doberman pinscher Q&A WITH DR. MARY-HELENE (MIMI) BROWN, MARGARITA FILES, ERIC GLOFKA, CHERIE HOLMES AND PATRICIA REINARD-KOPSA
Blue stood there and would not acknowledge me at all. Every- one else would come and speak to her and ask for a kiss which she gave with no reserve. I asked repeatedly and she would just turn her head and look the other way. This was hilarious to me that she was so human. She did finally forgive me. That was one of my heart dogs. I miss her to this day. ERIC GLOFKA I have been involved with Dobermans for eight years since we purchased our first pet Doberman—Niko. Lucia was my first show bitch and our world has never been the same since we went to our first AKC show. I knew from that point on that helping support this breed in any way possible was my life’s work. My wife Lynda and I, along with our four Dober- mans Lucia, Liberty, Justice and Niko live in Dade City, Florida which is just north of Tampa. I am a Regional Asset Protection Operations and Safety Director for Lowes covering the South East. Outside of dogs, we love the outdoors such as fishing, hiking and going to the beach. Carol Petruzzo from Carosel Dobermans has been my mentor for the last eight years. Carol taught me all about the proper breeding of Dobermans as well as the ins and outs of the dog show world. Carol also co-bred and helped me with my first Litter. Carol taught me most importantly to enjoy every show, the people, and the atmosphere. Carol would always say “Don’t try to figure things out.” Just enjoy the pro- cess. If you have the right quality Doberman your time will come. Enjoy every show and enjoy watching your dog per- form in the ring. While I understand that we can’t breed out every health condition, I do believe that we should try to do our best to pair up two healthy animals. I am a big believer in putting health and longevity first, then beauty and conformation. As I have learned pedigrees over the years I have been shocked to see some breeders intentionally pairing up animals that I know have passed away early from DCM and other significant health ailments. While you can’t avoid it all together, dogs that have had significant health issues should never be bred head to head. If the conformation process is to identify the best breeding stock of the future, health needs to be number one in that conversation. How has the docking/cropping controversy affected me: it has not affected me personally but I do fear what I am start- ing to see rise up in America. I believe that we need to do all we can to educate people about proper docking/cropping and aggressively fight any movement forward against docking and cropping in the US. What’s more important to me, a win at an all-breed show or at a Specialty: a Specialty show for sure. Top dogs travel from all over the country to compete in specialty shows. To win a Doberman Specialty is extra special and memo- rable just due to the increased competition and the size of these shows. My favorite dog show memory: I have two memories that stick out the most. First, our first bred Champion “Liberty” GCH Carosel V. Epic Saturday Night Special CGC finished her Championship with two Specialty Majors at the Royal Canin
National and the Atlanta Doberman Pincher Club of America. What incredible exciting memories those were to see Lib- erty win and be recognized against some of the top dogs in the country. Second, we started 2019 spot showing Liberty in the Spe- cial Ring to get her ready for her 2019 Campaign. In three weekends, Liberty finished her Grand Championship win- ning multiple breeds over Top 20 Specials. We are excited and optimistic about Liberty’s future. CHERIE HOLMES I live on southern Vancouver Island and I am the current president of the BCDPC. I retired from being a musician in a rock band in 1995, sold my cabinet shop in 2004, and since my husband died in 2010, I have been doing home share/ respite for persons with disabilities. This allows me time to work with my all breed club, and also with the four Dober- man Pinscher clubs that I belong to. I have been given the job of running the concession stand at our all breed show every May, and enjoy all the cooking, and serving the exhibitors. Our menu is becoming famous for home cooking and home made pies and squares. This is not only giving the people a great meal at a great price, it also helps pay for the wonderful building that we use for the show. We are lucky that this venue does not have a contract in place for the kitchen, allowing us to rent it every year. I judge the Sporting, Working, Non Sporting groups, and have started working on Terriers and have owned and shown Dobermans and Smooth Fox Terriers since 1971. I am pleased with the progress that Doberman breeders have made improving structure in the last 40 years. The abil- ity to DNA test for some diseases has helped us to beat some diseases, but we still struggle with the eradication of cancer and heart disease. Our many dedicated fanciers work hard to produce the healthiest and soundest dogs possible. We had a lot of dogs a few years back with lower thighs that were too long, and were too high in the hock, but as we recognized this trend, work was done to remedy the issue on most dogs. It is a balancing act to produce good fronts and matching rears, and the pendulum swings while we all work on attaining perfection, without perpetuating health risks. The biggest problem we in Canada face at present is the growing inability to crop and dock our puppies. This is a world “WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT WE CAN’T BREED OUT EVERY HEALTH CONDITION, I DO BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD TRY TO DO OUR BEST TO PAIR UP TWO HEALTHY ANIMALS.“
290 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A PRIL 2019
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