Showsight Spring Edition, February/March 2021

TOY GROUP THE

1. Where do you live? How many years in dogs? How many as a judge? 2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? 3. Can you talk about your introduction to the Toy breeds? 4. Have you bred or shown any influential Toys? Any other breeds? 5. What are some breed-specific details that are a “must” in the Toy breeds? 6. How important is the breed-specific presentation/handling of Toys? 7. Can you speak to “breed character” among the Toy breeds? 8. Why are Toys a pleasure to judge? How are they a challenge? 9. Which Toy dogs from the past have had the greatest influence on the sport? 10. How has your knowledge of Toys influenced your understand- ing of dogs in general? 11. What can non-Toy fanciers learn from exhibitors of the Toy breeds? 12. Is there a funny story you’ d like to share about your experi- ences judging Toys? RANDY GARREN I live with my husband,

there and go forward with breed characteristics that I feel are essen- tial to each individual breed. How important is the breed-specific presentation/handling of Toys? Of course, good conditioning and proper presentation go a LONG way. That goes without saying. Can I speak to “breed character” among the Toy breeds? I do not know what you are referring to as breed character. If you mean the proper temperament for each breed, there again, it goes without saying that it is of utmost importance. Why are Toys a pleasure to judge and how are they a challenge? I currently judge four-plus Groups, and I enjoy all of them immense- ly. However, so often the Toy Group is the strongest Group in the show! This makes it even more challenging and enjoyable. Which Toy dogs from the past have had the greatest influence on the sport? From my perspective as a Poodle person, Ch. Wilber White Swan is a definite candidate. He was a Toy Poodle Westmin- ster BIS winner in 1956. This was, obviously, before [my time], but he was a huge ambassador for the breed and for Toys as a whole. Ch. Jay Mac’s Impossible Dream, a Min Pin bitch, had a huge following from coast to coast. I still have vivid memories of her from the early seventies! Another Toy that I would like to mention is David Fitz- patrick’s Pekingese, Ch. Palacegarden Malachi. He will go down as a truly great one in the history books. Personally, in twenty years of judging, he is my favorite Toy and he absolutely stole my heart! How has my knowledge of Toys influenced my understanding of dogs in general? Of course, Toy dogs have influenced my judging as to the comparative analysis of other similar breeds in other Groups. What can non-Toy fanciers learn from exhibitors of the Toy breeds? Judges and exhibitors not familiar with Toy breeds can learn to be more “detailed” in their evaluation of breeds in the other Groups; just my opinion. Is there a funny story I’d like to share about my experiences judging Toys? Sorry, no. Anything that comes to mind would only sound kind of lame if I shared it! MARGE B. CALLTHARP I live in a small, historic

Dennis McCoy, in Raleigh, North Carolina. I pur- chased my first Toy Poo- dle in 1966 with my lawn mowing money. I retired from handling in 2000 and began judging. Do I have any hob- bies or interests apart from purebred dogs? I enjoyed collecting dog statues for many years and I play in the stock market.

Connecticut River town, East Haddam, in the south- central part of the state. Although I have owned a number of different breeds, my main breed for over 40 years (yikes!) is the Chinese Shar-Pei. In 2000, I received approval by AKC to judge the Shar-Pei; and the rest is history, as they say. Do I have other hobbies or interests apart from pure-

Can I talk about my introduction to the Toy breeds? My true love has always been Poodles. However, my first win was with my Maltese. I also gave a stab at breeding them. Have I bred or shown any influential Toys or any other breeds? Our breeding is behind several of the successful Toy Poodles over the years. As handlers, we finished hundreds of assorted Toys and specialed numerous Group and Best in Show winners. This includes a Toy Poodle Quaker Oats winner and Westminster Toy Group winner. We showed the top-winning Dalmatian in breed history with 66 all-breed BIS, the top-winning Non-Sporting dog of all time, a Standard Poodle, with 169 all-breed BIS, and an all- breed BIS Puli. One of our most successful dogs, Ch. Whisperwind On A Carousel, was BIS at Westminster Kennel Club. We bred the top-winning black Poodle, all varieties, in breed history with 103 all-breed BIS—also a Westminster Group winner. We have also had homebred Dachshund and Norfolk Terrier champions. What are some breed-specific details that are a “must” in the Toy breeds? Toy breeds MUST be of proper size and boning. I start

bred dogs? There are a number of other interests that I am passion- ate about. I collect antiques, and am especially interested in pottery, dishware, and fabrics. I garden and grow succulents and orchids. Plus, I love to read and am a news junkie. Can I talk about my introduction to Toy breeds? I grew up with Min Pins that my grandmother and an aunt owned. They both

174 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SPRING EDITION

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