Cagney–Champions All, in the Important Ways
According the the AKC, the MOST FAMOUS TDI DOG WILL WORK FOR SUSHI: RUFUS, the famous ten-year-old Westminster Best in Show legend continues his career in therapy at the Ronald MacDonald House and Walter Reed Army Center, and in “Reading With Rufus” programs and helping to destroy the “bull breed stereotypes”. (Rufus has the most perfect egg-shaped head!) The Sushi-loving champion is called by his owners “the god of mischief who gets anything he wants”. His owners state, however, that they refuse to allow him to drive! It is heart-warming to see older dogs strut in the spotlight. Most of us remember the latest star–Stump the Sussex Spaniel–who came out of retirement to a win at Westminster.
Marmaduke is the dog of the media this summer. You might say he lives perpetually in Pennsylvania as the official Commonwealth canine. Great Danes are gentle and intelligent. Unfortunately they have short lives. One of the most famous Dane people was Lina Basquette, a salty and savvy ex-Ziegfeld chorus girl turned handler. (From the reviews I have read of the movie, Lina would have been an exciting addition.) Also a real plus–Dottie Davis would be an interesting program speaker for any dog organization due not only to her life with this majestic and marvelous breed but her life in the rings with famous dogs and judges.
Although Cagney’s show and therapy dog days are in her past, she has successfully completed her course of treatment for pneumonia and heart disease and is once again wagging her tail. The lessons from this latest bout were mine and include –know and respect YOUR limits in time, space, and emotional and financial resources. And, take care of YOURSELF. Not a selfish demand. Your quality of life affects your dog’s. I also found that as she progresses to full health it is important to allow her to make choices. If she doesn’t want to eat we don’t try to control amount or content. And, we have even found that varying the kinds of bedding allows her to make a choice between sheepskin or just bare floor, head on a pillow or no. I think it is important when her body seems to fail her that she be allowed to have as many options as she can with safety.
Long nights allowed us to review books and I discovered THE DOG CHAPEL: WELCOME ALL CREEDS, ALL BREEDS by Stephen Huneck. It is available through Amazon, both used and new, for under $15. The chapel really exists in Johnsbury, Vermont. Huneck was a folk artist specializing in woodcuts. I also discovered one long evening a book published by HSUS on Spanish phrases and words to help animal control professionals be more effective in communication. I send the classical magazines and journals to Connie for distribution to club members but there are still so many. I am putting together boxes of magazines and hope to find a venue at which to sell them.
NEW TITLE OFFERED: A new title, GRAND CHAMPION, will be offered this month at all AKC-sanctioned shows. Competition will be judged during the Best of Breed and it is open to all champions participating in this event. Grand championship points are awarded at the judge’s discretion to the following placements: Best of Breed, Best of Opposite Sex, SELECT DOG AND SELECT BITCH. The ribbon color for this new title is deep green.