k ees h ond
Q&A
”overAll, the hAllMArk oF the Breed IS THEIR ADAPTABILITY.”
audience to hear our dastardly deed, much less the judge, that brought about one of the longest laughing jags of all time. We laughed until we cried during the entire bitch entry and I could barely stop laughing throughout the breed judging. I won Best of Winners, finished Harvey Wallbanger straight up and on my own. We both laughed during dinner, while gambling and all the way home. Purist that she was and that I still am, we didn’t make a great pair of crooks. And, “The Plan” was the beginning and end of either of our so-called fixing of dog shows. I believe Mrs. Pimlott finally told that story at the next SCVKC meeting and the whole club found it as funny as we both did—including said aforementioned judge. I still have that treasured blue and white 32-cent ribbon and perhaps it will be among my ashes. MARCY ZINGLER BIO My participation in the sport began in 1971, and has included breeding, exhibiting and judging, as well as active rolls in Parent Clubs, where I have held several offices, including KCA President from 1978-1981. During that time, I was pleased to be able to set up awards that increased competition among bitches for national recog- nition. This led to the establishment of The Hall of Fame, based on Carolyn Wray’s concept. I also served as Judges’ Education Chair and AKC Delegate for both KCA and the Airedale Terrier Club of America for many years. I have been a judge since 1982, and have had the honor to be voted to judge the KCA National 4 times. I was voted to judge the 2007 Airedale National at Montgomery County KC, the largest Terrier show in the world. I have been invited to judge at all four Morris and Essex revival shows. This was in addition to judging overseas and across the US, including the Eukanuba National Cham- pionship in 2011, the last time it was a champions-only show. In 2016, I will have the honor and pleasure of judg- ing The Keeshond Club of England Championship Show. During my time as Senior Editor at Howell, my books won numerous awards. As a freelancer, I was the only outside editor contracted to work on The AKC Complete Dog Book, 20th Edition and 19th Edition Revised. When I joined the AKC as Corporate Project Manager, one of my primary responsibilities was as Project Editor for the award-winning AKC 125th Anniversary Book. I am still active as a Delegate and in many phases of the Sport, and was honored with a Legacy Award from KCA in 2010 for contributions to the club and to the breed. 1. Where do you live? What do you do “outside” of dogs?
I live in NJ. I am retired, but I was Senior Editor at Howell Book house for 10 years, and I retired from the AKC as Corporate Project Manager. 2. How many years in dogs? I have been active in dogs for 45 years, showing first in Obedience and then simultaneously in conformation in 1971. 3. Describe the Keeshond in three words: Energetic, intelligent, adaptable. 4. What to you is the ultimate hallmark of the breed? Overall, the hallmark of the breed is their adaptability. They can, and will, do well at anything. If you mean phys- ically, I think the hallmark of the breed is their expres- sion, the alert look emphasized by natural spectacles. 5. Are there any traits in this breed you fear are becoming exaggerated? Different traits become exaggerated at different times. When people trim their dogs, despite the fact that the Standard says (in upper case type) “TRIMMING OTHER THAN AS DESCRIBED (hocks, feet, whiskers), TO BE SEVERELY PENALIZED”, they destroy the breed’s balance by exaggerating one or more features. 6. Do you think the dogs you see in this breed are better now than they were when you first started judging? Why or why not? Here too, things go in cycles. There are good dogs in any time period. Trends change, even staying true to the Stan- dard, with size, different gradations of correct color, etc. 7. Your pet peeve in the show ring is…? My pet peeve in the show ring is people (professional or owner handlers) who over-handle their dogs. They screw the dog’s legs into the ground, and if the dog moves, they do it again. They set the dog up and hold it together, never letting the dog show itself. 8. What advice would you give a novice exhibitor? Novice exhibitors are the future of our sport. I would tell them to study the Standard again and again and again. Equally important is to know the characteristics of your dog, both good and bad. Study the breed ringside for some time before you even enter a show. No two dogs, even in the same breed, are necessarily groomed or shown the same way. Last, but not necessarily least, learn your craft. Know how to emphasize you dog’s good points and minimize the not-so-good ones. Remember, the judge only is given two minutes per dog. 9. What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show? One of the funniest things happened in 1996, when I judged the KCA National for the second time. A well- known exhibitor showed a stuffed dog under me. After gaiting her, I stopped the class to excuse her for “limp- ing”, she said, “Don’t you mean linting?”
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