The Gossip Column: October 4, 2024

The AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB celebrated its 140th anniversary last week. In Manhattan, the Empire State Building and the Helmsley Building were lit in honor of the hometown American Kennel Club. A trip to our nation’s capital was billed as “CANINES AT THE CAPITOL,” and involved visiting with government officials, including senators and congressmen. On hand were several breeders and their dogs for the government officials to mingle with and learn about. In 140 years, the AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB has grown to 5,037 clubs (member and non-member clubs, with member clubs represented by a delegate) and five affiliates in 28 different dog sports. ...

The long-awaited 2025 MORRIS & ESSEX KENNEL CLUB judging panel is out. Once again, the cream of the crop of judges appears on the slate. Topping the judging panel is TERRY STACY with his Best in Show assignment. The judges sending him the final seven are Sporting judge LORRAINE BISSO, Hound judge KEN MURRAY, Working judge VICKI SEILER-CUSHMAN, Terrier judge CLAY COADY, Toy judge VICKY ABBOTT, Non-Sporting judge PATRICIA SOSA and Herding judge MICHAEL FAULKNER. Morris & Essex will be held one year from now, and milliners are busy designing hats and fascinators for the ladies to wear at the dog show. It will be a sea of blue and orange. ...

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world, the Korean government is going to compensate farmers in the dwindling dog-meat industry, which will be formally banned in 2027. These farmers will be given $170 to $450 per dog if they cease operating before the ban goes into effect. While other countries also breed dogs for their meat, Korea was singled out because of its cultural and economic position in the world; it is also the only country with an industrial-scale dog-breeding meat industry. ...

MARK BEAZLEY, the chief executive of the ROYAL KENNEL CLUB, has left and moved on from that position, which he held for the last four years. ...

Our deepest sympathies to Standard Schnauzer fancier ANNE MILLER on the loss of her beloved husband of 66 years, DAVID MILLER. All of us at DOG NEWS send ANNE and her family our deepest sympathies. Services were held on Thursday, October 3. ...

Celebrating Birthdays … EDDIE BOYES, ANDREW GREEN, KAREN MAMMANO, ROBIN NOVACK, LESLIE SIMIS, PHOEBE BOOTH, GERARD THOMPSON, LENNY BROWN, AMELIA MUSSER, JEAN BOYD, RYAN WOLFE, CINDY HUCKFELDT, AMANDA CONNEEN, MICHELLE SANTANA, REBECCA LYCAN and BARBARA HECKERMAN.