Showsight December 2018

Showsight Interviews: Connie Gerstner Miller

BY ALLAN REZNIK continued

“HANDLERS TODAY SHOULD ALSO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MOVEMENT AND GAIT IN THE RING. A GOLDEN SHOULD BE SHOWN ON A LOOSE LEAD AT A MODERATE SPEED. WE RARELY SEE PROPER PRESENTATION OF THIS BREED IN THE RING TODAY.”

ring today. We see an overabundance of coat. We see shorter leg, heavier bone and larger overall size. We also see excessive grooming and trimming of that heavier coat. And lastly, we see improper side gait, with the toplines rolling and excessive kick in the rear. The Golden Retriever is a moder- ate dog—in all areas. There should be nothing notably excessive about a Golden Retriever. Handlers today should also pay more attention to movement and gait in the ring. A Golden should be shown on a loose lead at a moderate speed. We rare- ly see proper presentation of this breed in the ring today. 8. For many years you were mar- ried to Fred Miller, the President of the United Kennel Club. Were there aspects of the UKC that you admired and thought the AKC could benefit from? This is a great question. Fred was truly a visionary, with ideas that were unlimited in scope and possibility. He always thought in broad strokes and encouraged others to be as innovative and creative as they could be. Fred ini- tially hired me to create a dog show or conformation program within the UKC. At the time, there was no such event available for an owner-handler to par- ticipate in with their own dogs. Fred encouraged a friendly and welcoming atmosphere at all UKC events, and he specifically wanted the same for confor- mation events. I was to come up with a program that would put his vision into practice. I believe that this is why the UKC events work so well—each

dog-and-owner team will have a great time participating in the broad variety of UKC events. Everyone should have fun! This is just what Fred envisioned. 9. The sport has changed greatly since you began as a breeder, exhib- itor and professional handler. What are your thoughts on the state of the fancy and the declining number of breeders? How do we encourage newcomers to join us and remain in the sport? I see this a little differently. A declin- ing number of breeders is not a prob- lem in the Golden Retriever breed. The number of breeders has been increas- ing, but the decline is in the number of breeders breeding quality Golden Retrievers. There seem to be fewer people coming into our breed who want to remain in the sport, choose a mentor and truly learn. I see many who come in with the idea that they already know all they need to know and do not feel the need to study, intern, or even ask questions of the long-time success- ful breeders. On the other hand, we, as mentors, need to open ourselves up to those expressing an interest in learning and understanding our breed, answer- ing questions and providing guidance. As mentors, we need to share our breed history so that the next generation of breeders can become the proud new caretakers of our breed. 10. Where do you see your breed- ing program in the next decade or two? As I have just turned 75, I hope to be followed by those I have mentored,

and I am confident that they will make me proud. I would like to thank a few people who have helped me through years. My daughter, Geri Hart, has been a true partner in Malagold since the early to mid 1980s, and still contributes today. When I owned the boarding/grooming/ training kennel, my kennel manager, Mary Hopkins, made it possible for me to travel as a professional handler and helped keep my breeding program thriving. In recent years, I am lucky to have Laurie Olsson as website coordi- nator, Klaranne Spearbraker as kennel manager, and Melissa Davis as breeding partner, travel companion and veteri- narian for our dogs. 11. Finally, tell us a little about Connie outside of dogs... your pro- fession, your hobbies. Even though I have traveled so much as a professional handler and as an AKC dog show judge, I still enjoy a relaxing holiday trip. The highlights have been two trips to Africa, as I am mesmerized by the animal life and the beauty of the location. My dogs have been both my hobby and my profession, so I don’t really have any other hobbies! I am grate- ful for every opportunity that I have been given because of my dogs, and for all the people they have brought into my life. It has truly been a blessing.

114 • S how S ight M agazine , D ecember 2018

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