CCO Newsletter Summer 2007

Summer 2007 Newsletter

Bel Alton, Md.
Show Report July-2, 2007

by CCO Show Columnist
Bryna Comsky

On this occasion, our second year of collaborating to build a major, we saw new faces, welcomed �old� ones, took note of the missing Canadians from last year�s crowd, and hoped for a Canadian comeback next year. There was an entry of ten Canaans on Sunday, giving Rock Creek Kennel Club a respectable number for a supported entry. Three entries carried over to represent the breed on Monday, but the people in the real world had to return to work. The US parent club, CDCA, officially supports the Canaan entry until the regional club has enough members to hold their own point specialties.

Not quite matching the distance from Canada, four exhibitors, including the versatile photographer, caravanned from New England, and, together with the locals from Virginia and Maryland, made up the majority of competitors and spectators associated with our breed. Despite unbelievably sticky traffic jams due to the long Fourth of July weekend, Charles County Fairgrounds proved to be a great show site with unexpected amenities. Imagine a crab fest, of course, it�s Maryland (!) a live and, volley ball, two educational seminars, one on Italian Greyhounds; the other on canine sports medicine (!) and two air-conditioned buildings for judging both performance events and toy, terrier and non-sporting breeds. Attractive vendors� booths circled the outdoor rings, and the food was surprisingly good. A large, shady area, furnished with wooden tables and benches, offered us a comfortable place to eat and relax. Last year it doubled as a breed seminar site for foxhounds and harriers! �Majors� were plentiful, and the weekend competition this year produced two new champions and a Rally Novice A titlist for Canaans. The Canaan Dog entry looked good, and drew favorable attention.

With his breeder, Renee Kent, handling, �Riley� earned his championship title and outperformed the two bitch specials, gaiting away with their points and finishing with his third major. Way to go, �Riley,� now CH Renegade�s Don�t Tread on Me! Co-owners Renee and Evan Kent are also his breeders, and he, CH Riley, shares his home in Virginia with owners Dominic Frinzi and Amy Schumaier. His new title will make him even more popular among the doggy population in his friendly Virginia neighborhood. Good boy, CH Riley!

�Ida,� the Winners Bitch, also finished her championship, handled by co-breeder and co-owner, Amanda Pough. She is now CH Bandersnatch Rsndog Ida Know RivRoc! Good girl, CH Ida! Judy Rosenthal and Chris Miller are her �present-in-spirit� co-breeders and owners. Congratulations to CH Ida and her family! Driving home with a new champion travelling companion makes the 13-hour drive to Vermont seem like a trip on �Cloud 9.�

In the US and Canada the requirements to win a bench championship title are similar. In Canada a championship title comes after 10 points, with at least 2 points having to be earned at one show.A maximum of 5 points can be earned at any one show. This can be the sum total from breed and group competition. The AKC requires a total of 15 points that are won by defeating other class dog or specials in the same breed. When a breed entry is lacking in number, championship points may also be earned by winning the Herding Group in the US, or placing in the Working Group in Canada. That is the �hard� way! In the US two majors of three to five points each, won under two different judges are necessary. The dog must be evaluated by at least three different judges on at least three occasions. Majors are won by defeating a pre-determined number of dogs in the same breed. In Canaans, four dogs of the same sex must compete for a three-point major. If a class dog wins the breed over specials (champions), then those champions also contribute one point each to the required number of points. In the competition on this day both Riley and Ida emerged victorious over specials and added their points to their Winners points. The two specials were both females, so Ida could also add their points to her Winners Bitch points for a major. There are six divisions in which the class dogs and bitches can compete: 6 -12 Months; 12 -18 Months; Novice; Bred-by-Exhibitor; American-Bred; and Open. The first place dogs and bitches from these classes then compete for Winners Dog or Winners Bitch in separate classes. The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch get the points. Best of Winners and Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed are chosen from the Best of Breed class where the specials compete. If the Winners Dog wins �Best of Winners,� then he gets the bitch points. If those points constitute a �major,� then he gets the major also by beating the Winners Bitch in Best of Breed competition. If the Winners Dog goes all the way to Best of Breed, and beats the competing specials, then he also gets their points. That is how Riley won his championship and his third major. Ida, the Winners Bitch, also beat the two bitch specials to arrive at her Best of Opposite Sex placement. She also won a major to complete her championship title.

Making these titles possible were the good sports that provided the championship points. Ezrach me Shaar Hagai, �Izzy,� whom the Steinbergs imported from Israel last year, was shown by Joe Steinberg, his co-owner with Rosalie. He is a third-generation registered Canaan who went through the �miun� procedure before he emigrated to the US. The judges �passed� him by virtue of his looks and continuity of type, pedigree and and known ancestors. He brought the Israeli style into the breed ring at Bel Alton, called attention to the range of acceptable Canaan Dog type, and will influence the gene pool in the US. Izzy had just completed the requirements for his UKC Championship Title at this writing!

Eastland Salina So special from the Novice Bitch class, debuted with her co-owner, David Golden, handling. Cynthia Dodson gave moral support, and Annette Israel, her breeder and co-owner, had thoughts of attending next year�s show to support the entry. Ha�Aretz Shin Medor Ledor won her class with Rosalie Steinberg handling. Her competition in the open bitch class, Cherrysh Star of Bethlehem, is showing more confidence in the breed ring as her co-owner-handler, Melvin Larsen, encourages and trains her. The two bitch specials, CH Tahoe�s Renegade Sky and CH Blessed Be My Neshama, bowed to the Winners Dog and Bitch, as they went all the way to Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex under Judge Mr. Houston Clark who really �got into� the competition to find his winners and placements. Everyone handled to the best of his, or her, ability, and Canaan Dogs attracted favorable attention on this day.

There was action at the Rally-Obedience ring in the afternoon as CH Denver, bred by Cheryl Hennings and co-owned by Michael J. Banister and Melvin S. Larsen, completed the requirements for his Rally Novice Class A title after his third consecutive successful run. Michael handled him through the course, and they earned a score of 81 despite the distraction of Melvin�s presence. Denver won his three titles in three shows each as is his habit now. Carol Hayes-Gegner and I cheered him on to his new title, and he is now CH Cherrysh Sing So Into Me RN with a UKC breed championship title, also won after three consecutive competitions!

Farthest travelled were Amanda Pough, Amy Preston and Renee and Evan Kent from New England. Jenny Larkin, John Relph, and their son, Paul, were involved in agility competition with their papillon, Bo. They watched the Canaan Dog entry in breed, and met the puppies, Mariah and Timmy, who will debut at the CDCA national specialty. Cheryl Kent brought Macey ringside to see the Canaan entry on Saturday, and I visited with them on my way home to Illinois. Jack Gegner was a quiet, but interested, spectator. The Gegners are expecting a new Canaan puppy in their home before long.

Ro and Joe Steinberg are planning for next year�s supported entry at Bel Alton, and hope to see y�all there! Save the first weekend next July for a trip below the Mason-Dixon Line!