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2008 A-List The 2008 A-List is a permanent record of 21 of the most noteworthy faces, clubs and organizations in the German Shepherd world this year. We think it should be called ‘the cure for what ails you.’ We’ll settle for just making you smile.
Now 83, JOE BIHARI SR. has lived and worked in German Shepherds for more than half a century. His notoriety for eyeing a good dog is backed up by a truly spectacular breeding and winning record. He is well-versed in nearly every aspect of our beloved breed and possesses an almost numinous ability to find a great one. In short, he does what an artist should do: teaches us to really see. In March of this year, Joe told us his emphasis has always been education. “I spend so much time educating myself and other people about the breed, and driving forward for the sake of the betterment of the German Shepherd. I would like to be remembered for educating the new generation to improve or perfect the breed,” he said. “I have always strived to be truthful, first to myself, and then to other people according to my understanding and knowledge. I don’t claim to know it all about the German Shepherd Dog, but I know I try to be truthful to other people. I don’t want to knowingly mislead people. If I make a mistake, and I find out later; I will admit it.” This year, Joe’s Jesse II was FVX. He also received the Don Cliff Memorial Good Sportsmanship Award.
2. GSDCA Board member, breeder/exhibitor The GSDCA may want to brace itself for some unexpected incoming energy. KATHALEEN STRONG was recently re-elected to the GSDCA Board, after completing a one-year stint to fill out Gail Hardcastle's term (Gail is now President). She's youthful, eager and thinks outside the box. She’s also darn good at enlisting legions of volunteers, coffee klatches and saving money – something the Club should find particularly useful in this economy. She represents the future of the Club and we need more like her.
Yeah, we’ve gushed about this before, but it bears repeating: We are still smiling about SHARON GABRIELSON's Big Win at the Canadian National. In case you’ve been under a rock since August, Sharon’s dog went Winners Dog, Best of Winners and Select in Canada. In October, we celebrated this event for several reasons:
Sharon had a rough time before finding the right
handler. At one point, she was told that the dog wasn't very good;
that it would take a lot of money and a long time to finish him – if
at all. But rather than believe them, and She found a handler who objectively evaluated the dog, came up with a plan, and stuck to it. Her dog won, and the rest is history. Or rather, the rest is Am CH 2008 Canadian National WD/BOW and Select Mar Haven’s Next In Line Reno OFA H/E (right). May there be many more in Sharon’s future.
While everyone has a favorite, for our money, you aren't going to find better ethics than those of KENT BOYLES (read above). He stuck by his client (who is entirely green to dog shows), worked the dog two days a week (followed through with a commitment), and ultimately handled him to Canadian National Winners Dog. Forget technique – although he obviously knows his stuff – this handler’s skills are unrivaled in welcoming a complete “Newby” to the dog showing world with style. Well done.
Two schools of thought exist on this: Sell a puppy quick and if the new owner has a problem, they better not make it your problem; OR sell a puppy, mentor the new owner, help find a suitable handler and the right judges, offer sound advice and lend an ear. We opt for the latter. And we suggest CAROLYN and FRANK MARTELLO. The dogs that we see in the ring from her breeding are high-quality. More importantly, this California breeder is there well after the sale. She defined the word “mentor” for Sharon Gabrielson (see above).
We have a tie.
Both have big entries. Both are indoors on sod. Both offer impeccable judges. York and Lehigh get a slight edge because they offer the first shows of the spring – three in the same place, actually. And although they are offering “just” a specialty weekend (as opposed to a National), it’s a circuit that was renewed just three years ago, and has since become a “Mini-National,” according to the judges, handlers and exhibitors. (Three days of 5-point majors among the toughest competition in the Northeast.) Then Canada comes along, with its typical clean facility, great hotels, friendly people and awesome dogs. But this year, they up the ante with all-breed rally and agility. Caching! That’s the sound of the cash register. Smart. Very smart.
Highly perceptive and wickedly funny, EVAN GINSBURG’s annual blog for the US National Specialty conveys a 1960s liberal idealism in conflict with the cynicism of a contemporary political reality (“us” versus “them”). In essence, he brings us news of the finest dog show on Earth with panache. The coolest part is that he does all this in real time. Unlike many authors who have days or weeks to ruminate and polish their language, Evan spits out what he sees instantly, and it comes through loud and clear. We are sure if there were a Pulitzer category, he would win. (Maybe next year, we will have our own competition.) Thanks, Evan.
Pennsylvania’s OLIVIA CALABRESE is a kid who handles dogs – and herself – like an adult. She handled the 2008 Grand Victrix, among numerous other winners, at this year’s US National. Admittedly, she has been immersed in the dog show world for longer than many of our readers have been showing, but we think it is exceedingly rare to find one so fresh-faced and simultaneously so polished. Remember the name.
Note: We hear Olivia turned 18 on Nov. 19, so technically, she's no longer a kid. But we stand by our description. Happy Birthday Liv!
Olivia goes Group 2 with Can GVx Chyna
Some people almost make you feel bad for asking, but Texas's CYNDY DAVIS is famous for her sunny disposition and approachability. A skilled and seasoned public relations gal (and a heck of a nice person), she's always ready to help. As the GSDCA's PR chair, she coordinates the National Welcome Wagon; was instrumental in cultivating DogNews and Eukanuba catalog ads for the Club; and in creating its new “welcome” website, which was formed to educate German Shepherd buyers about reputable breeding. She also worked her butt off to successfully restart the Dallas Specialty Club (41 members!) . . . She even remembers birthdays.
There are two in this category, both here for the same reason: Not giving a hoot about popular opinion.
DAN SMITH is a man who
enjoys mental tennis. His insight is shrewd, and he dares to judge
dogs on their This year, Dan judged dogs at the Canadian National. He had a particularly difficult challenge in Open Dogs, which bears no repeating. But Dan is often heard telling people that when he is asked to judge, he assumes it is to judge the dogs. Indeed.
Like it or not, HELEN GLEASON did things her
way as Intersex Judge at this year’s US National Specialty. She had
the courage to put up the Winner’s Bitch over Specials. She had the
wherewithal to judge the
Last month, Helen told us she had heard grumbling about not allowing the Specials to "race around the ring." "My response is simply that I was elected to judge the dogs according the STANDARD and not act as a RINGMASTER," she said. "I also received many nice calls and emails thanking me for allowing them to see the dogs this year in an orderly fashion. I had 7 males that I classify as Select Excellent, the rest of the Specials (with the exception of 6 that were faulty in temperament and would have received an insufficient rating) were rated Excellent."
Organizing a National Specialty takes an enormous amount of time, energy, planning and patience. Organizing a National Specialty after a hurricane means starting over, from 10 paces behind. Our hats are off to NANCI NELLIS, LEA RUGGIERI and the GSDC OF BEAUMONT for busting their collective butts to make this year’s National come together. Their efforts were tangible in every aspect of the show, proving once and for all that even forces of nature cannot stop people who put their minds to it. They also bring new meaning to the phrase “the show must go on.” Here's to you, folks, for moving mountains.
Two sit in this category, our last for this year’s A-List. One is here for extending nearly unheard of generosity and support; the other for the merits of the dogs from their kennel, with extremely limited breeding.
It is difficult at best to find breeders who sell truly special dogs. You know, the puppies that have such great promise, you visualize the Big Wins in your dreams at night. TARI KRIDLER, LESLIE BECCIA and JOE BECCIA sell those puppies. Then, they jump in the ring at two National Specialties, including a Futurity Final, and take that dog to the top. They double her when the new owner can’t get there. They call from the show to offer reports on the dog while the class is going on. And then, they call the new owner to congratulate her. Enough said. www.kridlersgermanshepherds.com www.signaturegermanshepherds.com
Pennsylvania’s
MICHAEL and SUSAN CHEEKS have breeding and showing for 19 years.
In all that time, their seven – (seven!) – litters
have produced a lengthy list of Grand Victors and Victrixes,
Selects, and Futurity and Maturity winners. For posterity, we
recount them here. Read carefully:
(Will someone please tell them they need a website of their own?)
Useless, but interesting . . . Joel Stein wrote a neat article for Time Magazine recently, about how - by default - it was his job to rank the Time 100 because the editors "are afraid of hurting people's feelings or making a mistake." To do this, he created this formula: Sigma (G + Y + 4W) * N / Y It calculates a person's influence by taking their Google hits, adding their YouTube hits and then adding the number of words in their Wikipedia entry multiplied by four. "Then you simply multiply that sum by a number from 1 to 10 I'd make up to imply the person's newness (since President George W. Bush, for instance, is less influential now than he was seven years ago)," Stein said. "Then you take the whole thing and divide it by another made-up number from 1 to 10 that would rate the person's frivolousness, so that Miley Cyrus won't win. I have no idea what that sigma symbol does, but it greatly improves the look of the formula."
We at gsdbydesign did not have a formula. But when we sat down to mill around what happened this year, the names that stood out were consistent, hence this year's list. Next year, it'll be your turn to nominate.
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complain that she was sold
a dud, Sharon went to the breeder. She got sound advice and followed
it.
It’s
either the GSDC OF CANADA NATIONAL SPECIALTY, or the
GSDC OF GREATER YORK and the LEHIGH VALLEY GSDC
combined specialty weekend.
merits the day of the show. We first witnessed
this anomaly at the 2006 US National in St. Louis., where his RWB
was a 9-12 puppy bitch. (She is now Select in two countries and was
the 2007 FVx. Incidentally, his WB is now 2X Am Sel and Can Sel, and
has earned nearly 30 BOBs.)
classes the way she deemed fit, and stuck
to her convictions. While there may have been complaints about
procedure, no one can deny she found the right dogs and put them at
the top. Bravo.
Mike
and Susan, who breed under the kennel name “TRAFALGAR,” had their
first litter in 1989 and their most recent in 2006. Reviewing
their breeding records is a bit like going through the