The Gossip Column: October 20, 2023
The numbers are out: Not just the DOG NEWS TOP TEN LIST, but the amount of money — $136 billion — spent by the 66 percent of households in the United States that own pets. Trying to prolong the life of our pets is a major concern. A study conducted by the DOG AGING PROJECT (www.dogagingproject.org) is looking for dog owners to enroll their dogs to broaden its scope. The study seeks to link certain drugs with extended life expectancy. ...
Londoners JOHN & GWYNETH SPURLING are spending a week in New York. ...
Entries for the upcoming AKC NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DOG SHOW are now open. Keep in mind that there is an earlier closing date. ...
Wishing NANCY LIEBES a speedy recovery. She is in hospital recovering from an automobile accident that resulted in her car being totaled. ...
Handler JIMMY DICKSON, who has been a force in the Border Terrier ring for more years than he would care to count, has decided to retire. He is looking forward to starting his judging career, and we at DOG NEWS wish him every success. ...
Another big retirement is weeks away, when American Kennel Club field representative MARY DUKES retires. Everything MARY has undertaken, be it as a breeder, professional handler or field rep, she did with great success. Surely a judging career will follow, and that will be a giant plus for exhibitors. Now she will get to share her years of experience with breeders and exhibitors. All of us at DOG NEWS and especially this writer wish her all the best. ...
The most successful professional handler of Poodles, BARBARA HUMPHREY, has passed away. With top winners in all three varieties over several decades, she ensured that the presentation and condition of the dogs entrusted to her care were second to none. Based in Southern California, where the Poodle competition was deep, she was a force to be reckoned with. She had the unique combination of being tough in the ring and tender when out of it. Together with her husband-photographer DAVE GOSSETT, they were a dedicated couple ideally suited for one another, and they enjoyed a full life in and out of the dog world. We are saddened by her passing and send our deepest sympathies to her family and friends. ...
Celebrating Birthdays … KEITH PAUTZ, JON COLE, BARBARA ANDERSON, ROBIN SEAMAN GRENIER, BETTY-ANNE STENMARK, ED SMIZER, JAMIE HUBBARD, KASEY & CHRISSY O’BRIEN, KATHY HRITZO HEIMANN, CHRISTIE MARTINEZ, KIMBERLY SILVA GARRETT, STACY THRELFALL, ANN RAMSBOTTOM WHITE, KITTY BERK, BRIAN MEYER and JOANNE REED.