Pure Dog Talk
BY LAURA REEVES, MARY ALBEE & SUSI SZEREMY continued
being German Wirehaired Pointers, are assigned safe spots well away from where their antics can be heard—a ten by ten foot space in which a tow- el-covered grooming table serves as a desk, a tweed “rally blue” colored chair with metal armrests set before it. A microphone hooked up to a lap- top is tested to confirm that the com- puter recognizes its presence, and after ascertaining that things are working precisely as they should, a phone num- ber is dialed using the audio option of Skype. After a few minutes of private warm-up conversation, the recorded interview commences with words welcomed by devoted fans: “Wel- come to Pure Dog Talk. I’m your host, Laura Reeves.” Fourteen months and 143 podcasts after its inaugural episode on Novem- ber 21, 2016, Pure Dog Talk has taken the dog world by storm by filling a niche in a format never successfully done before using a convenient and appealing approach: Enable listeners to eavesdrop on a conversation between two serious dog people via download- able digital audio files that can be lis- tened to at one’s convenience. Podcast guests have ranged from heritage breeders, groomers, profes- sional handlers and trainers, to judges, veterinarians, AKC officials, and every manner of dog expert in between. Each interview shares unique infor- mation on an assortment of topics of particular interest to people who live, work, and play with purebred dogs. Common to all the podcasts is host, Laura Reeves, herself a second-genera- tion German Wirehaired Pointer breed- er, AKC Breeder of Merit and member of the Professional Handlers Associa- tion. Part of Reeves’ interviewing suc- cess is rooted in solid research, as well as a lifetime of personal experience in the dog fancy: With her mother, Reeves has bred over 50 titled and health tested dogs in conformation, agility, field tri- als and more. She also handled the first Best in Show winning dual champion German Wirehaired Pointer that hap- pened to be bred by her mother. Artful- ly navigating a conversation, however, comes to Reeves from having been a journalist, communications expert and public relations/marketing consultant. Unscripted dialogue that moves with a
natural flow infuses Pure Dog Talk with a, “You Are There” appeal. It’s the con- versation that all “students of purebred dogs” want to overhear. The “quieter” driving force behind Pure Dog Talk’s meteoric success is producer, Mary Albee, a Norwegian Elkhound breeder and a key participant in having helped establish a rescue and rehoming response network for her breed. Albee is a passionate advocate of raising breed numbers and saving the gene pool not only of her breed, but especially of endangered breeds. While Albee celebrates a long televi- sion and film career as a Stunt Coordi- nator and DGA Director, she brings a creative force and technical talent to Pure Dog Talk. Together, Reeves and Albee are a perfect blend of spontaneity and deliberation. It seems fitting that Reeves and Albee first met each other at a dog show where they were set up next to each other in a grooming area. As if ser- endipity was at play, they found them- selves next to each other once again at a dog show the following weekend. Casual conversation lead to deeper discussion about the state of the dog fancy, endangered breeds, mentors, breeders’ rights and education. A meet- ing of minds was discovered when each expressed a desire to give back to the sport, to encourage fellow fan- ciers to “recalibrate” from a focus on winning, ribbons, and rankings and to more fully understand the nature of purebred dogs and the meaning they bring to so many lives. The idea of reaching fellow dog enthusiasts through downloadable podcasts evolved from those early conversations, and today, Pure Dog Talk is a continuing series of podcasts heard on “Mentor Monday” and Thursdays by a growing legion of fans who use all podcast delivering sys- tems, including iTunes, Android, RSS feed and directly from PureDogTalk. com’s website. Although the topics are as varied as the guests, a common thread is often about the challenges fac- ing purebred dog owners and breeders in the 21st century. Through conversations with “mas- ters and legends” in the sport, newcom- ers to Pure Dog Talk get an overview of their passion for purebred dogs (and learn that they are not alone). Veter-
ans get a sense of direction for where the sport goes now, and how. At least as important as the interviews, how- ever, is that they are archived. To that end, Reeves and Albee serve as preser- vationists of the sport, “audio histori- ans,” if you will, of the spoken word as expressed by experts in various disci- plines. In Pure Dog Talk speak, “We talk to the legends of the sports and give you tips and tools to create an awesome life with your purebred dog. From dog shows to preservation breeding, from competitive obedience to field work, from agility to therapy dogs and all the fun in between.” These words make a recent announcement all the more exciting to anyone concerned about the future of purebred dogs: Pure Dog Talk has joined forces with A.J.Arapovic and the Aramedia Group, publishers of Show- Sight magazine, Top Notch Toys (TNT), The Doberman Digest, The Orient Express and Sight & Scent . With nearly 150,000 Show Sight readers of its own, the new alliance will expand Pure Dog Talk’s reach, and educate more listeners about purebred dogs and this can only be a positive direction for those of us who care about the preservation of our respective breeds. As breeders face the wrath of anti-breeder and adopt-don’t- shop zealots and dog owners are under assault by “humane’ groups intent first on the disappearance of purebred dogs and then the obliteration of dogs as household pets, we need all hands on deck to push back and restore balance to the national conversation about dog ownership. As Pure Dog Talk expands into live-streaming, video, education programs, and its new “Breeders’ Voice” section dives deep into breeding pro- grams and kennel lines, an alliance with Aramedia gives muscle to outreach. The new pairing should make all dog own- ers like their chances. Susi Szeremy has been a Puli fancier since 1978. She established Westmin- ster Kennel Club social media pres- ence in 2009, and is the founder of National Purebred Dog Day. She has written for the AKC, the AKC National Championship, multiple dog publica- tions, under her blog, DogKnobIt, and writes daily for National Purebred Dog Day.
244 • S how S ight M agazine , J anuary 2018
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