“I AM EXTREMELY HUMBLED YET PROUD OF MANY DOGS THAT HAVE DONE SO WELL FOR ME AND OTHERS. I AM EXTREMELY HONORED TO BE CHOSEN FOR THIS AWARD—
A BETTER LEGACY I COULD NOT LEAVE TO THE BREED.” –MARY CHILDS
David & Judy Guaraldo Obedience, Shetland Sheepdogs
MARY CHILDS Lure Coursing, Borzoi/Whippets “I got my first Borzoi in 1981. He was a first conformation champion and he produced my first group winner. I fell in love with the black Borzoi and obtained a bitch from Texas and from there I bred her to four different conformation ani- mals that I had. From then on I guess you could say that I specialized in the first Irish-marked blacks and eventually was pretty much producing pseudo self to self black dogs. “I have always striven to have beauty follow function. Using artificial lures is fun, but many dogs learn very quickly that this is not live gain and do not last long term in the coursing Venus; but I am proud to say I have never pro- duced a Borzoi that would not hunt live game. “I have produced multiple triathlon winners at the BCOA specialty and one dog won once as a youngster and later as a veteran. I have produced top confor- mation winners, specialty winners, top 10 obedience dogs and have been very proud of the breeders that have owned or bred from my dogs to enhance their breeding programs. I have bred Whip- pets, Scottish Deerhounds, Pharaoh hounds as well as my beloved Borzoi. I have also owned Ibizan Hounds, Eng- lish Cockers and Chinese Crested. “My top triathlon winner is DC Windnsatin Black Legacy FCH, LCM 3. CD aka Knuckles. I have loved breed- ing in that, like an artist, you are sculpt- ing in flesh and not in clay, with each individual planned out and carefully
nine Field Champion Amateur Field Champion titled Labradors and bred and competed with competitive Flat- Coated Retrievers including two Cana- dian field champions. Mitchel said, “Having had a life-long relationship with Retrievers, I have always been in awe of the ability of this breed to perform in the field using their eyes and nose to retrieve fallen game. In 1972 while in the Army and stationed at Ft. Bragg, I heard about a Retriever trial being held nearby and decided to see what it was all about. To say I was blown away by what I saw the dog can do is an understatement. “After the trial, I approached a pro- fessional trainer named Bacnman Doar and asked him how I could get into this sport. What he told me is the philoso- phy that we have followed: a great bitch will produce great dogs. Always buy a puppy from great bitches. This philoso- phy has led us to where we are now. “We find many things very reward- ing about breeding. When we sell our puppies, who buys them plays a huge part in whether the pups go on to become Field Champions. However, the buyer’s success is only one factor in our decision of who to tell sell our pups to. We have sold many pups to new peo- ple; to watch them have success with our breeding is a great joy. We also only sell our pups to people who will make them a part of their family and will love them even if they don’t have success in trials. We never sell our puppies solely for breeding; they must be involved in the field trial sports.”
directed to be the best that they can be whether in conformation, obedi- ence, lure coursing or as beautiful sofa decorators. “I am extremely humbled yet proud of many dogs that have done so well for me and others. I am extremely honored to be chosen for this award—a better legacy I could not leave to the breed.” DAVID & JUDY GUARALDO Obedience, Shetland Sheepdogs “We started our kennel over 25 years ago. It was hard to find a Sheltie that was raised to be a good performance dog so we decided that is what we would concentrate on. We do a lot of socializing, acclimating the puppies to noise and commotion and stimulation to their minds. “Unfortunately, Dave recently passed away. He took such great pride in mak- ing sure every puppy felt loved and had confidence. He was instrumental in our breeding program. “Himark Shelties has produced over 125 dogs that have earned obedience titles. Seventeen are Obedience Trial Champions. We have produced over 125 dogs that have agility titles with over 25 having Master Agility Titles. The most rewarding part of being a breeder is the life-long friendships you make. “I love obedience because it pro- duces a special bond between owner and handler. Dogs love having some- thing fun to do with their owners. Training with food and lots of praise accomplishes that.”
S how S ight M agazine , F ebruary 2017 • 53
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