ShowSight - August 2018

ShowSight Interviews: Joan Luna Liebes, Azteca Samoyeds BY ALLAN REZNIK continued

Where do you see your breeding program in the next decade or two? As breeder-judges, we strive to breed to the Samoyed standard and are fastidi- ous about health clearances. Size, pro- portions, silhouette and movement, all part of breed type, are important. We choose to breed with others who share our passion and philosophies on cor- rect breed type and health clearances. This path has worked for us and we hope to continue in this direction, for both our dogs and ponies. Finally, tell us a little about Joan outside of dogs... your profession, your hobbies. Eric worked for Chevron for 30 years as a geophysicist, 25 of those years in Houston. I was a Lead Financial Ana- lyst for Fortune 500 companies. Today I enjoy pleasure and trail riding, as well as brushing ponies. I am pretty good with knitting machines, I hand knit a lot while traveling (always have three proj- ects going) and belong to several char- ity knitting guilds. I am also a very good hand spinner. I have a Lendrum wheel, double pedal and love it. I spin very fast and fiber thin enough to feed through my standard knitting machines. Our social world revolves around family (bi-coastal), dogs, ponies, showing and judging. ABOUT THE AUTHOR For more than four decades, Allan Reznik has been immersed in the world of purebred dogs: as a breeder, exhibitor, award-winning journalist, editor, broadcaster and occasional judge. He has been the Editor-in-Chief of multiple show dog publications, all of which have won national maga- zine awards from the Dog Writers Association of America while under his stewardship. In 2011, he won the prestigious Arthur F. Jones Award for Best Editorial Column of the Year, given by the Alliance of Purebred Dog Writers. Allan appears regularly on national TV and radio discussing all aspects of responsible dog ownership and is quoted widely in newspapers and magazines. He has successfully bred and exhibited Afghan Hounds, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and Tibetan Spaniels and has served on the Board of Directors of the Afghan Hound Club of America and the Tibetan Spaniel Club of America. He is a proud member of the Morris & Essex Kennel Club, the Western Hound Association of Southern California, the Gateway Hound Club of St. Louis (charter member) and his two local all-breed kennel clubs.

the SCA Judges Education Committee. The number one question I am asked as a breeder-judge (approved 01/11/95) is what to do when judging Sammies with biscuit coloring in their coat. The answer is that white, cream and biscuit, or any combination of these colors, are all acceptable. Just continue to judge! Last month I wrote an article entitled Spots, Dots and Patches in Samoyeds published by Judges Operation which can be found on the AKC Conformation Judges website. Please feel free to con- tact me with any questions. The sport has changed greatly since you began as a breeder-exhib- itor. 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? Instant gratification seems to be the norm for our fancy. Newer handlers typ- ically do not apprentice and are woeful- ly ignorant on the care of dogs in their charge when it comes to both health and weather challenges. Sadly, the dogs in their care are the ones at risk. Sum- mer heat can be deadly. Another observation is that newer exhibitors are instant experts. They become active breeders without basic genetic knowledge. Many are not famil- iar with simple Mendelian genetics and often double up on deleterious issues. A significant percentage of the current show-giving community is an aging population, myself included. Both of these newer factions, handlers and exhibitors, rarely are involved in giving back to our dying, shrinking sport by helping to put on a show nor are they interested in mentoring opportunities. Reasons given: it would interfere with their showing, their clients want their dogs shown at that show, they are chas- ing points and why bother with men- toring, “my dogs are winning.” I find it hard to understand why many do not volunteer. There are many tasks where help is needed: parking, catalog sales, pet wash stations, just to name a few. We are charter members of Woofstock and here in Colorado work for the Ever- green and Colorado Springs clusters. I am show chairman for two Samoyed specialties held at Woofstock. The new programs that AKC has cre- ated are increasing entries. But I am sad- dened that old-school mentoring and kennel visits are no longer the norm for newbies.

it was the right thing to do. Between the litter sisters, they won two BIS, 13 Groups (including Woofstock), eight SBIS, three SCA AOMs and Best in Show at the Samoyed Club of America National Specialty. Just a few weeks ago, one of our young boys, GCHB Azteca’s Red October, “Sean,” won SBIS at the North- ern California Samoyed Fanciers Spe- cialty at Woofstock, handled by Mike Stone and owned by Alisa Syar. Please comment positively on your breed's present condition and what trends might bear watching. Many breeders seem to be ignoring the size called for in our standard. This is dangerous, as more judges are accept- ing these large dogs and bitches. Size is important. Sammies need to be able to run under the reindeer to herd and turn them. Food is at a premium in the Arc- tic. The bigger you are, the more you eat. In seminars, I like to say that my husband Eric, at six feet, would end up in the soup pot and I would survive at 5' 3''. Judges need to remember that very often the smallest Sammy in their entry is the one that is “in standard.” I am an active member of the SCA Illustrated Standard Committee and Chairman of

88 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2018

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