Welcome to STUMPTOWN
by Genelle Joseph
T he English Cocker Spaniel Club of America’s 79th annual National Specialty, along with the obedience trial, rally, track- ing test, hunt test and working test was held May 2nd through 8th in the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon. Th e show was held at the Holiday Inn Airport Conference Cen- ter, which proved to be a beautiful venue for the Obedience and Rally, as well as the conformation events. Our Show Chair, Maureen Mybeck and her hard working show committee members put on a lovely week fi lled with everything English Cock- er. Th ere were several other special events held along with the show, including a Stud Dog Showcase and a Breeder’s Education Seminar and Panel Discussion on Modera- tion in the English Cocker Spaniel. Th ree days of English Cocker-only agility were held at Brigand’s Hideout in Battleground, WA. 32 English Cock- ers competed with about 130 runs per day. Winner was MACH 20 Prairie fi re Dusty Rose, owned by Julie McGuire of Racine, Wisconsin. Th e obedience trial was held at the Holiday in venue on May 5th. High in Trial went to NOHEA R SCHUMANN’S OPUS BN GN with owner/handler Shelley Gilliland. Th e Puppy Sweepstakes was judged by Carol Collins of Gwynllyn English Cock- ers, hailing from Pennsylvania. From an entry of 53 puppies, Carol found her win- ner in the 15-18 month bitch Majestic She’s Got Whatever “It” Is, bred and owned by Kay and Doug Belter, handled by Kay. Th e Veteran Sweepstakes was held as separate evening gala event this year. Mrs. Carol Collins presided over her lovely entry of 21 seniors. She selected her winner from 7-9 bitch class, an orange and white, GCH Oldwest Change Of Hue handled as always by her breeder/ owner Christine Dooley. Th is year, the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America took the American Kennel Club’s new option to invite a person to judge
who is not an AKC approved Judge for the breed. Th is great honor was bestowed upon Barb Heckerman (Wyncrest English Cock- ers) of Swanton, Ohio. Barb has been in the breed since 1967, in that time she has owned, bred and handled some of the top English Cockers in the US and Canada. Barbara found her Winners Dog and eventual Award of Merit winner in the orange and white Bred by Exhibitor Dog, Ragtime North By Northwest, bred owned and handled by Susan Peterson. Her choice for Winners Bitch, Best of Winners and Best Bred by Exhibitor went to our Best in Sweepstakes winner, Majestic She’s Got Whatever “It” Is, bred and owned by Kay and Doug Belter, handled again by Kay. From the 55 champions entered in Best of Breed, Barbara’s selection for Best in Specialty was the black bitch, GCH Golden Gait’s Dance to the Groove, bred, owned and handled by Debbie Owczar- zak. Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed went to a blue roan and tan dog, GCH Bell fl ower XLI MVP, bred, owned and handled by Karen Roth. Barbara Heckerman was kind enough to share her thoughts on the entry with us: “Being asked to judge the 74th Nation- al of the ECSCA under the recent AKC change to ask a long time breeder/handler to o ffi ciate was a high point in my life with the breed. Having judged the sweepstakes several times in English Cockers as well as many other breeds, the actual judging procedure was already familiar. Th e fact that it was THE NATIONAL itself added another dimension of responsibility to the whole endeavor. Evaluating bloodstock is probably the most important facet of this sport, whether as a breeder, handler or judge. Quite an honor to be sure. “Good depth of quality in the entry of 170+, with many choices to be made. Th e mantra of compact, moderate, one piece cocker every in mind, my WD and eventually one of my AOM winners was a very mature red and white dog with the above stated essentials. Big ribs, short
Winners bitch, majestic she’s Got What “It” Is, bred and owned by Kay and Doug Belter, handled by Kay. (photo by Betty Ganung)
Judge Barb heckerman judging. (photo by Betty Ganung)
(photo by Arthur p. steward)
240 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , J UNE 2015
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