The Gossip Column: April 26, 2024

This weekend is the WORLD DOG SHOW, held in Zagreb, Croatia. The four-day event is preceded by the INTERNATIONAL SPRING DOG SHOW. Most countries hosting a World Dog Show hold a companion national dog show, allowing for champion titles in that country. Croatia is a lovely country to visit, as I have many times. Too bad it’s so early in the spring, when the weather is still cold. The judging panel is void of any Americans, but next year, when the WORLD DOG SHOW will be held in Helsinki, Finland, on August 8, 9 and 10, 2025, there are three Americans on the panel: DOUG JOHNSON, SCOTT PFEIL and JAMES DONAHUE. ...

Closer to home, the 2025 MORRIS & ESSEX KENNEL CLUB dog show is moving full steam ahead, as the date of the show nears. There is still time for your national or regional club to join the 47 breeds already hosting their specialties at MORRIS & ESSEX. You may also be interested in donating a trophy for the few available open awards. Contact president and show chairman WAYNE FERGUSON at wferguson129@comcast.net. One former member, the late DAVE HELMING, will be sorely missed for his tireless work in organizing the show grounds, ring layouts and grounds, and seeing to all the big and small details that make MORRIS & ESSEX the great dog show it is. So grab your hats and mark the date: Wednesday, October 1, 2025. As tribute to the club founder MRS. GERALDINE ROCKEFELLER DODGE, the entries will be capped at 4,555 dogs, exactly one less than the record-setting show with MRS. DODGE at the helm in 1939. ...

The AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB is honoring two dogs with its AKC DOGNY PAW OF COURAGE AWARD. K9 VISHU of the KANKAKEE SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT has assisted in searching for persons who have drowned, and she located remains in various stages of decomposition. The United States Police Canine Association has certified her multiple times as both a tracking and detector dog. K9 BIZA of the AUBURN MASSACHUSETTS POLICE DEPARTMENT and her partner assisted in tracking a 12-year-old child, following her scent for more than two miles. BIZA has been certified by the United States Police Canine Association for patrol functions and narcotic and evidence recovery. There is a reason they say dogs are man’s best friend. These are two of those reasons.