the
NON-SPORTING GROUP
INTERVIEWS & INTRODUCTIONS
I took an opportunity to step back from my critical analysis of all things Conforma- tion Dog Show to introduce the Non-Sporting Group Edition of SHOWSIGHT. If you follow my articles, you know that my dog show life began with parents who bred and showed Standard Poodles, and my mentors came from that world during (what I consider to have been) a golden age of Poodle handlers. For many years, I shifted my focus to American Staffordshire Terriers, a breed that is almost wash-and-wear, but I have always sought out opportunities to go back into the ring with a comb in my pocket and maybe even a brush. Ironically, the first picture of me showing an AmStaff at age 16 shows me with comb in my armband and scissors in my lapel pocket. I wonder what else I showed that day… lol. My connection to the Non-Sporting Group never waned completely. I am still a Poo- dle fancier at heart, cheering for Kaz, Lindsey, Paul, and Crystal, marveling at their work while paying homage to my own background. A few years back, I was exhibiting AmStaffs at “The National Dog Show” and needed a spot for my gear. An old friend gestured to me and said, “Come hang with us.” It just so happened that she was showing a few Tibetan Spaniels for Marybeth Acker and Sharon Youngblood, both of whom played the role of unpaid assistants. Sharon was in her eighties, and she motored around the showgrounds on a scooter with “Bugsy,” the top-winning Tibetan Spaniel of all time, on her lap. In the end, they dragged me back to the Non-Sporting Group as I traveled alongside them and helped to exhibit their dogs. I was handed an adorable four-month-old puppy to show in BPUP at the Celtic Shows in York, Pennsylvania. I was truly smitten with this bitch who was my pick in a spectacu- lar litter. The dog pick was finished at six months and a few weeks by Lisa Croft-Elliot, and “Roger” returned to Europe with her to win the Yearling Class at Crufts. “Maddie,” my pick, finished in the next set of shows. When it became apparent that she wouldn’t show for anyone else, I was asked if I would like to take her home… YES, PLEASE!!! Maddie achieved her Grand Championship a week before she was a year old. She is an integral part of my AmStaff pack and we always joke, “Don’t mess with the Tibbie, she has bad-ass bodyguards.” (Please note the advertisement for my AmStaff temperaments.) Since I pride myself in bringing the SHOWSIGHT reader quality content, I am pleased to introduce the interviews that follow with some of today’s top breeders in the Non-Sporting Group. Among the opinions shared are those of two different breeders of Tibetan Spaniels. One is Marybeth Acker, with whom I co-own, breed, and exhibit dogs, and another is Mallory Driskill who has been part of the Tibetan Spaniel world since 1974 and has bred many of the most influential dogs in the breed. I can see an “Ambrier” head on a dog and safely bet that it has Mallory’s dogs in its pedigree. As a lifetime dog person, I am always looking for people to mentor me in their breeds, for the sake of understanding. I do come from Poodles, so the Non-Sporting Group has always felt like home. I have had the privilege of being mentored by top Chow breeders and Boston breeders, and I am always looking for my next opportunity to learn. See you in the show ring!
BY MICHAEL NELINSON
“My connection to the Non-Sporting Group never waned completely. I am still a Poodle fancier at heart, cheering for Kaz, Lindsey, Paul, and Crystal, marveling at their work while paying homage to my own background.”
188 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2024
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