BREED JUDGE

CINDY SCOTT

This is a once in a lifetime honor and I thank the members of the American Whippet Club for honoring me with this assignment. Needless to say, I am grateful and very humbled.

As I celebrate 30 years in Whippets, I look back at where this all started.

I’ve shown dogs all my life because my parents were involved in Afghans and members of our local all-breed club.  I’ve had other breeds such as English Cockers, Great Pyrenees and Norwegian Elkhounds but, in 1977, Allen Odom talked me into coming to his house to look at a litter of Whippets and I took one home. That was it, my family was hooked! Popcorn marched in, told the big dogs off and proceeded to sleep under the covers the first night and was there for the next 15 years. I haven’t had another breed since. I’ve only bred a few litters but have had an ROM bitch, Ch. Brookwood’s Rising Star, multiple Champions, Field Champions, LCM’s and a CGC. Most recently I  co-bred a dog that just finished his Advanced title in Rally. I’m partial to the boys but my heart dog was Phoenix, Khiva’s Vanna White, LCM that I co-bred. Her portrait, done by Oregon’s Sandi Rolfe, sits above my desk so I can see her every day.

The breed has led me into many aspects that I feel incredibly lucky to participate in.

I judge Whippets and Basenji’s and may add a few more breeds but what I enjoy the most is showing and coursing my dogs and being involved with the AWC as the National Show chairman and Vice-President of the club. We now have one of the largest National Specialties in the country and I feel that I have helped to make that happen.  This is a great, very versatile breed and I’m very proud to be part of it and to have such a great club to work for.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to admire and judge your dogs.

OBEDIENCE AND RALLY JUDGE

JILL JONES

I have been involved in the sport of obedience and tracking since the early '70s.  My first dog, a Norwegian Elkhound, became the first UDT of the breed in 1975.  Since then, I have put obedience titles (including 4 UDs) and tracking titles (15 TDs, 8 TDXs) on a variety of dogs, including Labradors, Pembroke Welsh Corgis and a Greyhound.     In addition to obedience, rally and tracking, I am now showing in agility, and having great fun – albeit at a somewhat advanced age – in trying to keep up with my dogs.

The current 'doggy' household consists of three young male Pembroke Welsh Corgis: Reny, the blond bombshell, is already a VCD2, TDX , AX, RE working on utility and his advanced agility titles – he is the star performer of the group (I call him my golden in corgi clothing); then, there is Timer who passed his TDX at the National Specialty in 2002, has now earned his CD and finished his novice agility titles, becoming a VCD1, TDX, RA, and who has now decided to retire (he is also spoilt rotten!); Van is the newest addition, is still learning to heel, but is already a TDX, RN, NA, NAJ. But, his best trick to date is working out how to get in and out of the house via the cat door (I guess he isn’t a very big corgi!). In addition to the corgis, I also have Guy, a Finnish Spitz (Ch. VCD1), who is the only one of his breed in the world to have a tracking title and, therefore, the one and only VCD1. I have also adopted a Guide Dogs for the Blind ‘Career-Change’ Labrador, Chase, who passed his TD November, 2004 and earned his CDX and RA in June, 2006.  He is getting ready for TDX and agility, and the corgis use him for herding practice -- the house is in a constant uproar these days!    

I have been judging obedience since 1977 and tracking since 1984.  In my spare time, and in order to support all of the above, I work part-time as an Administrative Assistant in the Institute of Molecular Biology at the University of Oregon.

LURE COURSING

SCOTT HURLBERT

I have always had a dog, but never really did more than played ball or go for a walks with them until about 15 years ago when I received my first whippet. Devo was a foster child that Julie and I took in. He needed a little attention when there were people around, he would go hide. However, he loved to run. We were introduced to lure coursing and he loved it. In turn, I loved it. Devo was a fast little whippet (topped out at 27.5 lbs) who made his own course. Often he would guess wrong and turn the wrong direction. He would easily catch up with the other hounds as soon as he realized his mistake.  Devo took me traveling for coursing. Whippet folks were surprised we only had one whippet. Thanks to Elaine McMichaels, I soon remedied that. I promptly received my second whippet, Dakota. With Dakota, I learned some dogs run, some dogs think and some strategize.  Dakota strategized. He was a good all around whippet. He looked good in the show ring and made coursing look easy.  As I traveled with these two whippets and started helping out with local trials, I decide we could use a few more judges in the area.  I started down the judging path in 1996.  I have traveled quite a bit to help out clubs and met some great people.  I have 5 more whippets and am now the ASFA Regional Director for Region 5.
I still play ball and go on walks with my dogs.  I think they like it almost as much as they like coursing, well almost.

ANN CHAMBERLAIN

During my time in Africa, I was able to hunt with my Ridgebacks.  They were wonderful bird dogs, working a perfect distance in front of us and never gave up, even when the pesky guinea fowl were down in some bad thorn bushes.  They out-hunted the other gun dogs we were with and never gave up on a downed bird.  We also hunted bush pig, small antelope, cobras, and leopard.  Seeing what a fleet, agile dog can do in the bush taught me so much about dogs. I have hunted upland game here in the US with my RR's and hope to get the Sloughi out open-field coursing this year.  I appreciate speed, agility and tenacity, as these are the attributes that make a hunt successful.

NON REGULAR CLASSES

NUBBY ERRICKSON

I was raised among pure bred dogs, my mother always had a Chow Chow or Cocker Spainiel. My Grandfather always had and hunted both English and Irish Setters. I loved the dogs and as a very young girl played "horse show" with the dogs. (Horses being my "first and foremost" love.) When showing real horses became impossible for me, I searched for a substitute and of course, came back to the dogs. I found and fell in love with the Whippets. They reminded me of the thoroughbred horses I had grown to love. Both horses and Whippets are built for speed, agility, athletisizism, intellegence, companionship and trainability. I LOVED them.
In !966 I purchased my first Whippet and subsequently, in early 1967, my next two Whippets from Ingrid and Ken Dunnagan of Flying W Whippets. The first, a pet, the next two were to be show quality. They were Ch. Pawnee of Flying W and Chileena of Flying W. Ingrid Dunnagan taught me how to show my whippets and certainly was my mentor for the first few years of learning the "how to's" of showing dogs.
In 1968 I bred my first litter, which produced MBIS Ch. Amigo's Amistso Payaso, CD. I finished her and her father, on the same circuit, and also put two legs of the CD on "Big Silver". That was a week I have never forgotten! I was forever hooked on the sport of DOG SHOW'S.
We showed to some wonderful judges, Anne Clark, the Forsyth's, Tom Rainey, Gerda Kennedy, all "movement" judges at that time, and they loved my Whippets. They moved correctly--clean, long, low and powerful! I bred my dogs to be shown to the type of judge who would appreciate that movement.
When we bred "Big Silver" we got the little bitch "BIS- BIF Ch. Amigo's Senorita Zorita, LCM". She was the little whippet that could do anything. She was the first Whippet to win a BIS and a BIF and was shown and raced simultaneously. She also won BOB at Westminster. She was really the underdog but nothing could move like she could. She was always owner-handled or handled by my friend, Pamela Sehmer. I would show her in breed and then give her to Pam for Groups. (Pam could run faster than I could.) It was SO much fun.
My next and my most favorite whippet was Ch. Amigo's La Rosa de Timbrel. Co-owned with Russell L. McFadden, Rosie was perhaps the prettiest and most correct whippet I bred. She was so lovely and such a lady and show woman. She loved to show and although she never won a BIS she was known and loved by many whippet breeders, during that time. Had we passed her to a handler, I am sure she could have done fabulously well, but she was our pet and bed partner, as all my whippets are, and that has always been more important to me then the winning.
The recent past years have been filled with breeding my first love, HORSES. While never without Whippets, we have not been able to reproduce a 'Zorita (Vicky)" or a "Rosie". I am still trying..... and I hope, before I die, I see another BIS Amigo whippet in the ring.
I still try to breed both my horses and my whippets to the same ideal. They must have the all important "Form follows Function". They must NEVER waste energy and above all, they must have the "heart" and the temperament to do their job with brilliance and gusto. A work ethic!

ALTERED CLASSES

MARY STROM-BERNARD

I have been breeding Parson Russell Terrier for over 20 years now with over 50 AKC Champions, and although I really enjoy the Terriers I fell in love with Whippets several years ago when getting to know Barbara Ruth Smith of Blueskies Whippets. I have finished three Whippets to their AKC Championships and I have enjoyed learning more each year about the breed. I attended the Whippet National when it was held in North Carolina and I was really impressed with the size and the quality of the entry; the judges education seminar that the club put together was very informative too, and since then I have been to Specialties both in DelValle and Palm Springs, California where there were large entries to watch as well.

I just started judging this fall, working through my provisional assignments in Parson Russell and Border Terriers and have enjoyed the experience, and I am very excited about judging the Altered classes at next year’s Whippet Nationals.
 

AGILITY

GILLIAN CRAWFORD

GILLIAN CRAWFORD (AKC Registered Name; Call Name "Jill") has been involved in agility and obedience since 1988. She was one of the founding members of Rainier Agility Team, one of the Pacific Northwest's largest agility clubs, serving many times as President, Officer, Board of Director(s) and Training Advisor(s). Training her three Samoyeds in agility and obedience has been both rewarding and a constant challenge. Aslan, her beloved Samoyed was one of the first Sammies in the Country competing in agility in USDAA, NADAC and AKC. Also her beloved Pomeranian MACH “Cowboy” the "Parti-Pom" - was a finalist at AKC nationals in Massachusetts. Her Sheltie “Connor” has just been retired at 11 years old, and she now is playing with her Golden Retriever “Steal” (and yes … we have a Border Collie … so add a BC to the list !!). Jill has been judging AKC agility since 1997 and enjoys both her time as a competitor and the constant learning experience of an agility judge. She was selected to judge the AKC Nationals in 2003 in Long Beach, California. When not working at ARGUS RANCH FACILITY FOR DOGS (www.argusranch.com), in Auburn, Washington, she pays her bills by working for a large law firm in downtown Seattle as a litigation specialist.

“One of the things that I love about Agility is there is a place for all of us to have fun and compete with our pet(s) – whether it is to aspire for World Team, goals of achieving a MACH or winning your specific breed’s national” we all are embraced and supported in this sport!”

FUTURITY

DONNA LYNCH

In 1974, I acquired my first show dog, a Doberman Pinscher. The Doberman ring proved to be very challenging, but I quickly became accustomed to the term 'Politics.'  In the early 1981, I purchased my first Whippet puppy from Linda Garwacki (Bitterblue).   Luna went on to finish her Championship and acquire her LCM in ASFA lure coursing.  She was the dam of seven champions giving her the ROM title and died at 16 years of age.  Whippets have been my passion ever since. Their superior intelligence and versatility, combined with an extraordinarily compassionate character, have made Whippets a breed I will never be without.    First and foremost, my Whippets are my companions and pets.

Most notably, the greatest achievements in regards to myself as a breeder in the ring, have been at the AWC National and Regional Specialty shows.  In 1989, I went Best of Winners and received a Select Ribbon with a bitch I bred from the 6-9 puppy class, Ch Hamrya's Teacher's Pet.  This was the first time she was ever shown.  She finished with two more five point majors at Regional Specialties.  Two years later, we were Best In Futurity with a three and a half months old puppy (Ch Hamrya's Ice Breaker).  This was the final year that the 3-5 month class was offered at the AWC National.  This particular futurity was the largest ever, with an entry of 254 puppies.  As a breeder striving to create excellence, the Futurity award was the most self gratifying and rewarding.

Thank you for the opportunity to judge the 2008 AWC Futurity.  This is an event of a lifetime for me and I am honored by your trust in selecting me to judge your puppies.  Have fun and good luck to all!

JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP

CHRISTINA MARLEY

I am very thankful for this opportunity to judge Jr. Showmanship at your Whippet Nationals.  I have been showing dogs for over 25 years and have dedicated my life to the love of dogs.

I am an All-Breed Handler, Trainer and Photographer. I was Best Jr. Handler at Westminster Kennel Club in 1992. I have had the honor of winning 17 All-Breed Best in Shows on various breeds of dogs.  Well known for piloting the Top Winning Field Spaniel in History to many Best in Shows, a National Specialty win and a Group 2 at Westminster. Whippets have always been very near and dear to my heart. My first dog was a Whippet and my very first Blue Ribbon was won with a Whippet. Both my sister and mother have bred and own Whippets so I guess you can say they're "in the family" I am very much looking forward to judging Jrs. at your National Specialty and very honored for this assignment!