CirneCo dell’etna: THOUGHTS ON THE BREED
JERRI GATES
GARRY NEWTON I am the Director of Nursing for a Pediatric Home Health Agency. I additionally continue to do bronze sculptures, the latest of note is a larger than life-size Saluki bronze outside the Athletic Dept of Southern Illinois University. I have been active in Breeding and Showing since 1976. I have been judg- ing AKC Conformation for over 20 years and Lure coursing for ASFA and AKC for over 30 years.
I live in North Central Texas in the small town of Kaufman. I’ve had dogs of all sorts throughout my life, and got my first show dog in 1985. My first Cirneco joined me in 1998. Until retiring a couple years ago, I was an all breed Lure Coursing Judge
1. Describe the breed in three words. JG: Primitive, loyal and social. EL: Elegant, strong and alert. GN: Athletic, functional and amusing.
for both AKC and ASFA (American Sighthound Field Assoc.) for nearly 15 years. Conformation judging will probably be in my near future, but I’m having too much fun showing right now. ERIC LIEBES Joan and I live outside of
2. What are your “must have” traits in this breed? JG: Friendly, loving temperaments. Sound movement. EL: Square outline with moderate angulation, athletic but not exaggerated gait, alert expression with high set ears, proper size and color. GN: Cosmetically: those specific attributes that make it different than other breeds, especially those breeds that might at first appear similar. Additionally, this breed is a “keen hunter” and thus functional aspects of the breed standard are extremely important to me. 3. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated? JG: So far, the breed is staying very close to the way they have been for many years. I hope that breeders avoid the desire to “change for the better” and ultimately make them unrecognizable with over angulated rears, exces- sively large ears, and “TRAD”. EL: I think is is unusual and important that the standard calls for “Springy Trot without excessive extension.” The lazy habit of hound judges to reward tremendous reach and drive ahead of breed type and all other features is dread- fully incorrect for this breed. GN: No breed traits come to mind but in a trait in exhibiting does come to mind. Far too many exhibitors move the
Colorado Springs with our 3 Samoyeds, 2 Komondors, Grey- hound and Ibizan Hound. I retired last year after 30 years with Chevron as a Geophysicist, sometimes doing oil explora- tion, sometimes Research. I got my first dogs, and Ibizan and a Komondor in 1981. The Ibizan got his Ch. and a CDX, the Komondor still holds the All-Breed BIS Record for the breed (7). I’ve had good success breeding both of those breeds
since. I’ve been judging since 1992 and am approved for all Hounds, Working, and Herding breeds and Brittany’s. Several years ago I attended a Cirneco “old club” National, helped out with the Lure Trial and discussed the breed with an Italian expert who was the judge. In the last year Cirneco’s were in Miscellaneous, I was pleased to judged their “old club” National Specialty in Texas, an entry of about 30.
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