wi th
SUSAN ATHERTON, APRIL CLYDE, GAY DUNLAP, JEAN HEATH, LYDIA COLEMAN HUTCHINSON, PATTY KEENAN, MICHAEL LYNCH, BARBARA MILLER, SUSAN RODGERS, LISA SONS, BETTY-ANNE STENMARK, NODIE WILLIAMS & AMY RUTHERFORD
SUSAN ATHERTON
show of the year, thank goodness that I had the guidance and encouragement of Priscilla and her assistant Clarence Wells! In those days Montgomery County had a beautiful luncheon with white tablecloths, flowers on the tables, china, crystal and waiters in black ties and jackets. Not knowing anyone, I just got in line with all the others. As fate would have it, I was right behind three older ladies that were talking Miniature Schnauzers and they invited me to join them at their table. Lo and behold, “they” were AMSC President, Margaret Pratt, Jinx Gunville, AMSC Vice President and Mary Davis, AMSC Board Member. In thinking back, it was then I was baptized by fire into the AMSC! It only takes one trip to Montgomery to know that it will be an annual trip and since that time, I have only missed one year when I was too sick with pneumonia to attend. APRIL CLYDE I was given my first Airedale Terrier as a gift in 1979 by my non-doggy, first husband. She was bred by a backyard breeder and we named her “April’s Valentine Scylla”. I took Scylla to a string of obedience classes trying to civilize this wild child.
MY FIRST MONTGOMERY COUNTY 1981 After hearing about Montgomery County from my men- tor, Pricilla Brown (Wells), and being encouraged as a would be breeder to go see they best Miniature Schnauzers in the country. Then being invited to go with her, I entered my first champion, got new sporty outfits, then gathered up my latest Schnauzer Shorts and drove to Ponca City. As many others have said, there will never be anything equivalent to driv- ing onto the grounds in Ambler, Pennsylvania seeing the long huge white tents with fervor of the exhibitors permeating the air! Since I had a special, Priscilla said I should get a cata- logue and sit ringside for Sweeps and dog classes marking the classes so that I could research the breeding of the dogs I liked. Most importantly, I had my Schnauzer Shorts so that I could identify all the people I had heard about—oh my gosh,
I will never forget seeing and identifying Joan Huber! Then off to preparing and showing my dog at the most important
photo courtesy of April Clyde
194 • S how S ight M agazine , S eptember 2017
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