Continued from page 192
4. Describe the Pug in three words: Square, cobby and clownish. 5. What about the breed makes it a great show dog? Pugs are pleasers and will do anything for food… well most of them will. 6. What advice would you give a newcomer? Purchase the best Pug girl you can a ff ord and have a mentor that travels to most of the same shows you do. 7. What is your funniest experience at a dog show?
Th is happened at an outdoor show in Ohio. Th is was the last day of the show and the little girl I had purchased from some pugs friends had gone RWB for 3 days to a girl another friend was showing. Th at girl had finished the day before but my friend left her in the classes so the major wouldn’t break. Th is friend and her husband were both showing girls in Open Bitch along with me. Th e wife was showing the girl that had finished the day before, I say showing loosely as she was pretty much just wandering around the ring. When she put the girl up on the table she didn’t set her up or do anything to her. She pretty much let the bitch do whatever she wanted. Th e next bitch on the table was being shown by her husband. Th e judge says to her husband not knowing they were married, “ Th at gal is a real ditz.” Her husband answered, “If you only knew!” I won the major but we laughed so hard afterwards! We still talk about it and laugh! PATTI & RICHARD CALDWELL
Both Patti and Dick had been longtime Golden Retriever fanciers, each having bred several champions. Patti was a third grade teacher in Michigan and Dick was a Professor of Chemistry and (recently retired) Dean at Th e University of Texas at Dallas. Th ey met at the Golden Retriever National Specialty in 2005 and fell in love. Dick retired fully in 2006, Patti in 2007, and they were married in July 2007. Patti has one son and a grandson, while Dick has two daughters. Both have held o ffi ces in local breed clubs (Patti in the Bluebonnet Pug Dog Club and both in the Dallas-Fort Worth Golden Retriever Club, of which Dick was President for three years). Dick was also a Director and Western
Region Vice President of the Golden Retriever Club of America. 1. Where do you live and what do you do outside of dogs? Patti and Dick Caldwell live on 45 acres in Lavon, Texas; it is 30 miles northeast of Dallas where they breed and exhibit Golden Retrievers and Pugs. Th ey each have retained their own Golden Retriever kennel names, but breed and exhibit their Pugs under the name Bookmark. Outside of dogs, Dick is a crossword maven and Patti enjoys reading, traveling and spending time with her friends. We both treasure our fami- lies. Th e expression “their life has gone to the dogs” certainly applies to us with taking care of our dogs, going to training classes, being very active in several dog Patti had gotten her first Pug in 2005 and when we married, the Pug came with her as part of a pack- age deal. We then got another Pug… and another Pug… and, well you know how it is with this sweet, funny breed—you can’t have just one. We have been very fortunate to be able to finish almost all our Pugs and obtain high national rankings on several of them. Our breeding program began in 2010 and, in addition to other champions, produced “Keebler” who we are currently campaigning. Much of our success has been due to breeders who first entrusted us with quality Pugs, mentors who were willing to spend the time teaching us about the breed and our talented handler, Christopher Keith. 3. What is di ff erent now about the sport from when you started? Th e quality of Pugs overall has improved substantially in the time we have been in the breed, although the top Pugs of time past are fully the equal of the top Pugs today. One specific point of improvement is the rear assembly. A major factor in the improvement of Pugs being bred now is due to there being more of a national breeding community, whereas breeding locally was more the style years ago. Th is presumably is partly due to improvements in technology—more information about dogs and exchanges between breeders on the internet, new extenders, reliable shipping of semen, etc. 4. Describe the Pug in three words: “MULTUM IN PARVO,” a lot in a little body, quoted from the Pug standard. clubs and going, most weekends, to dog shows. 2. Number of years owning and/or showing Pugs?
198 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M AY 2015
Powered by FlippingBook