INTERVIEW WITH ANNE SHANNON, PART 1

This month I conned my doggy friend Anne Shannon into being my latest victim. Anne is involved in obedience mainly and is a past President of GRCA. I hope you enjoy the wit & humor of this vivacious lady as much as I do.

PH:  Could you please tell my readers about how you first got started in the world of dogs?  Were your first "show dogs" Goldens or another breed?  What made you choose the Golden as "your" breed?

AS: At my subtle insistence, my family acquired my first dog when I was about 8 years old. I was staying at my Grandmother's farm outside Cleveland when a small black dog wandered by. Almost immediately, he had a rope around his neck and me happily attached to the other end. No one claimed him and he became my "Lucky"�. Fortunately, my step-father was of the opinion that kids should grow up with dogs! Lucky was followed by several collie - a trend that continued even after I left home.

When I settled in Colorado and had a place to call my own, I noticed a collie breeder a couple of towns away. Eventually, I purchased Holly the Collie, a sable and white companion for the next several years. Next step was obedience class where I eventually made a large group of friends and our weekly training classes became a great social event. Our instructor, Vic Cross, was an amazing teacher and friend to all of his students. His list of interests was long and varied - from photography to raptors to animal behavior and we were all drawn into his world. 

The start of my competitive "career"� occurred when Vic encouraged me to take Holly to a fun match he was judging in Colorado Springs. It was a VERY big deal to me and I won sub-Novice! In the process, Holly and I won a trophy that was maybe four inches tall. This wild and crazy success made me think the sky was the limit 

Holly and I completed Novice and Open and were working very slowly on Utility. One of my classmates was a lady named Edith Weeks who had a golden, Woodstock's Golden Zephyr. Whatever took Holly and I months to master seemed to come overnight to Edith and her amazing boy. We traveled together and I fell in love with the golden breed. Also attending class at Vic's was Elisa Enloe, a local golden breeder. She started her breeding program with a bitch from Lyle Ring, Ch.Star Spray Enid's Glorieta (Ch. Golden Pines Easy Ace x Ch. Golden Girl Enid). I approached her about a puppy I could train and show and eventually got on a waiting list for a litter out of Glory bred to a male Elisa obtained from Reinhard Bischoff, Lorelei's Zajac Andrew (Ch. Lorelei's Jari Jack x Ch. Lorelei's Fez-Ti ZaZa).

Ch. Goldenloe's Tawny Tiger UD started me down a wonderful road as we became a team and traveled many miles in my VW bug, Tawny riding shotgun. At the time I bought Tawny, I lived in Georgetown, a small community in the mountains of Colorado, founded by gold miners. Trips to training class involved an hour drive to Denver. Nonetheless, the friends I made and the constant encouragement of Vic, made training a highlight of my life.

I jumped into local club activities with enthusiasm. Mile Hi GRC was in its formative stage and I eagerly attended every event held. I also joined GRCA and waited impatiently for each issue of the GR News, at that time edited by Betty Gay. Eventually I was asked to serve as secretary for Mile Hi GRC. I was feeling WAAAY important until, in a moment of rare self-examination, I realized that the club Nominating Committee had probably asked every other club member and been turned down before they finally called me. It then dawned on me that maybe my first mentor wasn't necessarily the most positive influence and that I was adopting many of her ways. I then began to focus on doing something to make the club better instead of just bitching and doing nothing to improve the dogs or the members. Things became a lot more fun after that.

Although I enjoyed showing Tawny in obedience, I never really got comfortable in conformation. And besides, I trained with a guy named Jack Girton who really loved showing dogs and was happy to take Tawny in the ring for me. Jack was a natural handler and soon finished Tawny's championship for me. We had many laughs and wonderful times traveling the country as I competed with Tawny and he showed his sheltie, Ty, along with some of Mrs. Enloe's goldens. At one point, Cherie Berger wrote me a letter saying that she had done research showing that Tawny was the youngest CH-UD golden female. Her Bardfield Boomer was the youngest golden to hold those titles.

I bred Tawny when she was four to Ch. Misty Morn Sunset CD TD WC, driving back to New Jersey because I would never let my little angel fly alone. Sammy was the "IT"� dog at that time and I was especially influenced by pictures of a lovely daughter of his. Ch. Wochica's Wind Song. Out of the resulting litter, I believe there were five champions, all with obedience titles. Jack showed one of them, Ch. Goldenloe's Tawny Sam Son UD to a BOB at Westminster. On the way back to a GRCA National in New Jersey with Sam, Jack and I decided that there would be so many "Sammy"� kids in attendance that we needed to distinguish ours from the rest. At a cheesy roadside store, we bought a wax moustache attached to big red lips and taught Sam to hold them in his mouth. It was a very rakish look and provided us with miles of chuckles on the road. We could just imagine the judge thinking "All of these dogs look alike but I am certainly drawn to the one with the moustache."�

It was at that National that I first met Jack Godsil. Right before leaving Colorado to drive to New Jersey, I set up some hair-brained exercise to teach Tawny to"pop"� over the broad jump. The consequence was that, by the time we left, she wouldn't even LOOK at the broad jump.

I had Jack stop at a lumber yard and we bought four lengths of 1 X 8 which I propped at an angle with a bumper under the board. At every Howard Johnson across the country, I would take out my boards and try to regain the missing broad jump exercise. I'd reward Tawny by throwing the bumpers. Let's just say, I arrived in New Jersey far less confident than I had been previously. My shrill voice yelling "Tawny OVER!"� was imprinted on the brains of all my traveling companions.

In my hotel room, I happened to look out on the back parking lot and there was Jack Godsil. He had jumps set up and was drilling a couple of dogs who looked pretty perfect. I ventured down to watch close up and he actually TALKED to me. It was like the heavens had opened and God spoke directly to me. Tawny actually pulled our act back together and we won HIT and High Combined at the Garden State Specialty held the day after the National. Until he died years later, Jack was a great source of help for me in obedience.

Thus began another amazing journey with a golden. He went on to train me to be the handler of the first OTCH in the Rocky Mountain area. Because he was mildly dysplastic per OFA, he was never bred. If I had it to do over again, I might just try it once to see if he could reproduce the qualities that made him so outstanding. I know everyone thinks their dog is the MOST brilliant ever but he honestly was. He was totally on board with whatever I asked of him.

One night I came home from class frustrated that I couldn't get him to hold and carry the dumbbell. As I sat pondering the problem, Puppy brought me a washcloth from the bathroom. I wrapped it around the bar of the dumbbell and he took it from me and that was that. He just didn't seem to like the feel of the dowel in his mouth but the washcloth made it OK. People who attended class and watched him in the ring soon realized that he really didn't need a handler. I was just along for the ride. Long before the days of "Watch me" as the mantra of obedience trainers, Puppy watched me because he found me totally fascinating. I should find men so devoted!

Through Puppy I met so many fun and wonderful people across the country.

Somewhere in here, I was asked to serve on the GRCA Nominating Committee. As was my habit at the time, I poured my heart and soul into the project. Once it was discovered that I could write a letter, apply a stamp and find the post office, my star was on the ascendency.

I think it was a year later that I was asked to serve as the GRCA VP for the Western Region and two years later I became President. More on that later

My next influential dog was "Bunny" later to be Ch. Blue Skye's Chase the Clouds. I had seen her mother at the National in Indiana and asked Rick Nault to let me know when he bred her. It worked out perfectly that I was back in Massachusetts visiting Pagey when Rick had a litter of puppies out of "Sunrise". � Pagey strongly suggested that I take a particular female. Being no dummy, I scooped her up and she was my Bunny. She was a wonderful bitch and produced several nice goldens when bred to Shargleam Ferryman. Matt was an English import belonging to Barbara Dismukes and he had what Bunny needed. He had a magnificent head, was short coupled and gave their offspring good flexion in the hock joint as Bunny was somewhat sickle hocked. (Note: the hock is a joint, not a bone!) Out of the first breeding I kept "Ch Kinsale Clipper" and from the second I kept "Ch. Kinsale She's the Boss"� or Julianne. My next generation of goldens came from various breedings of Clipper and Julie.

The story goes on and on. Because of limited space and very little money, I never really worked at establishing a "line"� of dogs. I bred what I had to dogs I liked - always looking for good temperament and structure. I usually kept one and placed the others in great homes. I didn't represent my puppies as show quality because I didn't really care if they went t "show"� homes. So many times show homes don't measure up to the life I want my dogs to lead. Providing someone with a cherished pet has always given me the utmost satisfaction.

PH:  Which of your own Goldens was your favorite and why?  In addition, please tell us how you came to be the owner of the famous, or should I say infamous, "Nancy" as she was truly a character.  If you would, share with us a "Nancy" story or two so that those who didn't know "Nancy" can get a taste of her personality.

AS: That's a hard one. I think it would be one of my boys - Puppy or Clipper because I did so much with them and we formed a total bond. My girls always seemed to like anyone with food but my boys were/are devoted. When I'd come home from a trip, Tawny would check to see if I brought treats and then buzz off but Puppy would attach himself to me and moan and talk for a day or more. He really tried to know what I wanted, what I was thinking and how he could please me.

Clipper was such a devoted, easy going dog. He just wanted to be with me. If I was at the computer all day, he was content to sleep by the desk. Or if I wanted to go hiking or training, he was up for that too. I think his offspring inherited his temperament to a great extent. It was flawless and has spoiled me for life.

Now Nancy - that's a different story. My husband, Dick, and I had stopped at a parking place off I-70 one day and there sat this little terrier puppy. We started to drive off and I said "I just can't leave that puppy there." I grabbed a dog treat and took off to the rescue.

She must have been about seven weeks old and hid under a parked car as I approached. I finally lured her out and when I went to pick her up, she bit the bejesus out of me! She left about twenty puppy teeth holes in my hand and arm. Dick said at that point "Hey, if she doesn't want to come with us, leave her." I pointed out that it was a good sentiment but I did't know if she had rabies so I couldn't leave her. I never did get around to cutting her head off to send to CSU to check if she was rabid.

It got to the point where the Nancy Terrier Club of America National was held in conjunction with the GRCA National. People used to beg and pander all year for the privilege of judging. It was a relatively easy assignment since there was only one entry and the judge did get to wear welding gloves to examine the exhibit. She had an amazing record of wins at this event but then I did get to pick the judge.

As for stories, they abound. Once Sylvia Donahey-Feeney and I were rooming together and Nancy and Brooke were roaming around the motel room. For some reason, an altercation broke out (I'm sure Brooke must have started it!) and Sylvia flew across the room, grabbed Nancy by the scruff of the neck and hurled her some distance where she landed in a suitcase. Nanner was somewhat stunned as the lid of the suitcase bounced up and down on her furry head a couple of times.

Several weeks later I hatched a plan. I found one of the many pictures of Brooke and Sylvia that graced dog magazines of the time. You know the ones where Brooke was stacked perfectly and Sylvia would gaze angelically over her back with her head tilted just so. I took the picture and cut out Sylvia's arm and mounted the whole thing on cardboard. I put a pin at Sylvia's shoulder so her arm would swivel from Brooke's tail, up over her head. At the end of her arm, I mounted a lovely picture of Nancy. I put the picture on a spring to simulate movement as it looked when Nancy was sent flying. Now with the simple swing of a tab, Sylvia's arm would leave Brooke's tail and arc upward over her head with little Nancy and recreating the moment when Sylvia launched her across the motel room. It was indeed a work of art which I know Sylvia had mounted on her wall years later when I visited.

Nancy stayed with Jim and Janel Brown when I went to visit Dick in Saudi Arabia. The day after she arrived, Janel was going out so put Nancy, her crate, her bed, her toys and all related paraphalia into their utility room and closed the door. She came back several hours later to find Nancy bouncing around at the front door. A trip downstairs revealed that Nancy had used her prominent lower jaw to shred the utility room door to splinters. That was the inside layer. On the outside was a Nancy sized, rat-shaped hole where she had freed herself. Jim kindly saved the door for my return.

Nancy also never lost her lust for human flesh. At one point, I suspect she had tasted just about every one of my friends, from coast to coast.

At a national in New York, I was rooming with Marcia Schelhr, Betty Gay, and Carole Kvamme-Johnson. Nancy was always free to roam the room and slept with me. However the other three ladies claim that they lay in a rigid, non-moving position all night for fear that the slightest movement would trigger Nancy's attack mode.

AS: I went back to issues of the GRNews from 1967-68 as I was writing this and at that time, goldens seemed to be a breed in transition. Some of the dogs pictured were beautiful goldens, of proper proportion, solid and workmanlike with beautiful legs and feet. The heads were classic with strong muzzles, good planes and plentiful fill under the eyes.

Interestingly, many of the dogs in this category were also the ones that worked in the field at the same specialty in which they were shown in conformation. 

Then there were others that were just plain awful with no angles, weedy, wavy toplines and abysmal heads. These dogs amazingly seemed to win here and there at specialties. Makes you wonder what these breeders and judges were looking for!

Currently, as in times past, there seem to be some breeders who "get it"� and others who don't have a true visualization of what a correct golden should be. As for a split in the breed, maybe it's not as bad as we often lament that it is. The last two "Field Issues"� of the GRNews has demonstrated that there are many beautiful, correct goldens with working ability. It seems to me that the biggest split is occurring between show dogs and dogs bred specifically for performance events.

Twenty or thirty years ago, I think there was a tendency to breed a specific type of dog for obedience. These goldens tended to be lighter boned and hyper-active. And, boy could they be ugly! Now that obedience seems to be taking a back seat to agility, some of these dogs are turning up at agility trials where people want a lithe, light boned dog to compete with the border collies. I frequently work at the Mile Hi agility trials and it's a thrill to see a solid, well built golden step into the ring and hold his/her/its own.

But, you know, we can't always blame the owners. They have the dog and they love it. So they train and compete at the events they enjoy. And most of these animals are neutered (often too early, which is part of the problem!) As long as people are caring for and loving their dogs, it's about all I can ask!   

Wow! I've thought about this question and discussed it with a couple of breeders in the past few weeks. My memory just doesn't allow me to do this type of thing with any accuracy. And to just start naming dogs that I thought had that WOW factor would surely have me leaving out more than I named. Additionally dogs that I loved in the past, when I revisit them in pictures, don't always measure up.

I do remember a trip to England quite a few years ago when I saw some dogs that "adjusted"� my way of viewing goldens. I visited Joan Gill and Daphne Philpot and was smitten with Standerwyck Thomasina, a bitch who ran in trials and earned a couple of CC's. I think this was the first time that I really understood what good shoulders were. She was simply a stunning bitch. I also admired their Westley Mabella. I also began to see what "type" meant. At that time, probably twenty years ago,a couple of shows in England made me more aware of heads and a specific look that appealed to me. A trip to England in 2006, made me conclude that the look and type was still alive and well but the soundness and movement hadn't kept up - IN MY HUMBLE OPINION!

Last year I attended the World Show in Stockholm and appreciated the consistency and style of golden at that show. They have the English look plus their dogs combine it with movement. We spent an interesting day at Henric Frykstrand's Dewmist Kennel where, with the help of several of his friends, he would put together a "living pedigree"� for us. He started with his 14 year old bitch, told us who he bred her to and why.

He then brought out her offspring from various sires and told  us what he had accomplished with the breeding, why he kept the dog he did and where he went with the next generation. It was fascinating to see a real breeding program explained.

1. Ch. Kinsale She's the Boss "Julianne" en route to Group 1 with Barb Dismukes.

2. OTCH Goldenloe's Just Ducky - cleaning up at our local obedience trial.

This is where we are going to end for this month. Next month you will get to see the rest of my interview with Anne. She will share her thoughts on the breed, GRCA and the late Rachel Page Elliott.

Patriciaherschman@webtv.net with your suggestion.