in 1981. The Ibizan got his Ch. and a CDX, the Komondor still holds the All-Breed BIS Record for the breed (7). A couple of generations later I bred and owned a Best in Field, Nation- al BISS and Pedigree Award-winning Ibizan. Now, through Joan, I am also a Samoyed breeder! I retired last year after 30 years with Chevron as a Geophysicist, sometimes doing oil exploration, sometimes research. So now I am a “Gentle- man Rancher” on our place with a great view of Pikes Peak. I’m even learning to ride Joan’s horses. I was first approved to judge in 1992. My first breeds were Ibizans, Greyhounds and Komondors. I am approved to judge all Hound, Working and Herding breeds, Brittanys, Misc., Junior Showmanship, and BIS. I have judged in China, Sweden, Ireland and Mexico as well as for AKC. I continue to study and learn more about all of the breeds and my goal is to bring a breeder’s eye to my judging every time. I am a breed mentor in Komondors, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds and Pulis and I am currently the Judge’s Education Coordinator for the Ibizan Hound Club of the United States. 1. Give an overview of the Working breeds. The Working breeds are varied, strong, beautiful and fun to judge. As a Komondor breeder, I am especially attracted to the solid and steady caring personalities of the livestock guarding dogs. I find the other guarding dogs bright and fun—ready for action and with personali- ties that shine in the show ring. The companion and farm dogs in the group, like the livestock guards, are some- times hard to excite in a show situation and should be appreciated for their calm stature. Finally, after handling several of the Northern breeds in the 80s, I’m now a breeder and exhibitor of my own Samoyeds. They, and their cousins, are fun and single-minded. 2. What is the current overall quality of the Group? Quality in breeds ebb and flow in regions. The Working Group stays strong in most parts of the country. Right now, based on weighted statistics of the Working Groups I’ve judged in the past year, I’m placing Dobes, Newfs, Mastiffs, Boxers, Rottweilers, Standard Schnauzers, Kuvasz, Pyrs, Sammies, Greater Swiss, Porties, Cane Cor- sos, Danes, Anatolians, Malamutes, Akitas, Black Russians and Sibes with the most frequency. These numbers are undoubtedly skewed by coincidences of where I judged and who showed to me recently. 3. What changes have you seen during your tenure as guardians of these breeds? I’m most pleased with the quality of some of the rare breeds that have joined AKC’s Working Group in the past few years. Cane Corsos came in with great quality and showmanship. As German Pinschers have come to the ring with proper toplines, they have been recognized for that and their other positive traits. The few Boerboels the working group Q&A
I’ve judged have been quality exhibits. I’ve seen a couple of great looking Leonbergers, though I was not judging the groups those days. 4. Have there been any shifts in the balance of popu- larity among breeds? I’m saddened to see how few Komondors are being shown. As in our whole sport, some of the best breeders are retiring from active breeding and no one has stepped up to fill the void. Extremely rare breeds are endangered by this trend. I’ve judged some nice large Dane, Rottwei- ler and Cane Corso entries recently and am glad to see that dedicated fanciers continue to breed and show those great breeds. 5. Are there any particular challenges Working Dog breeders face in our current economic/ social climate? While we in the fancy argue about imported dogs with uncropped tails and ears, some of our breeds are headed towards illegality. Legislatures and home insurance com- panies make it harder to own guarding dogs that enrich our lives. The animal rights folks who would take our freedom to breed from us are behind these attacks. 6. What attributes make these breeds suitable as household companions despite their size and original breed purpose? Big but calm, loyal to their families and great with kids there is a strong place for our working breeds in today’s society. For more than 30 years, Komondors from our show lines have thoughtfully protected their families and kids in cities and suburbs. Years ago, one of our puppies placed himself between his four-year-old son and the neighborhood’s five-year-old “bully”. He did it without laying a tooth or claw on the “bully”. The call we got from the child’s dad, who was just feet away washing the car, was that his 18-month-old dog was a genius. In a way he was right: more than two millennia of breeding with the goal of protecting without injuring came through in this moment of truth, protecting his kid. Dogs of the same breeding lines, when faced with goats, ducks or any livestock, have remembered their traditional roles to guard and gather immediately. The old dog asleep at my feet right now is better than any house alarm, because she has a great brain. 7. Anything else you’d like to share? Great breeders set a style, but then if they are not careful about out-crossing the quality in their wonderful style fades. Great stud dogs appear and improve a breed both by their own get and by raising the level of competition in the breed. The use of long frozen semen ties us to the past in a good way. All of the breeding advances our great
188 • S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2017
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