Planting Seeds

L to R:  Shannon Scheer; Mike Macbeth; Braydon Broadhurst, Sydney Berard Beaupré, Brielle Tanzi-Foshay, Richard Paquette  (Desera Jaynes was away showing her dog)

The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada hosted a unique event designed to make lasting memories for Junior Handlers
 
In my blog last week, I was listing activities and events that we, the owners of rare dog breeds, can do to promote our breeds. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada consists of a dedicated bunch who come together several times throughout the year to get their breed known. Recently, at the International Centre in Mississauga, Ontario, the group made lasting memories for a group of young dog enthusiasts. 
 
So much was going on at the International Centre last weekend! The Toronto Christmas Pet Expo was held in conjunction with both the Aurora and District Kennel Club Dog Show and The Royal Canin Crown Classic. And that’s just the dog side of the massive Expo! There was also a cat show, dozens of parrots, hundreds of reptiles and a pig being paraded around. On top of all that, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada celebrated its 50^thanniversary with a competition for Junior Handlers on Sunday, November 24th.  This competition was unique as the Juniors (ages 14 – 17) had only Dandie Dinmont Terriers to show.  With $500 in total prize money, they had to prove their prowess by handling several different Dandies.  Some were well trained Champions, but others were puppies, inexperienced or somewhat reluctant. The goal of this event was to introduce Juniors to this rare breed, let the public see a great bunch of Dandies (thousands attend the Toronto Pet Expo) and to give a youngster a lasting memory of connecting with a rare breed.
 
As Master of Ceremonies, Canadian Kennel Club Director Richard Paquette kept the audience informed.  Shannon Scheer, a renowned professional handler from Calgary who is deeply involved with Juniors judged the first section: “The Handler Most Able to Adapt to Each Dog Given to Them”.  The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada’s President Mike Macbeth then judged “Most Patient Handler with a Puppy or Inexperienced Adult”.  As the breeder of most of the competing dogs, Mike had the advantage of knowing which dogs were the most difficult for the young handlers to demonstrate their skills.
 
There was also a written test, and the answers, particularly to traits that make the Dandie unique proved that several Juniors had truly studied the standard and the breed’s rich history. 
The nine Juniors stood on one side of the show ring, and nine owners entered with their Dandies.  Each Junior then drew the name of one of the dogs and the owner stepped forward and handed over their dog.  Shannon Scheer gave the teens several minutes to play with and get to know the Dandies before she started to put them through their paces.
 
When Shannon completed judging of the more experienced dogs, Mike Macbeth asked nine owners of puppies, inexperienced or unenthusiastic dogs to enter the ring, and again the Juniors each drew the name of the Dandie they would begin with, but in both competitions the young handlers were asked to switch dogs so they could demonstrate their ability with a variety of dogs.  
 
Once the winners were announced, Richard Paquette introduced one of the competitors to the audience – Isaac Clark, who won the National CKC Junior Handling competition and will be representing Canada at the world-famous Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England in March.  The CKC and a breed club have donated funding for his expenditures.  To support Isaac’s journey, the Dandie Club announced that they are pleased to contribute $200 and challenged other dog clubs in Canada to match their donation.  
The event was a hit for both the Juniors and the Dandie owners as well as the large audience the event drew. The Dandie Dinmont Terrier Club of Canada thanked all the supportive members who graciously allowed their dogs to participate with these young strangers. The club also gave a heartfelt thank you to the nine Juniors who now have more knowledge of this wonderful endangered breed.  I hope their new relationship with this breed will continue to grow.
 
This is the type of creative thinking we need to get our breeds seen. I speak often of “planting seeds” when it comes to promoting your endangered breed and it goes without saying that nine seeds were planted last Sunday. 
 
Congratulations to the winners:
 
Most Knowledge of Breed History and Standard:  Alison Zhukov
The Handler Most Able to Adapt:  First: Brayden Broadhurst   Second:  Brielle Tanzi-Foshay
Most Patient Handler:  First: Desera Jaynes Second: Sydney Berard Beaupré
Best Overall Dandie Dinmont Terrier Handler:  Brayden Broadhurst