Pure Dog Talk The Purebred Podcast BY LAURA REEVES
Solving World Peace BY MARY ALBEE
S erendipity. It’s a cool word to say. It avoids the eye- brow calisthenics of observing I “got lucky.” It’s also the only explanation for how a professional handler who rarely travels to Southern California dog shows turned up two weekends in a row, set up next to the same complete stranger. And how these two people started an innocent seeming conversation that has taken over our lives. When Mary asked me to help her create a podcast, in mid-2016, I looked at her like she had three heads. At the time, I was actively investigating ways to create new educa- tional opportunities for the sport. I was in the early stages of organizing the Friday Night Forum series—an oppor- tunity for judges and exhibitors to interact directly in a moderated format. My first question was, “What’s a podcast?” Finally, after several months of encouragement, Mary flew to Southern Oregon, sat me down at my kitchen table, put a microphone in front of me and said, “Go.” YEOW! And here we are. PureDogTalk has become a pretty incredible confluence of all of my life’s adventures. My 13-year-old declarations not- withstanding, I didn’t really plan on being a professional dog handler. Don Rodgers, my earliest mentor, was insistent—I was going to college and “make something of myself!” I was a competitive debater and award-winning public speaker in high school. My college internship was giving presentations to school kids on animal safety and animal care for the local Animal Shelter. I worked as a newspaper reporter. A market- ing rep. I scripted audio driving tours for one of the top sound design companies in the country. Eventually, much to Don’s chagrin, I showed hundreds of dogs all around the country. When dog handlers retire, the normal path is judging or working for AKC. It’s not shocking to those who know me that “normal” wasn’t my goal. PureDogTalk is my small con- tribution to share a tremendous body of knowledge for pure- bred dog enthusiasts of today…and tomorrow.
Laura Reeves often lightens things up with the reminder “That it’s just a dog show...we are not solving world peace”. But in our passionate determi- nation to find solutions to our breeds’ endangered future, we can sometimes feel that world peace sized answers are what we need. Perhaps fate, but somehow our grooming tents ended up side-by-sideat severaldogshows
and the conversation began. Endangered breeds, mentors, breeders’ rights, education—Laura and I bantered all the top- ics. Absent from the conversationwas negativity and complain- ing, woe is me, dogs are dead...only solutions were discussed. How do we do this, what would happen if, who do we know who could? The result? Pure Dog Talk was born. A “talking” platform to start the conversation. A platform to “listen” to powerful ideas of individuals in the dog fancy. A place for those ideas to be “heard”. As producer, big ideas from an untethered imagination and the strategic means to accomplish them are in my blood. For 35 years as a stunt coordinator and DGA Director (2nd Unit), we dreamt up crazy ideas and then figured out how to perform and film them. Success stemmed from the cre- ative strength of the production team, bringing forth their individual talents and the cohesive attitude of “Let’s Make It Happen”. A year later and Pure Dog Talk is not just a podcast any- more. In 2018, we expand more fully into multimedia— Livestream, video, education programs (virtual and live). The new Breeders’ Voice section dives deep into breeding prac- tices and kennel lines. Our website is getting a new look and feel and will be a definite resource for all. We love our breeders. We respect our mentors. We may have to look and listen beyond ourselves to solve our breeds’ “world peace”. Each week, thousands of people eagerly anticipate a now familiar series of words, but the process of getting to those words first begins with insuring complete silence. The resident Chihuahua, notorious for floor-licking at the most inopportune moments, is put inside a crate. Seven German Wirehaired Pointers, equally notorious for, well, Podcast is the Talk of the Dog Fancy BY SUSI SZEREMY
Laura Reeves judging
Jerry O’Connell and Laura Reeves
242 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2018
Powered by FlippingBook