Fri, 11/28/2025 - 12:38pm
The Gossip Column: November 28, 2025
By
Eugene Z. Zaphiris
The votes are coming for the nominees for Breeder KEITH BAILEY, SARAH MURPHY, DAVID MURRAY, Judge THOMAS COEN, ELIZABETH MUTHARD, LINDA ROBEY, Professional Handler REBECCA CROSS, DAVID & JENNIFER HARPER, STUART MCGRAW, Owner Handler CAROLINE CLEGG, BRENDA GRIFFIN, ADAM KUCERA, Cluster Show KEYSTONE CLUSTER, LONESTAR CLUSTER, MISSION CIRCUIT CLUSTER and National Specialty Shows DACHSHUND CLUB OF AMERICA, DOBERMAN PINSCHER CLUB OF AMERICA, GREATER SWISS MOUNTAIN DOG CLUB OF AMERICA of the year for the PURINA PRO PLAN SHOW DOGS OF THE YEAR AWARDS DINNER partnered with DOG NEWS. Voting ends in December so have your vote counted for your nominee who in your opinion is most deserving of this award. Details of each nominee and voting instructions appear in this issue of DOG NEWS. The dog show world and the German Shepherd Dog ring in particular is losing one of its most talented handlers, with the retirement of LIV CALABRESE. Anyone who ever watched her in the show ring appreciated her talent and handling of the dogs she exhibited. LIV is selling her Pennsylvania home and moving out West to start a new life. All of us at DOG NEWS wish her the very best. Anyone like me, was saddened to hear that JUNE LOCKHART the actress that played RUTH MARTIN the mother of JON PROVOST’S character TIMMY on the television series LASSIE has passed away at the age of 100. So enamored of LASSIE that I received a tri-colored rough Collie for my birthday. TONY BOY SCHATZ, as he was named, was my introduction to show dogs. He was bred from a dog show family whose name escapes me. TONY was no LASSIE and the ZAPHIRIS FAMILY weren’t as talented as the WEATHERWAX FAMILY that trained LASSIE… but I lived the dream and I had my own LASSIE even if he was like Wrong Way Corrigan. While on the subject of talented dogs, CRICKET, a Russell Terrier from Patchogue, New York won the 7th annual Trick Dog competition with her owner ELIZABETH BERTHOLD-DAVIS topping the other two semi-finalists HEIDI ARMSTRONG and her All American Dog CHEZA from Austin, Texas and MELISSA QUINTANA-MITCHELL and her Brussels Griffon HASHBROWN from Stanton, California. These three dogs topped an entry of over 200 dogs whose owners sent videos from around the country of their dogs to be judged on a panel of judges. Celebrating Birthdays…TONI SOSNOFF, SUE TALKINGTON, MICHAEL FAULKNER, CURTISS SMITH, RAY HARRINGTON, PAT KEEN FERNANDES, TIM KERNAN, GLENN LYCAN, SCOTT KIPP, MICHAEL CANALIZO, GAY SHERMAN DUNLAP, KAKI FISHER and FRED ASKIN.
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Fri, 11/28/2025 - 12:38pm