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BARBARA PEPPER This month I had the
opportunity to interview my good friend Barbara Pepper of Pepperhill fame.
Although Barbara is not breeding any more, I thought that my readers
would enjoy Barbara’s recollections and her thoughts for the future. BP: My parents had a Golden when
Jeff and I were dating in the late 60’s. We decided we wanted one and actually
obtained CH. Sir Richard of Fleetwood, CD, “Ricky”, just before we were
married. We had no intensions of showing at that time. However, Ricky was a very
well bred dog and, like many novices, we wanted a puppy from him. We purchased a
well bred, pet bitch, bred her and kept the singleton pup. Long story short, we
started working all the dogs in obedience and everyone at the match shows, etc.
was asking if we were showing Ricky in the breed classes. We were hanging out at
the match shows for long periods of time and decided to enter him in breed
classes to fill some of the obedience waiting time. He started winning breeds
and placing in groups. Remember, this was the era of huge, very competitive
matches. This was also the time when
“Charlie” was out showing. We had fallen in love with him and, when Larry
and Mary repeated the breeding, we visited them hoping to buy a Charlie of our
own. They wisely helped us to see that a kennel is founded on its bitches, that
we had a lovely dog in Ricky and really needed a foundation bitch. We purchased
Charlie’s younger sister, Ch. Cumming’s Dame Pepperhill, OD, “DeDe”, who
became our foundation bitch. She was eventually bred to her nephew, “Teddy”,
before he was even finished, and that breeding produced “Bear”, “Ginny”
and several other outstanding show dogs and producers. BP: “Poppy” was the second bitch we bought to strengthen our breeding program. “DeDe” didn’t really like to show and, in fact, took a long break from the ring before she came back out and finished. Poppy, on the other hand, was a showing fool. She loved it and was the first dog that I showed and finished myself. I’m not sure why we were crazy enough to want to “special” her, other than we were having so much fun. It was very difficult and frustrating to get to the ring and be constantly sent to the back of the class with the other girls. She was not beating the boys from the get go because many judges never thought about anything other than BOS for the bitches. I think it was the challenge, and the unfairness, that spurred us on. We wanted to make a point that each animal should be judged equally, to prove that the bitches should be fairly considered for BOB. My first goal for her was the GRCA Hall of Fame, and, although Elliot More was showing her by then and did most of the work, I’m very proud that I personally got that last Group One that put her in. By that time, however, I had accepted that a novice, amateur handler was a liability when bucking the system that was so stacked against bitches. We had started working with Elliot, who had been very supportive and helpful to me early on, when he was still working for Bill Trainor. He had quietly given me little tips and pointers when I had Poppy in the ring. We felt he was in agreement with us that bitches deserved equal consideration. The rest is history. I honestly don’t remember her total career record. She had many Group Ones and other placements, Specialty wins, etc. This info is probably in one of the GRCA Yearbooks, which Jeff has.
BP: I was lucky that Poppy was an easy keeper with a correct coat that needed little maintenance. Actually, at that time, our and many other Goldens carried wonderful coats, genetically. We believed in growing good coat from the inside out, through nutrition, and maintaining it through simple cleanliness. The dogs had wash and wear coats that were dirt shedding. We “groomed” at home before leaving for the shows. If it was an outside show and the dogs got wet and dirty, a good brushing after they dried was often enough, or they would get a half bath of belly and furnishings. We did a minimum amount of trimming, usually to neaten ears and feet, possibly to shape the tails a bit, and would towel the dogs after bathing to lay the coats in as they dried. At far as heat cycles, the
biggest problem, really a disaster for Poppy’s record, was when Bear dug
through six runs and bred her accidentally. She had a fabulous lineup that might
have given her BIS, but with 14 pups inside, was not in any shape to win. She
did come back for some great wins but never got her BIS. That was certainly one
of my regrets. She did everything else, however, including passing on many of
her wonderful traits to her children and later generations. PH:
You have also gotten involved in some other breeds both as a breeder and as a
judge. Would you please tell our readers a bit about
your career
in dogs since those "Goldens only years"? Are you still actively
involved in Goldens, other than as a judge, today? BP: When Jeff decided to actively
embark on a judging career, we felt we should back off from campaigning the
Goldens. We did not see any conflict in continuing our breeding program, and in
finishing our youngsters. We did not want to keep on specialing once he started
seriously judging. We decide to look for a breed in a different group,
considering several before falling in love with the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen.
We obtained our first in 1984, through Anne Snelling in Other than judging, my main
activity in Goldens is serving as a member of the Judge’s Education Committee
for GRCA. I have also enjoyed presenting several seminars to Golden
breeders/exhibitors. PB: With Goldens, it’s important to remember what our standard says: “Overall appearance, balance, gait and purpose to be given more emphasis than any of his component parts.” I want a dog that moves easily on a LOOSE lead, with comfortable foot timing, a dog that could go out and have a good day in the field. I also want a dog whose parts all fit together. When you see a balanced dog, everything just seems to flow, no stops and starts, breaks in topline, stride. It’s easy to fall into the trap of fault judging, or focusing on just one aspect of the dog that either shines or glares. No dog is perfect. They all have strengths and weaknesses. That being said, I am concerned about the trend I’m seeing toward “low and long”. Many dogs are appearing short on leg for the length of body they are carrying. The standard states “not long in leg”, but that doesn’t mean short on leg either. “Symmetrical” is also used and we are losing this. Having a breed that is “slightly” longer than tall, a very tight ratio of 12:11 doesn’t mean short legs and long bodies. The other major concern is the lack of balance between front and rear angles. We have done much to improve the rear ends on our dogs. Fronts, on the other hand, are a disaster. We used to be plagued with a lot of very steep shoulders, and there are still many that could use better lay back. However, what I am seeing most is a lack of return in the upper arm. The standard wants them to “appear about the same length as the blades, setting the elbows back beneath the upper tip of the blades.” The two bones making the angle should be approximately the same length. Short upper arms that either do not extend the elbows back far enough, or tend to head straight towards the ground are all too prevalent. Some fronts are also set too far forward creating a lack of forechest, in addition to loose elbows with gaps between elbows and ribs. Goldens are supposed to be athletes. I want to see a dog that looks as if it could do the job it was intended to do. Dogs lacking balance, either because of poor fronts or because of being low and long, dogs with excessive coats, dogs with weak toplines, etc. can not go do a hard day’s work in the field. And don’t get me started on the insane grooming! I don’t even try to understand what some of it is all about. Ours is a breed with a water proof jacket over a good undercoat. Openly blown, fuzzed out fur doesn’t cut it in the field. (It used to be a real challenge to get the water all the way through our dog’s coats, when we were trying to wet them down and bath them). Many of these concerns are not limited to the Golden ring. I’m not sure why so many breeds are struggling with poor fronts, other than it’s that hardest thing to breed and the easiest thing to loose. Low and long is also plaguing other breeds. I think it is partly that so few people respect the original purpose of their breed. Dogs were not created for dog shows! Racing around a ring, often strung up on a tight lead, was not the plan back when these breeds were being developed. A quick word on temperament: As a judge, I don’t often see atypical Golden temperament in the ring. Hopefully, those dogs are not showing. As a past breeder, someone who has cared about this breed for a long time, I have seen changes over the years. When we started in Goldens, I would never hesitate to recommend the breed to anyone looking for a family companion. Today, I am careful about where I send people and caution them to be educated consumers. The winning at all costs attitude has hurt our breed. There were dogs used in breeding programs that had questionable temperaments, either because they could win in the show ring, or because the breeders just wanted to sell puppies. Goldens that are aggressive with other dogs, or with people, are sadly part of our breed today. PH: Are there any Goldens, past or present, which you especially admire (d)? Could you please name them and what you like (d) about these dogs. BP: As I mentioned earlier, Charlie was an early favorite. In this case, not only his soundness but also his sweet temperament and soft expression were pleasing. Also, Ready and Kirby, neither outstanding in their heads, but fronts, balance and movement to die for. From our own breeding program, Airily and Spice, both outstanding bitches with the kind of effortless movement I love. Gosh, there are so many wonderful dogs. I’ll start making a list and it will be endless. I have appreciated dogs from the Malagold lines, from Pebwin, from Rush Hill and many, many others. I really enjoyed seeing Treasure this fall. Yes, I’d pretty up her head, but her balance and correct movement are something we are losing in the breed. There seems to be a theme here, with my willingness to forgive a bit in the head or expression if all else fits smoothly.
BP: There are a lot of challenges
related to our current economy, the animal rights movement and the real need to
look to the welfare of all animals. To start, we need to become proactive about
the situation. Most citizens do not understand the issues involved. They are
prey to the rightists’ subtle agendas. Most people just want to live in a
place that is safe, and are concerned about the damage done by loose dogs,
unwanted strays, overpopulation, etc. We need to be willing to look at
compromises, to promote healthy legislation rather than just defend against bad
legislation. Not all spay/neuter ideas are anti breeder. I also think some of
the answer lies in good public outreach, education in the schools, activities
that invite Joe Public in rather than appearing exclusive and elitist. How many
of you visit local schools, parks, any public area where people can be
encouraged to come over and pet your dog and ask questions? How often does each
of you reach out to the newcomer, that person attending their very first show,
or thinking about that first puppy? Are we all really welcoming and supportive?
The days of true mentorship seem to be slipping away. I feel that the
“entities” you mention are only as strong as each of its members. It’s
easy for us to sit back and say what “they” should do, but it’s our
responsibility, not theirs.
PH: Is
there anything that I haven't touched upon where you would like to express your
thoughts and/or observations? If so please feel free to do so.
BP: Just
to say thank you for letting me share some of my thoughts with you.
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