Editorial: April 19, 2024

Jimmy Mitchell, a man who lived and loved dogs, spent his life in the sport. He passed away this week at the age of 81. We first crossed paths in the early 1970s, when he was associated with professional handler Richard Bauer and his mentor Annie Clark. Most knew him as a longtime field representative and presently as a judge of the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding groups. We can’t think of a weekend without seeing him at a dog show. He shall be missed for the friendly, knowledgeable and great dog man that he was. He was one of a kind.

Last weekend, which signaled the start of out-of-doors dog shows on the East Coast, saw the 49th annual Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac being held in two different locations in Frederick, Maryland: one location for conformation judging, conformation sweepstakes and Veteran sweepstakes, and the other for obedience and rally trials. Over the three-day event, approximately 1,000 Labradors competed in several different competitions. Like the fickle weather in early spring, Mother Nature threw us a cold, rainy and intense windy day for the Best of Breed judging. It wasn’t a three-dog night, but it was a three-blanket day. But the dogs did enjoy the cool weather. It has been decades since we attended Potomac, going back to headier days with the likes of Liz Clark and her Springfield Farms in Middleburg, Virginia, which was the headquarters for the Cherry Blossom Circuit, where you could find Connie Barton, Roy Holloway, Peter Green, Beth Sweigart, George Bragaw, Edith Young and others. While the venue and the players have changed over the years, the show and its members and exhibitors have not lost their camaraderie, sportsmanship and hospitality. It is a credit to the whole membership, which includes club president Vicky Creamer along with other officials, namely Krista Beal, Betty Dust, Shari Krischer, Cindy Harbaugh, Kara Hite, Dennis Durham, Fabian Negron and Heidi Hartman-Booth, down to the thankless but most necessary grounds committee headed by Penny Kretchmer (usually seen at the Big E), Mike Creamer and Mark O’Hara. While we always recommend that you attend the all-terrier Montgomery County Kennel Club dog show that hosts 20 or so national specialties in one day, the Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac deserves a visit to see how a multiple-day and varied-event specialty can and should be held. It is no wonder that this club was awarded Dog Show of the Year at the Purina Pro Plan Show Dogs of the Year Awards Dinner partnered with Dog News.