PetSmart recalls beef hooves for dogs over salmonella fears

By Lynne Terry, The Oregonian

November 05, 2009, 1:43PM

PetSmart is recalling beef hooves for dogs over fear they are contaminated with salmonella.

It said the potentially contaminated products — Dentley’s Bulk Cattle Hoof  and
Dentley’s 10 Pack Beef Hooves — were sold in some of its stores in the U.S. and on its Web site. The company, based in Phoenix, Ariz., notified Web customers via email of the recall.

The hooves were manufactured by Pet Carousel, Inc. in Sanger, Calif., and were sold between Oct. 2 and Nov. 3.

Salmonella, which can cause severe illness in people, might not prompt symptoms in dogs though they can develop diarrhea or other signs of an infection.

TIMOTHY THOMAS TO JOIN AKC EXECUTIVE FIELD STAFF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 21, 2009

Contact: AKC Communications

Phone: 212-696-8343

Email: communications@akc.org

TIMOTHY THOMAS TO JOIN AKC EXECUTIVE FIELD STAFF

New York, NY – The American Kennel Club^® (AKC^®) is pleased to announce that Timothy Thomas has been hired as an Executive Field Representative. Thomas will join the staff on January 4, 2010 and will cover shows in the Florida and southeastern portion of the United States.

“Tim’s broad background in and passion for the sport along with his working experience with all-breed and specialty clubs will be a valuable asset to the department,” said Darrell Hayes, Vice President of Dog Show Judges. “He brings a wealth of experience to the Field Representative position and we are pleased to welcome him to our team.”

Thomas’ dedication to the sport began 28 years ago when he began exhibiting his family’s Akitas and Norwegian Elkhounds in AKC Conformation and Junior Showmanship. For the past 19 years he has worked as an all-breed professional handler and bred Clumber Spaniels with his wife, Lisa. In addition, Thomas has been a Show Chairman and Cluster Chairman for the Steel Valley Cluster which features four days of dog shows, multiple Specialty events and one of the largest entries each year for an outdoor conformation event.

Thomas is a member of the Beaver County Kennel Club, Laurel Highlands Kennel Association and a current member of the AKC Registered Handlers Program (RHP) and the Professional Handler Association. Thomas’ participation in the AKC-RHP Junior Showmanship clinics has contributed to the success of the program and provided encouragement to junior handlers looking to continue their participation in the sport.

Thomas attended the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he earned a BS in Mathematics Education. Thomas currently resides with his wife and their two Jack Russell Terriers, “Kramer” and “Olive”, and their Clumber Spaniel “Giggles”. 

###

The American Kennel Club (AKC), proudly celebrates its 125th Anniversary in 2009. Since 1884 the not-for-profit organization has maintained the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, and today its rules govern more than 20,000 canine competitions each year. The AKC is dedicated to upholding the integrity of its registry, promoting the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function. Along with its nearly 5,000 licensed and member clubs and its affiliated organizations, the AKC advocates for the purebred dog as a family companion, advances canine health and well-being, works to protect the rights of all dog owners and promotes responsible dog ownership. Affiliate AKC organizations include the AKC Humane Fund, AKC Canine Health Foundation, AKC Companion Animal Recovery and the AKC Museum of the Dog. For more information, visit www.akc.org.

AKC, American Kennel Club, the American Kennel Club seal and design, and all associated marks and logos are trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks of The American Kennel Club, Inc.

AKC News

Delegates vote to delay 10-group plan

By RIC ROUTLEDGE
NEW YORK CITY – AKC delegates referred the rule changes necessary for the proposed realignment of the groups back to the AKC Board of Directors at its meeting Sept. 15.
The issue is scheduled to come back to the delegates for a vote in March 2010.
The board has proposed a plan to expand to 10 groups from the current seven and to assign some breeds to different groups.
The earliest the changes could go into effect is Jan. 1, 2012, according to an AKC spokesperson.
The last time AKC altered its group lineup was in 1983 when it divided the Working Group into the Working and Herding groups.
The 10 groups would include Sporting, Pointers and Setters; Sporting 2, Retrievers and Spaniels; Scent Hound; Sight Hound; Working; Terrier; Toy; Companion; Herding and Northern.
According to the proposed plan, Italian Greyhounds would compete in the Sight Hound Group; Dalmatians would be in the to-be-created Companion Group, and Schipperkes would compete in the to-be-created Northern Group along with Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies.
Apparently, several parent breed clubs have balked at the changes and encouraged the delay.
Reasons given for realignment were listed in the minutes of the Delegate’s Meeting published in the July 2009 edition of the Gazette include:
* To better group breeds that are similar in conformation or function.
* Improve judges’ education by building on these similarities.
* Improve spectator understanding of dog shows.
* Group size is growing with the addition of new breeds recognized. The realignment will help decrease the size of five of the groups.
* Increase participation by offering an additional 12 group placements.
AKC has estimated the cost of the project would be about $65,000 for printing and discarding obsolete publications, and an additional $150,000 in man-hours, overtime and contract labor.

Members of the AKC Group Realignment Committee include:
Karen Burgess
Dr. Thomas M. Davies, Chair
Robert Fisher
Marieann Gladstone
Tim James
Dr. Alvin W. Krause
Dr. William R. Newman
John P. Nielsen
Dr. Robert D. Smith
Robin L. Stansell
R. William Taylor

Show Reports

Monroe Kennel Club
Monroe County Fairgrounds
Monroe, Michigan
Sept. 26, 2009
BiS: Scottish Terrier, Ch. Roundtown Mercedes Of Maryscot
Owned by Amelia and Dan Musser
Handled by Gabriel Rangel
BiS Judge: Dr. Robert Indeglia
Group Judge: Virginia L. Smith
Breed Judge: Col. Joe Purkhiser

Monroe Kennel Club
Monroe County Fairgrounds
Monroe, Michigan
Sept. 27, 2009
BiS: Smooth Fox Terrier, Ch. Jcobe Kemosabe Vigilante Justice
Owned by Sandra & Howard Hoffen, and Phil & Amy Booth
BiS Judge: Guy Spagnolo
Group Judge: Paula Hartinger
Breed Judge: Dr. David Harris

Show Reports

Marion Kennel Club
Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds
Columbus, Ind.
Sept. 18, 2009
BiS: Chinese Shar-Pei, Ch. Chaoyang Take It To The Limit
Owned by Deborah & Robert Cooper & Linda Teitelbaum
Handled by Nina Fetter
BiS Judge: Evie Sullivan
Group Judge: Vicki Abbott
Breed Judge: Vicki Abbott

Kennel Club of Columbus, Indiana
Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds
Columbus, Ind.
Sept. 19, 2009
BiS: Smooth Collie, Ch. Sunnland’s Grand Entrance
Owned by Marie & Blair Mullin & Tina Diede
Handled by Diane Steele
BiS Judge: Dr. Richard Greathouse
Group Judge: Evie Sullivan
Breed Judge: Evie Sullivan

Kennel Club of Columbus, Indiana
Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds
Columbus, Ind.
Sept. 20, 2009
BiS: Whippet, Ch. Starline’s Channel
Owned by Lori & Carey Lawrence.
BiS Judge: Paula Nykiel
Group Judge: Mary Ann Alston
Breed Judge: Paula Nykiel
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Greater Lafayette Kennel Club
Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds
Lebanon, Ind.
Sept. 12, 2009
BiS: Gordon Setter
Ch. Firethorn & Sandpiper Easy On The Eyes
Owned by Pat & Don Coller & Mary McLoughlin  C. Kirby
Handled by Eileen Hackett.
BiS Judge: Keke Kahn
Group Judge: Dana Cline
Breed Judge: Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine

Greater Lafayette Kennel Club
Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds
Lebanon, Ind.
Sept. 13, 2009
BiS: English Springer Spaniel
Ch. Wil-Orion’s Twenty Twenty
Owned by L. Green, E. Jesse man & J. Johnson
Handled by Jody Paquette
BiS Judge: Dana Cline
Group Judge:Peggy Beisel-McIlwane
Breed Judge: Dana Cline

Show Reports Sept. 12, 2009

Greater Lafayette Kennel Club

Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds

Lebanon, Ind.

Sept. 12, 2009

BiS: Gordon Setter

Ch. Firethorn & Sandpiper Easy On The Eyes

Owned by Pat & Don Coller & Mary McLoughlin  C. Kirby

Handled by Eileen Hackett.

BiS Judge: Keke Kahn

Group Judge: Dana Cline

Breed Judge: Peggy Beisel-McIlwaine

Greater Lafayette Kennel Club

Boone County 4-H Fairgrounds

Lebanon, Ind.

Sept. 13, 2009

BiS: English Springer Spaniel

Ch. Wil-Orion’s Twenty Twenty

Owned by L. Green, E. Jesse man & J. Johnson

Handled by Jody Paquette

BiS Judge: Dana Cline

Group Judge:Peggy Beisel-McIlwane

Breed Judge: Dana Cline

China

Elizabeth (Liz) Dunn

Elizabeth Dunn

Muncie – Elizabeth (Liz) Dunn, 82, passed away Friday morning,August 28, 2009, in the Renaissance Rehabilitation Center of Muncie following a long illness. She was born, March 25, 1927, in Ida Grove, Iowa,

to William and Ada (Cameron) Suiter, she attended school there, attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and graduated from the University Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1949.

Mrs. Dunn met her husband, Earl, in Dennison, Iowa, where he was Director of Bands at the high school and she was Director of Choral Activities. They were married July 31, 1950, in Ida Grove, Iowa.

When her husband was working with the Russell-Goodwin Music Store, Waterloo, Iowa, she taught vocal music and high school English. They moved to Muncie, Indiana in 1957, and she taught at Franklin Junior High School. During Mr. Dunn’s tenure at the University ofAlabama, she taught in the public schools in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Returning to Muncie in 1972, she became chairman of the English Department at Yorktown High School and coached the high school girls’ golf team. The team tied for the state championship in 1975 and won in 1976. She received the Award of Merit from the Indiana Coaches for Girls Sports Organization for winning the state championship.

The Dunns became actively involved in the sport of pure breed dogs and in 1965, and have shown Bullmastiffs throughout the United States, Bermuda and Canada. They are the only owner/handlers to have received

the American Kennel Club’s All Breed Best in Show Award on four different dogs, including the first in the history of the breed in the United States. They hold memberships in the Tuscaloosa,Alabama Kennel Club; the Muncie, Indiana, Kennel Club; the American Bullmastiff Association, and the Midwest Bullmastiff Fanciers.

They also served on the Board of Trustees for the Morris Animal Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing a healthier tomorrow for all animals. She was also a member of the Ball State Chapter of the music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota. Mrs. Dunn served as editor of the American Bullmastiff Association Bulletin for many years. She was a long time secretary for the Midwest Fanciers and was secretary of and show chairman for the Muncie Kennel Club for many years.

After both retiring in 1985, they spent 17 winters in Florida, pursuing their love of golf and actively campaigning their favorite breed of dog, the Bullmastiff, throughout the United States.

Survivors include her husband of 59 years, Earl; one sister, Janet Rost (husband-Robert), Indianapolis; two nieces, Lisa McGuire (husband-Cameron), Indianapolis; and Glenna Squires (husband-Mike), Ashland, Oregon; great nieces, Margaret Meier, Florida; and Audrey McGuire, Indianapolis; great nephew, Sammy Squires, Oregon; and very special friends, Andrea Price and Tim Lautzenheiser.

Services will be held in The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel at 4:00 p.m. On Monday, August 31, 2009. Private entombment will be held in Gardens of Memory, north of Muncie. Friends may call at The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday or one hour prior to services on Monday, Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.meeksmortuary.com.

Muncie – Elizabeth (Liz) Dunn, 82, passed away Friday morning,August 28, 2009, in the Renaissance Rehabilitation Center of Muncie following a long illness. She was born, March 25, 1927, in Ida Grove, Iowa,

to William and Ada (Cameron) Suiter, she attended school there, attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and graduated from the University Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa, in 1949.

Mrs. Dunn met her husband, Earl, in Dennison, Iowa, where he was Director of Bands at the high school and she was Director of ChoralActivities. They were married July 31, 1950, in Ida Grove, Iowa. When her husband was working with the Russell-Goodwin Music Store, Waterloo, Iowa, she taught vocal music and high school English. They moved to Muncie, Indiana in 1957, and she taught at Franklin Junior High School. During Mr. Dunn’s tenure at the University ofAlabama, she taught in the public schools in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Returning toMuncie in 1972, she became chairman of the English Department at Yorktown High School

and coached the high school girls’ golf team. The team tied for the state championship in 1975 and won in

1976. She received the Award of Merit from the Indiana Coaches for Girls Sports Organization for winning

the state championship.

The Dunns became actively involved in the sport of pure breed dogs and in 1965, and have shown Bullmastiffs

throughout the United States, Bermuda and Canada. They are the only owner/handlers to have received

the American Kennel Club’s All Breed Best in Show Award on four different dogs, including the first in the history of the breed in the United States. They hold memberships in the Tuscaloosa,Alabama Kennel Club; the Muncie, Indiana, Kennel Club; the American Bullmastiff Association, and the Midwest Bullmastiff Fanciers.

They also served on the Board of Trustees for the Morris Animal Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing a healthier tomorrow for all animals. She was also a member of the Ball State Chapter of the music sorority, Sigma Alpha Iota. Mrs. Dunn served as editor of the American Bullmastiff Association Bulletin for many years. She was a long time secretary for theMidwest Fanciers and was secretary of and show chairman for the Muncie Kennel Club for many years.

After both retiring in 1985, they spent 17 winters in Florida, pursuing their love of golf and actively campaigning their favorite breed of dog, the Bullmastiff, throughout the United States.

Survivors include her husband of 59 years, Earl; one sister, Janet Rost (husband-Robert), Indianapolis; two nieces, Lisa McGuire (husband-Cameron), Indianapolis; and Glenna Squires (husband-Mike), Ashland, Oregon; great nieces, MargaretMeier, Florida; andAudreyMcGuire, Indianapolis; great nephew, Sammy Squires, Oregon; and very special friends, Andrea Price and Tim Lautzenheiser.

Services will be held in The Meeks Mortuary and Crematory, Washington Street Chapel at 4:00 p.m. On Monday, August 31, 2009. Private entombment will be held in Gardens of Memory, north of Muncie. Friends

may call at TheMeeksMortuary and Crematory,Washington Street Chapel from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. on Sunday

or one hour prior to services on Monday,Online condolences may be directed to the family at www.meeksmortuary.com.

Vegas

This Post Could Save a Dog’s Life… GDV Bloat

Happy Birthday Olive

CH. Klondike’s Frederico LLario

Buddy Stevens: 40 years of breeding Minpins

Buddy Stevens

By RIC ROUTLEDGE

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After nearly 40 years of breeding Miniature Pinschers, Buddy Stevens has developed some strong opinions. Stevens, a native of nearby Lexington, always had dogs as a kid, mostly Chihuahuas. He purchased his firstMin Pin in 1972 from Harmon Montgomery in Evansville. “I think he was the most knowledgeable Min Pin in the world,” Stevens recalls.

That was also Stevens’ introduction into the show dog world. Since then a hundred champions, perhaps 200 by now, followed. “Not necessarily all of them were ours,” Stevens said. “We showed dogs for other people.” Stevens, born Irvine, and his wife Linda have campaigned many of their Redwing Min Pins to groups and bests in show.

GENETICS

Stevens credits the bitches in the kennel as the key to breeding success. “The quality of your puppies is I think 70 percent attributable to the bitch,” he said. “I’ve always felt that way.Agood bitch will produce good puppies. Sometimes a mediocre bitch bred to a strong stud will produce good puppies.”

Too much emphasis is put on big-winning male dogs, according to Stevens. “They produce a lot of champions simply because a lot of good bitches are brought to them. The most important factor in our breeding program is your good bitches and only your good show bitches should be bred, in my opinion.”

Top show dogs do not necessarily mean your group winners and best in show winners, Stevens is quick to add. “I’ve finished dogs in three or four days and didn’t special them but I still consider them top show dogs.”

Breeding dogs, specifically genetics, is not an exact science, according to Stevens. “It can drive you to drink. You do the very best you can on paper and then keep your fingers crossed when you mate two dogs.”

Tunnel vision is one of the biggest problems in breeding. “Seeing nothing but what you are showing.” “If you can’t pick apart your own dog, you’ve got no business picking apart other dogs,” Stevens confessed. “You’ve got to have a picture in your mind of what you want and that is what you’ve got to strive for,” he said. “Honestly,” Stevens admits, “it’s a lot simpler to buy a good dog that it is to breed one.”

TEMPERAMENT

Breeders do not pay enough attention to temperament. “It’s the single most important factor in any breed of dog,” Stevens said. “I’d rather give up a little bit here or a little bit there on conformation and have a dog with a good, strong temperament.”

Min Pins are one of the most intelligent of all breeds and definitely the most intelligent of the toy breeds, Stevens said. “They make super obedience dogs if you have the perseverance to train one.” But Min Pins have a mind of their own, “and they are not the easiest dog to show. It’s not a breed you can hand off,” he said. “To present a Min Pin in the ring well, the handler has to establish mutual respect between him and the dog,” Stevens said. “If a Min Pin doesn’t want to please, he’s not going to. It has to be a team effort.

This is true with most dogs. If you’ve seen Jimmy Moses show a German Shepherd you know what teamwork is. He and the dog become one.”

“This has been true for a lot of other dogs,” Stevens said. “They know what the handler is going to do, and the handler knows what the dog is going to do.”

EARS

Stevens feels it’s only a matter of time before cropped ears are on the outs. But it doesn’t seem to be an issue that concerns him much. “It wouldn’t bother me one iota to see them take it out,” he said. “Five years after they outlaw it, no one would remember what one with cropped ears looked like anyway.

You see a lot of dogs in England andAustralia with upright ears and they look like Min Pins. “I don’t think it would be a hard problem to correct,” he added. He feels that within two or three generations breeders would be able to produce dogs with a small, erect ear.

“You can correct heads over night. You can correct rear-ends over night. The hardest problem is to correct weak top lines and this sort of thing.”

“Breeders would probably need a couple of generations to get the ear down and upright, and then you start correcting everything else,” he said. “It’s just a matter of being very selective in your breeding program.”

“Outlawing cropped ears is going to happen,” he said. “Maybe not in my lifetime, but it’s going to happen. We’re seeing more and more dogs being shown with un-cropped ears.”

JUDGING

Stevens questions much of the judging he sees in the ring. “It irritates me to get beat by a good dog. But it irritates me even more to win with a bad one,” he said. “For the most part, all of the major people that show dogs as handlers and breeders know what you’ve got coming when you walk into the ring entrance.”

“For the most part you like to get close. You’re not going to get irritated if you get close to what you have coming with the animal you have. It’s when you get so much more with an inferior animal – and maybe we shouldn’t be showing them, but it’s a way of life that sometimes we are going to be in there with dogs that aren’t as good as the others.”

The judging system is open to a lot of improvement, he said. “There are too many dog shows. You have to have somebody judge them.” Stevens has no desire to judge even though he has officiated basketball, baseball and football on nearly all levels of competition, even bridge tournaments.

“I have no desire to judge,” he said. “It’s just not my cup of tea. I’ve never even considered it.”

Stacey

Fergie