10 Questions ...
... asked of Erin P. Cody
Profession: Public high school teacher
Dog-sport involvement: Conformation breeder/owner/handler, obedience, lure coursing and rally
Hometown: Alamo, California
Astrological sign: Cancer
1. Do you have any dog show superstition?
Of course! Once a dog wins on a collar/leash set-up, that is theirs until their career is finished. Also, always three rubber bands, and those get tossed and replaced if they are “unlucky.” I mean, doesn’t everyone have lucky underwear?
2. TV show guilty pleasure?
“America’s Sweethearts” (embarrassing, but get that salary, girls!), “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” and “The Great British Bake Off.” I love me some Alison and Noel.
3. If you were president of AKC for one day, what would you do?
HARD pass … But if I were given the position for one day with a gazillion dollars, I’d put it into education: Purebred dogs and we as breeders have an image problem, and we need to change the narrative. We’ve been on our heels about extolling the benefits of the predictable purebred dog, and the majority of the general population would rather doom-scroll or post to social media than pick up the phone or go to a show. We need to be proactive about making our dogs, breeding programs, breed-specific information and general dog-husbandry knowledge accessible to the platforms that the general population uses.
4. Most valued material possession?
Probably my wedding and engagement ring. They’re really sparkly. Runner-up would be my Zeiss Terra Ed binoculars.
5. What is something no one would guess about you?
I am painfully introverted. If we’ve ever talked in real life, and it was awkward, I promise it was me, not you.
6. Who would you compare yourself to?
If Professor McGonagall, Steve Irwin and Tommy Rivs had a baby …
7. What are you famous for?
I’m not, but folks know me as being the breeder of social-media darling “Bruce” (Ch. RDC’s You’re Gonna Need a Bigger Boat) of RubyDoobyDo fame.
8. What website do you visit most often?
Google, Infodog, Insta and, according to my students, I’m old because I also use Facebook.
9. What was more memorable, your most satisfying win or disappointing defeat? And what was it?
Nothing singular, but I had tried three times with two different bitches to be a finalist at our Doberman Pinscher Club of America Top 20 event. I had missed it all three times by the narrowest of margins, but in 2022, I owner-handled my bitch “Fib” (GCh. Crosswind’s I’ll Have What She’s Having, CD, ROM) to be a finalist. When I got the news that we were in, I ugly-cried. We ended up missing the event because Fib was busy making my other dream come true: After 18 years of multiple failures, she whelped my first litter and founded RDC Dobermans. Those are memorable wins.
10. What do you wish someone would ask you?
“I have a gazillion dollars for someone who knows the most random information. Do you know anyone?”