Hi Readers,

The Solstice dogs want you to know that our posts might be a bit sporadic the next few days. Our Grandma Ginger fell and broke herself and she is in the hospital getting fixed (no not that kind of fixed!) and Mom is running a three ring circus taking care of Grandma, Sienna, baby BB and of course us! And we are trying to take care of her too so if she doesn’t have time to post for us we understand and hope you do too.

Stoney, Wicca, Lindy, PJ, Frost, Bailey, Banner, Fifi, Sienna and BB

There has been lots of talk on the web of late about mentoring and mentoring responsibility in today’s dog world. Who should mentor, who has the right to mentor, who has the expert knowledge to mentor and on and on. I work for a company who has a big on going mentorship program. Both formal and informal mentoring is encouraged and supported. Our company’s philosophy is that if you can make a positive difference to someone then you are a mentor.

I like this philosophy and try very hard to remember it outside of my workplace and I wish others would embrace it too. Too often in the dog fancy mentoring is about gathering followers to your way of thinking and it is very easy to do. Think about it, those of us who participate in the conformation side of dog sports are working with a written blueprint or Standard for a living creature. Then the living creature that is created from the blueprint is “judged” by subjective humans who interpret the written blueprint or Standard to fit what they believe best represents the blueprint as they have interpreted. It is human nature to gather people around you that believe as you do but that is not mentoring.

Mentoring is helping someone to achieve their best, not your best.

So how do we, competitive, heavily invested and emotionally involved dog people help bring out the best in someone new to our sport? Bring out the best in them?

The first thing we need to realize is that mentorship really is mentee driven. If someone wants to be mentored they need to put in the work. It isn’t about “oh, dog people are not very helpful, no one will talk to me, blah, blah, blah”. A mentee needs to decide what type of relationship they want, what are their goals and then look around for someone who has met those goals and then approach them. Most humans are flattered when someone thinks they have worthy goals, successful ideas or a great attitude and are happy to at least give another person the “time of day”.

We all need different mentors for different aspects of the dog fancy. Maybe you love one person’s style of breeding and interpreting the standard so you want learn how they select their breeding stock and make their choices. That same person has in your opinion a crazy way of placing puppies, something you would never consider doing. Does that mean you need to discount everything that person has to say? Maybe you admire a handler’s relationship with their dogs but you think their lifestyle is completely “out there” does that mean to learn from them you need to adopt their lifestyle? It is all a matter of each person’s goals and dreams.

So it is the mentee’s job to look for a mentor but what happens if a person approaches you to act as either a formal or informal mentor? What is your job? It isn’t to sell them a puppy or have them as an acolyte. It is to find out what you can do to help them get better.

My dog fancy story is just that a Storybook story. Back in the mid-90s my father was facing terminal cancer and I made lots of time to spend with him. One of the things he told me was to find something I loved doing and do it. Not to wait. Now I am a person with lots of hobbies and interests but I had not found a passion. So when thinking about it realized that I had loved showing horses as a kid and I loved dogs! I really loved my crazy German Shorthaired Pointers so I started researching dog shows and then eventually attended the Chaparral Kennel Club dog show in Alamogordo, NM. Here is where I found my 1st mentor, Phyllis McNall of Singltrak Shorthairs. I freely admit I stalked her at the dog show. She introduced me to other local folks involved in GSP breed, the Chandlers, the Combs and others who welcomed me to their local clubs. Phyllis made a point to invite me to shows and teach me to steward and when it came time for me to look for a show dog of my own she put me on her puppy list. It didn’t work out that there was a puppy for me but she didn’t discourage me from putting what I had been learning to use and find the right puppy for me.

That right puppy ended up coming from across the country from Linda and Kevin Flynn of Keltic GSPs. My beautiful Windy, Champion Keltic’s Winter Solstice, CGC. Linda and Kevin were everything a newbie show dog owner could have hoped for, supportive, knowledgeable, trusting. The Flynn’s taught me so much about how the dog show world works (and still do to this day). They took a chance on a newbie and sent me a pick puppy from a wonderfully bred litter and it was/is their encouragement that has gotten me to the point I am today. Even when I changed breed to my wonderful Cardigan Welsh Corgis their support was always right there.

I found my passion!

These aren’t my only mentors but without my original mentors working towards my success and not directly their own I wouldn’t be in the position to write a blog about show dogs. I wouldn’t be in the position that has allowed me to mentor others in small ways to help them get started on their own journey in the wonderful dog world. Maybe, helping them find their passion.

So back to the original question: Who should mentor, who has the right to mentor, who has the expert knowledge to mentor and on and on. You should! But only if you are going to share knowledge that will help someone achieve their best, not your best. Help them find their passion. Take the time to listen to their goals and not automatically assume that you know what is best for them. Take the time to get to know them and find out what you can do to for them, not what they can do for you. Be respectful, be curious and remember just because they are seeking knowledge from you about a certain aspect of your world doesn’t mean they don’t have things to share with you. You can be rewarded in so many different ways.

Those who seek knowledge, remember it is your job to seek out what you need to learn. It doesn’t just come to you. No one owes you their time or knowledge. Be respectful, be curious and mindful that your mentors goals and your goals should align but do not have to be in lockstep with each other. Learn what you can and remember that no matter how much we learn there is always more and deeper knowledge out there. Become a subject matter expert but remember no one knows everything. I am still learning and finding new mentors all the time.

Become a force for good………………..

Best of Breed – Hobbs Kennel Club

Wow! I’m super excited that I’m going to be able to attend the WKC show in New York City this year. My very besty Leslie Reed of KeelMtn Corgis has her June, AKC Grand Champion / UKC Champion Allegro Celestial Charm entered in the 137 Annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show and has invited me to accompany she and June to THE event of the dog show calendar.

I’ve never been to NYC and to attend Westminster is a bucket list item plus I get to go with Leslie. We have talked for years about making the trip without dogs but when the opportunity knocked for this year the door was opened!

So here are some facts about Westminster taken from the WKC website: http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org

Westminster Facts and Figures

•The Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, making it America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of purebred dogs.

•First held in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is America’s second-longest continuously held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby.. (I have been to the Derby)

•Westminster pre-dates the invention of the light bulb and the automobile, the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Washington Monument, the invention of basketball and the establishment of the World Series.

•Since Westminster held its first show 133 years ago, there have been 25 men elected president and 12 states have joined the Union. The dog show has outlasted three previous versions of Madison Square Garden, and is currently being staged in MSG IV.

•The first telecast of Westminster was in 1948, three years before “I Love Lucy” premiered.

•In 2005, streaming video with same day coverage of breed judging highlights was made available for the first time on the Westminster web site (www.westminsterkennelclub.org). It was an immediate and huge hit.

•A portion of the proceeds from Westminster’s first show in 1877 was donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) to establish a home for stray and disabled animals.

•The Empire State Building first honored Westminster by lighting its tower in the Westminster colors of purple and gold in 2004 and will do so again in 2012.

•There have been a total of 303,756 dogs entered in Westminster’s 136 shows through 2012.

•Through the 2012 show, there have been 1,713 judges who have officiated at least once at Westminster. One person, Mrs. Ann Rogers Clark, judged 23 times, the highest total.

•Two dogs have won Best In Show at both Westminster and Crufts in Birmingham, England, each of them winning at the English show before coming to the America: the Lakeland Terrier, Ch. Stingray of Derryabah (Crufts 1967, WKC 1968) and the Kerry Blue Terrier, Ch. Torums Scarf Michael (Crufts 2000, WKC 2003).

•Only one time has the offspring of a Best In Show winner duplicated the feat. In 2000, the English Springer Spaniel Ch. Salilyn N’ Erin’s Shameless repeated the 1993 BIS accomplishment of her sire, Ch. Salilyn’s Condor.

•Two Best In Show winners, Norwich Terriers, had the same sire: 1994’s Ch. Chidley’s Willum the Conqueror and 1998’s Ch. Fairewood Frolic were offspring (half brother/sister) of Ch. Royal Rock Don of Chidley

•The Papillon, Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being (“Kirby”), is the only dog to capture Best In Show at the World Dog Show (1998 in Helsinki) and Best In Show at Westminster (1999).

•In 2009, Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee, a Sussex Spaniel, became the oldest dog to capture Best In Show at 10 years, 2 months and 9 days of age in 2009. The youngest winner was the Rough Collie, Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven, who captured the award in 1929 at the age of exactly 9 months.

•Westminster was established in 1877, pre-dating the founding of the governing body of the sport, the American Kennel Club, which was established in 1884.

•In 1884, The Westminster Kennel Club became the first member of the American Kennel Club.

In addition to the history of Westminster, Leslie has made reservations for us at the Hotel Penn (http://www.hotelpenn.com/about-our-hotel.html) the place to stay if you are attending The Garden.

Recognized as the World’s Most Pup-ular Hotel for the Dog Show, New York’s Hotel Pennsylvania is pleased to be the host hotel for all canine hopefuls participating in this annual event. In fact, the hotel has earned the 2012 ‘Pet-Friendly Hotel of the Year’ award for its pet-friendly services.

I can’t wait for our adventure! Go Team June!

Aren’t these cool?

These are custom stacking boxes that are both standard style and a very cool folding style. They are custom made by Davis-Dwysan Dog Enterprise. You can find them on Facebook or email Kathy Davis at dwysancwc@dscusa.com.