Rattail Days International: Making a Point...
BY DAN SAYERS continued
Dan Sayers presents his “Evolution of a Breed Standard, 1859-2009.” Photo by Dana Louttit Loonsk.
The Breeder Round-Table participants were Colleen McDaniel, Judith Carruthers, Laurel Baglia and Mindy Garbarino. Photo by Cat Shelby.
Best in Rally Match was “Simone,” handled by Hannah Loonsk. Photo by Dana Louttit Loonsk.
Dana Louttit Loonsk with Best Non-Champion in Match “Harper.” Photo by Dan Sayers.
both veterans and relative newcomers an opportunity to reconsider the basic intention of the standard. “We always have to remember that first came the standard,” he emphasizes. So, with the breed’s global gene pool increasingly influenced by international crosses, it seemed a good time to focus on the sub- tle differences between the AKC, Ken- nel Club and FCI standards. Or as Greg puts it, “It’s time to get back to basics.” The inaugural Rattail Days Inter- national that Greg put together this year offered guests a packed schedule of events. On Friday morning, visitors enjoyed a continental breakfast under ominous skies followed by several ses- sions that focused on the various ken- nel organization’s standards for the Irish Water Spaniel. The first presenta- tion of the day was given by this writer to a crowd of more than 40 breeders, owners and exhibitors. “Evolution of a Breed Standard, 1859-2009” high- lighted the subtle—and not so subtle —changes made to the standard since Justin McCarthy, the “father” of the breed, wrote the first detailed descrip- tion in 1859. This was followed by a pre- sentation of the current AKC standard by longtime mentors Colleen McDaniel and Betty Dalke Wathne, and another by Judith Carruthers and Suzanne Narf- strom on the KC and FCI standards. The morning sessions concluded with a Breeder Round-Table moderated by Hel- en Howard wherein Colleen, Judith and fellow breeders Laurel Baglia and Min- dy Garbarino responded to a series of questions generated from the AKC stan- dard. A complimentary BBQ lunch was served followed by a popular presenta- tion on Cannabis Use in Canine Health by IWS fancier Mark Barker D.V.M. On Friday afternoon the skies cleared just in time to allow the dogs to compete in the bright sunshine for
the International Judges Choice compe- tition. Florence Blecher (USA), Judith Carruthers (UK) and Connie Hurup Philipsen (Denmark) made up the pan- el of judges who assessed the merits of 10 dogs and 11 bitches using a Scale of Points scorecard modeled on that of an early AKC breed standard. The judges’ combined scores determined the over- all winner of the first Rattail Days Inter- national to be GCH Flintcrest Full Mon- ty, bred by Colleen McDaniel and Stacy Duncan. “Jonny” is co-owned by Cat Shelby and Michelle Cummings along with Stacy who handled the two-year- old to the honor. The trio of co-owners took home a beautiful green and orange rosette along with a beautifully crafted glass bowl created by Cat. Commemo- rative miniatures on wood—the exqui- site creations of sculptor Dorothy Read —were also offered as trophies and as gifts for the speakers. After the “inter- national” judging, everyone was treated to a complementary wine and cheese followed by a clam bake and an auction of various breed-related memorabilia. Day Two of Rattail Days Internation- al began with a Meet and Greet over coffee and danish. The light breakfast was followed by a program presented by Heidi Ferris titled, “Getting Your Dog Ready for the Field.” Many of the attendees gave their dogs an opportu- nity to work on birds and several of the younger dogs demonstrated the breed’s affinity for fowl and predilec- tion for picking-up. At least one nov- ice bitch showed the rest of the entry how it’s done when she retrieved her first bird “to hand” without benefit of a single lesson. Next up was Rally Obedience where judge Stephanie Shafer witnessed several beautiful performances—and a few that required the judge’s keen sense of humor. Best in Rally Match, with a score of 97.5 was
Poole’s Ide Say No More CGC, handled by second-generation IWS fancier Han- nah Loonsk. “Simone” was bred by Greg with Toni Owens and Bethany Urban and is owned jointly by Hannah, Greg and Bethany. (Incidentally, Hannah is a vet student at Penn who’s on-campus relationship with Simone is doing much to promote both the breed’s charms and the value of the dog sport to the next generation of practicing veterinar- ians.) A delicious lunch was prepared by Chef Karen Hubrich, owner of both Gruel Britannia in Westport, Connecti- cut, and Irish Water Spaniels, which was followed by an adult Showmanship Class run by Stacy Duncan. Best Adult Handler on the day was Kim Kezer with “Reef,” GCH Chantico’s Shelter from the Storm RN NF AX OAJ CD CL1. Betty Dal- ke-Wathne was the judge for the regular match and she found her Best Puppy in Poole’s Ide That Touch of Mink. “Darla” was bred by Emily Pikul and Florence Blecher and handled by Emily. Best Adult in Match was GCH Poole’s Ide Lila Beaufield RN, bred by Greg with Sam Jenio and owned by Greg and Sam with Bridget Kvarnlov. “Lila” was awarded Best in Match and handled to the win by Mark Barker. The weekend concluded with a par- ty given by Bethany and Tom Urban at their home in South Kingston, RI, where daughter Maddie helped to make every guest feel right at home. The Urbans also helped Greg in the weeks and months leading up to the big event. “I’m not the most organized person,” admits Greg who relied heavily on Sam and the Urban’s to keep the planning on-track. “Every other weekend for the past year, I’d have Bethany over on a Sunday after- noon for a cup of coffee and she had a spiral notebook,” he shares of the many behind-the-scenes meetings that were necessary for Rattail Days International
156 • S how S ight M agazine , N ovember 2018
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