WATCHUNG MOUNTAINS YORKSHIRE TERRIER CLUB, INC.

The N E W S L E T T E R of the
WATCHUNG MOUNTAINS
YORKSHIRE TERRIER CLUB, INC.
JANUARY 2014
Visit us at our website-http://WMYTC.org
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Editor: Terri Cuchiaro
1803 Middlebrook Rd.
Cell (732) 718-4024
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
[email protected]
In God We Trust
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Place:
Date/
Time:
Terri Cuchiaro’s Residence
Sunday, January 26
1:00 PM - Pot luck lunch!
Program: Making Fleece Tied Dog Blankets!
We will learn how to make comfortable washable lovable
blankets as this year’s fund-raiser! No sewing required!
(instructions included on last page)
Sunshine . . .
Condolences to Liz Medina on the loss of her dear ‘Abuela’, her grandmother.
Bret Walker passed away from an aneurism on December 30, 2013. He partnered with Jim Hupp under their wellknown kennel name ‘Exmoor’. Their most recent success is the #2 dog BISS GCH Exmoor’s Epitome. R.I.P.
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuit Recipe. . .
68 • Top Notch Toys, November 2013
OWNER-HANDLERS
By Kathy Ambler
t's all politics... that is what
we hear every single weekend.
Owner Handlers just don't have
a chance when there are pro
handlers in the ring. The judges
always look at the wrong end of
show potential puppy. It was very difficult. It
seems that show breeders are very leery of
people who come to dog shows saying they
want to do this too... but finally I did find a
Yorkie breeder who was willing to give me a
chance.
really feel it was the best move I ever made
Presently, I am specialing Silver GCH CH
Windfall's Dude With Attitude, "OPIE" Opie
is the #1 Havanese in the AKC Owner
Handler series and has also been a top ten
Havanese in breed all year, as well as a multi
the lead. We pay the judges for an evalua-
When I look back at my start in the show
tion of our dog and we expect the judging
ring, I have to laugh at how far I have come in
group placer and winner.
So, although I say I have been successful,
to be based on the dog's merits, but it just
such a short period of time. Of course I was a
the closest I have come to a Best In Show was
never is... it is all POLITICS.
bit younger then, skinnier too, but "skorts"
winning a group one this year. To others, I
My name is Kathy Ambler and I am an
and tee shirts with sandals, are not really
suppose what I consider success, isn't success
Owner/Breeder/Handler. I am a successful
proper professional attire for the show ring.
at all! Success, in my opinion, isn't just
one too, at least I think so! My kennel name
The first thing I noticed was that professional
measured by how much you win, but by how
is Ambler Havanese. So what separates me
attire consisted of nice dresses or suits and
many friends you have in the show world, how
from others? Why do other owner/handlers
good leather shoes! So, I went shopping.
many people ask your advice, how many stay
give up and quit completely, or hire a pro
I can t really say I had a mentor, but I do
to cheer you on when you are in the group
handler to show their dogs? Why do I feel I
learn by watching and watch I did. Every
ring, and even how many are there to help
am a successful Owner/Handler?
breed. I talked to everyone who would talk to
cheer you up when you LOSE! It is also
I started out wanting to show dogs as
me. I quickly learned that to get breeders to
success in the whelping box, having or not
a child. Unfortunately, I didn't have the
trust you, you had to listen to them, take their
having a CH in front of the parents' name does
luxury of growing up in a dog showing
advice and then show them you understood
not change what they can produce there!
family. We always had purebred dogs: a
and could do this and were serious about it. I
Producing happy, healthy puppies who also
Poodle, Pointer, Mini Schnauzer, Ameri-
went to every show I could, driving long
conform to the AKC standard is very
can Eskimo... and we had several mutts
distances and making mini vacations out of it
important. So, long ago, I decided the judges
too. But we didn't show the purebred dogs
with my husband. Soon people were beginning
were not the ones who would determine my
and didn't breed them either.
to recognize me and letting me help them
breeding plans. Maybe I realized I was
I graduated from high school and mar-
show their dogs too. I think that really boosted
actually successful when I was asked to judge
ried and had a family. I would slip away
my confidence, when other breeders let me
the sweeps at the Southern Magnolia Regional
every year to go to the dog show in Lon-
take their dogs in the ring, even if they were
Specialty, and then chosen by the Havanese
don, Ontario and would stand in awe of all
the "fillers".
Club of America members to judge the sweeps
the beautiful dogs in the rings and be jeal-
I had a bit of success with Yorkies, but
ous that I could not be out there doing the then discovered the Havanese. After finishing
same thing as a handler/owner. Of course my bred by Yorkie boy "Jesse" (Am/Can CH
at the National Specialty this year. What an
honor! I realized then that other breeders
actually felt I knew a good dog!
I would watch the Westminster Dog Show Amblers American Outlaw) under Richard
So, back to the show ring... So many times
on TV each year too. It was my dream to Beauchamp at the Mt Rainier Yorkie Specialty I read on the judge's "report card" type lists that
one day have a top five dog and be invited show and being awarded Best Bred By in So and So is political, So and So doesn't know
to compete there. My first marriage ended Show, I decided he would be my last bred by a good dog, So and So hates judging the
in divorce. When I met Richard, my hus- Yorkie and I would concentrate on the Havanese... People report that SO and SO is a
band now, I think one of the first things I Havanese. I absolutely love the Havanese breed great judge because they gave their dog the win.
told him was, "I want to breed and show and
Or they are a bad judge because they didn't
Yorkies". Together Richard and I went on
the hunt for someone who would sell me a
46
I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT TO GET BREEDERS TO TRUST YOU,
you had to listen to them, take their advice and then show them
you understood and could do this and were serious about it."
give their dog the win and they clearly had the
best dog in the ring. Unfortunately in reality,
what I have seen is owner handlers taking
their little dog in the ring like they are just
taking a stroll in their local park. They are not
"showing" their dog at all. While I don't agree
with all the artificial products used to make
the dogs "look better", and I don't do it, I do
feel you need to present your dog to the judge
as if it is the best dog he will see all day.
Show off that good rear, beautiful neck and
superb gait. Be an aggressive handler. Don't
let that pro stack their dog out in front of
yours. Go in the ring like you mean it! Smile!
Show your pride at being an Owner/Handler,
always with a positive attitude. And again...
DRESS APPROPRIATELY!
Do like I did in the beginning. Watch and
learn. How do the pros do it? They show
many dogs, an owner handler has one or two.
An Owner/Handler should know every in and
out of their dog. What bait works best, what
shampoo works best, what speed they should
be gaited at. What are your dog's faults and
what are his good points? Remember, this is
NOT a walk in the park. It is a dog SHOW.
A "newbie" will lose more than he wins. It
is a fact. WHY? Because you probably can't
SHOW your dog like a pro can. Judges have 2
minutes per dog. They cannot give you 5
minutes to try to get your dog to walk down
and back to try to see his gait. And if you
can't get your dog to gait right, chances are
you are not going to win, even if your dog
truly is the best dog in the ring that day!
So, instead of giving up and hiring a pro
handler. Watch and Learn. Dress the part.
Groom your dog. Train your dog. Show like a
If it is, and a breeder should know, SHOW IT!
pro and mean it! It is so satisfying when you
Dress and act the part. Have your dog trained
finally get the hang of it and can show like a
and groomed and be ready to go in the ring
pro and be competitive. It doesn't take 15
when it is your turn. If you have more than
years, but it does take time. It also takes
one dog, have someone helping you change
commitment. You can't put a leash on your
arm band numbers. Don't make the judge wait.
dog only on show days and expect he will
Don't rush into the ring and stress yourself and
perform like a champion. Practice, Practice,
your dog out. Know your dog's greatest points
Practice.
and SHOW them to the judge. And most of
The best tips I can give owner handlers
all, HAVE FUN! If it quits being fun, then
who are struggling and are frustrated because
you have lost perspective and you need to step
it is "POLITICS", is to pay attention. Lose the
back and figure out why it isn't fun anymore.
kennel blindness, quit making excuses. Is your
Has winning all the time become your main
dog truly the best one in the ring?
objective? Dog shows were
(Editor: B&W unprintable photo from article
was replaced with Valentino owner-handled to
BOB at the Garden)
created to evaluate breeding stock, to show
off what you have and to see what others
have. To find your next stud dog or find the
girl you want your next puppy from. It is
about breeders sharing experiences for the
betterment of the breed. Success isn't always
about the wins, remember that. If you have
the right perspective and are prepared, the
wins will come. You must have the right
attitude and show good sportsmanship, and
even when the win seems "political" and you
feel your dog should have won, congratulate
the winner! DON'T GIVE UP!! Being on the
end of the lead when your dog does win, is
absolutely the best feeling EVER! ■
TOP NOTCH TOYS, NOVEMBER 2013 • 69
All Dogs May Go to Heaven. These Days, Some Go to Hospice.
Dr. Mary Gardner, a veterinarian, co-founded an in-home pet hospice and euthanasia service called Lap of Love.
By MATT RICHTEL
Published: November 30, 2013
More and more, cats and dogs get the human treatment. There are pet spas, pet
therapists, pet clothes. And as it goes in life, so it now goes in the twilight. The
latest phenomenon: pet hospice.
Daniel Rosenbaum for The New York Times
Denise Fitzmaurice, right, brought her 4-year-old dog, Sophie, to Dr. Michele
Price’s mobile veterinary clinic for an examination.
Around the country, a growing number of veterinarians are offering hospice care,
and marketing it as a way to give cats and dogs — and their owners — a less
anxious, more comfortable passing.
The approach, in the spirit of the human variety, entails ceasing aggressive medical treatment and giving pain and
even anti-anxiety drugs. Unlike in hospice care for humans, euthanasia is an option — and in fact, is a big part of
this end-of-life turn. When it’s time, the vet performs it in the living room, bedroom or wherever the family feels
comfortable.
That’s a big part of the job, the vets say, relieving pet owner guilt, giving them an emotional bridge to a pet’s death,
and letting them grieve at home — rather than in a clinic or animal shelter. The intimacy carries a premium,
sometimes costing 25 percent or more than euthanasia in a clinic. Vets, and their customers, say it can be worth it.
“They’re in their own environment, not only the pet but the owners,” said Dr. Mary Gardner, co-founder of Lap of
Love, a Florida-based company that is one of the leaders in a small but growing market. “They’re allowed to have
other animals present, other cats or dogs present, other children,” added Dr. Gardner, who refers to a pet’s owner as
its “mom” or “dad,” and has since relocated her own practice to Los Angeles. “I’ve been to some homes where they
had barbecues for that dog, and invited me and the neighbors, and the dog was the man of the hour.”
Lap of Love’s business has blossomed since 2010 from two providers to more than 68 vet partners in 18 states. The
International Association for Animal Hospice and Palliative Care, a group started in 2009, now has 200 members,
mostly vets, but also several family therapists, lawyers and an animal sanctuary in Northern California that takes in
and provides holistic healing and hospice for terminally ill and elderly pets.
“There is a formal end-of-life movement, a formal hospice movement,” said Dr. Eden Myers, a veterinarian in
Kentucky who runs JustVetData.com, which tracks industry trends. Of the providers who do this, she said: “They’re
everywhere.”
Dr. Amir Shanan, a vet in Chicago who started the International Association for Animal Hospice, described the
movement as growing, but still not mainstream; veterinary schools are only now embracing the idea. “There are
skeptics out there,” he said. “But 20 years ago, there was almost no one other than skeptics, and that’s changing
rapidly.”
There are no formal standards for this hospice care, and Dr. Shanan said there was a debate about what those
standards should look like. “The core of the debate is who is to decide when is the right time to euthanize, if at all,”
he said, noting that some hospice supporters advocate giving pets palliative care until they die naturally, as in
human hospice.
Hospice and in-home euthanasia are different things. Their growth is owing to similar factors, says Dr. Myers,
including a growing acceptance of hospice for humans, as well as cellphones, laptops and online marketing that
make mobile vet services easier to operate. Plus, she said, more vets offer the services as a business alternative to the
high cost of starting and maintaining a traditional clinic.
“And,” she added, “you’ve got people willing to spend scads of money on their pets.”
For pet owners, the financial implications of this end-of-life movement cut two ways. In one light, hospice can be
seen as reducing the cost of aggressive medical care, or it can be seen as its own version of aggressive comfort care,
at least when compared to euthanizing a pet sooner.
A hospice or euthanasia visit from Lap of Love generally costs $200 or $250, including drugs. Euthanasia at a clinic
typically runs less, though prices vary widely, and is even less at a nonprofit shelter, like a local animal shelter. Some
pet owners say costs are irrelevant given the peace of mind — their own.
“It was more for me than him,” said Jan Dorr, a bookkeeper in Boca Raton, Fla., who was an early Lap of Love
customer in 2010. She’d spent $5,000 on chemotherapy for her chocolate lab, Darby, but the dog’s health continued
to fail. When she heard about the idea of pet hospice, her reaction was positive; a year earlier, her own father died
after a positive hospice experience. She called Dr. Gardner, who helped make Darby comfortable by increasing his
pain medications, and giving Ms. Dorr a checklist of ways to recognize when it was time to let go, such as when
Darby stopped eating, walking or interacting.
When Darby’s condition worsened just days later, the vet returned to perform euthanasia. Ms. Dorr lay down on her
bed with Darby, hugging him. “She let me say when,” Ms. Dorr said, referring to the vet’s final injection. It was far
preferable, she said, to the alternative: “I just couldn’t get it into my head to put him on a steel table in a cold room
and let him go.”
Kathryn D. Marocchino, a professor of death and dying at California State University in Vallejo, who in 1996
founded the Nikki Hospice Foundation for Pets, said the end-of-life movement for pets addressed what she
described as a “sense of coercion” faced by owners of sick pets forced to decide between aggressive treatment or
euthanasia. She said that her group got calls from people thanking them, and saying things like: “Where were you
30 years ago? They made me kill my dog.”
Dr. Michele Price, a veterinarian in Northern Virginia whose in-home end-of-care business has doubled since 2009
to 20 percent of her practice, got a call recently about an ailing Labrador named Champ. She’d first seen the dog in
August when his owners thought it was time to euthanize. But when Dr. Price got to the house, Champ was doing
O.K., and she and the family decided on hospice treatment and pain meds. Later, Champ took a sharp downward
turn and couldn’t walk. Dr. Price returned and they set up for the euthanasia.
Champ was on a quilt next to the fireplace when Dr. Price administered the initial sedation. “They hugged him, and
told him what a good dog he was. They said, ‘We love you’ and ‘We’ll miss you,’ ” Ms. Price said of the dog’s owners.
As for Champ, “He fell asleep. That’s the last thing he remembered.”
OLD DOG
Barbara Jean Andrews
The old dog waits beside the lane, his clouded eyes dull with pain.
Muzzle frosted, tail unwound, but ears alert for any sound.
Expectantly he tests the breeze as the broad chest labors, lungs a-wheeze.
He shifts his weight from paw to paw and I wonder what he thinks he saw.
Did he imagine an overdue friend - or is that a shadow there in the bend?
The old dog’s gaze is suddenly keen on something only his eyes have seen.
The weakened spine no longer sags as tempo increasing, his back end wags!
I fear my eyes will over strain from searching down that empty lane.
Dust motes dance in the noonday sun as the old dog moves to greet someone.
Someone or something? I cannot see! But it’s surely here with old dog and me.
His head is higher than it’s been in years and I savor the taste of happy tears
As the light grows brighter around my dog and years roll away like morning fog.
He’s young and strong and whole again, gaiting powerfully, sure to win
Another heart, another show. And then, and then – the light departs.
My eyes could stay forever sealed but cannot deny what I know is real.
The illusion lies in sifting dust. An old dog gone where old dogs must.
I pray that he can hear my song in that place where all my friends have gone.
My gaze returns to his lifeless shell and a curtain of sadness I can not quell…
Comes down. Oh, not for the dog who now is free but for me. For me.
%%%%%
Adopted dog treks 10 miles in freezing cold back to shelter to be with his beloved mate
Ben (left) and Jade (right) are canine sweethearts. Photo: Tribune Star
Two stray dogs met on the streets of Terre Haute and fell in love. Ben, a 4.5 year old mixed
breed and Jade, a 1-year-old German Shepherd mix were well known in the Indiana
community. Good Samaritans made sure the pair had food, but when Jade became pregnant
last summer, the Terre Haute Humane Society caught them and brought them to the shelter.
The bonded pair were kept together and when Jade had her puppies, she stayed in a foster
home until the puppies could be adopted out. The new mother and father were reunited back
at the shelter until Courtney and Jason Lawler decided they wanted to adopt Ben.
They had him for about three weeks when he ran away to find his beloved mate. He trekked 10 miles through freezing cold
until he found his way back to Jade at the shelter a day later.
Although Ben clearly wanted to reunite with Jade, he also knew the shelter workers wanted to catch him and were using Jade
to lure him out, Kali Skinner, of the Humane Society, explained to the Tribune Star. While he wanted desperately to be with
his mate, he did not want to get caught, either. Shelter workers tried four hours on Sunday to get him — even using Jade as
bait. “He knew it was a trap,” Skinner said. Jade was inside a fence, and Ben was out. She must have been warning him,
because he would not go inside. He did, however, “kiss her through the fence,” said Skinner, one of several who worked
feverishly to capture the street-savvy Ben.
The shelter workers renewed their efforts on Monday, New Year’s Eve, and finally used a dart gun to tranquilize and slow him
down, although he put up a long, hard fight once again and it took another several hours before they captured him. When
the bonded pair saw each other, they were overjoyed. When Courtney and Jason learned what Ben had done, they knew
then that Jade had to become part of their family too. "He'd keep getting loose if we took him and not her," Courtney told
NBC2 News.
“The story, the emotion and the energy it took to track this fellow and get him back to the shelter was amazing to witness,”
wrote Sue Berta, a shelter volunteer, who helped recapture Ben, a carmel-colored German Shepherd and husky mix.
On Thursday, the Lawlers took the re-united couple home. Ben likes to hide under a bed, while Jade lies on a mat beside him.
Both are shy animals uncomfortable around strangers, and the Lawlers hope to receive assistance from a shelter volunteer
trained to work with such animals. “It will take a lot of time and patience in working with them,” Courtney Lawler said.
She described Ben as “content and happy because he has Jade,” while Jade “still has a lot of puppy to her.”
Ben and Jade "want to be together" said Debbie Floyd, president of the Humane Society board. "There hasn’t been a lot of
human love in their lives. They found love with each other and that’s what makes them happy…Hopefully, they will live their
lives happily ever after."
%%%%%
Authorities are asking for the public's help in finding the person(s) responsible for dumping a Yorkshire Terrier on the side of a
snowy road in an upstate New York town on Friday morning.
A passer-by driving in the Town of Kent spotted the small dog huddling in a small black
metal pet crate on a snowy patch of property just off the side of the road near the
intersection of White Pond Road and Farmers Mills Road. The Good Samaritan
contacted Kent Police Department, who in turn called an animal control officer, who
retrieved the dog at around 7am on December 27, 2013. The abandoned dog is estimated
to be between 4 to 6 years old and is un-neutered. The Putnam County SPCA said that
anyone with any information on the dog or how he came to be abandoned can call them
at 845-520-6915. Calls can remain anonymous.
Putnam County SPCA wrote on their Facebook page, "Thank you to all of those who
have expressed an interest in adopting the Yorkie from the abandonment case yesterday.
As of now, the dog is not available for adoption as we continue our investigation.”
Abandonment of animals in New York State is a misdemeanor crime punishable by imprisonment for not more than one year,
or by a fine of more than $1000 or by a combination of both.
SHOW AND TELL . . .
Liz Medina’s ‘Hailay’ Desire York won
Dec 7-8, Winners Bitch/Best Opposite Sex both days at the Oaks PA shows! (one dog shy of a major!)
Hailay is now singled out (has all her single points) and looking for those elusive and rare majors!
BISS Silver GCH Carasel’s
V al e nt i no
CGC and Terri Cuchiaro
Dec 7-8, Best of Breed at both Oaks PA shows, well-attended for two more GCH majors. ALSO OwnerHandled Best of Breed AND on Saturday – OH Toy Group 1 Winner !! and on Sunday, OH Toy Group 3 !!
# 9 Yorkshire Terrier in the country as of November Canine Chronicle Breed statistics! Always Ownerhandled and shown in a tight north-east region only! To whatever judge we get we show our best!
# 1 Yorkshire Terrier in the country in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series 2013 & 2012!
LITTERING . . . Meet Kathy Joback’s ‘Keurig’! (on left) “Ivorilace Brew The Love”
th
And below is a photo of Terri Cuchiaro’s litter at 6 weeks: a 4 generation
of Carasel! GCH CH Carasel’s Beladora X CH Tyava’s Tuffer Than Tuff
New way to help ears stand up . . .
Thanks to Kathy Joback for sharing a tip she learned about. She says, take a Breathe-Right nose strip (they have glue on one
side with a center staid), cut it in half and place on the inside of the ear with wide end at the bottom. To assist the strip in
staying in place for 5-7 days, add some Torbot bonding cement.
Instructions for Fleece Tied Blanket:
Supplies:
1. You will need 2 pieces of fleece Fabric at least 40
inches or wider (most are 54 inches)
Toddler/Crib Size: 1 1/2 yards of each piece of
fleece, the print and the solid
Child size 1 3/4 yards of each piece
Teen/Adult size 2 yards of each piece
(TC: Small Dog–I’m guessing 2 feet will make 2)
2. Sharp Scissors or I use a Fiskars Rotary Cutter
and Cutting Mat, so much faster!
3. Ruler or tape measure (I’m using a Fiskars 3×18
Clear Acrylic Quilting Ruler)
Instructions:
STEP 1: Lay both pieces of fabric on the floor with the WRONG
sides touching. (The right sides will be facing out so you
can see them) Carefully trim away any of the seam edges.
This is also to make the edges of both fabrics match up.
TIP: It is easiest to cut BOTH pieces of fabric at the same
time.
STEP 2: Once your edges are straight, cut a 4 in x 4 in square
from each corner, do this on all 4 corners, again cutting both
pieces of fabric at the same time.
STEP 3: Using your rotary cutter or scissors, cut 4 in deep
strips at 1 inch widths apart all the way down each side, again
cutting both pieces of fabric at the same time. Tip: The strips
of fringe don’t have to be exactly 1 inch, you can eyeball it, but
just try to make them basically the same width.
STEP 4: Once all of your fringe is cut, you can start tying hand
knots. I tie using a square knot. Make sure not to skip any
strips or you will have a mess on your hands. (Alternate
method: If you’d like your fringe to alternate colors along
the edge, you can tie every other one, flip the blanket,
then go back through and tie the remaining fringe.)
http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/blog/2011/12/
no-sew-fleece-tie-blanket-tutorial.html
...
Terri Cuchiaro, Editor
1803 Middlebrook Rd.
Bound Brook, NJ 08805
Officers:
Terri Cuchiaro, President
st
Claudia Pierro, 1 Vice-Pres.
nd
Tom Becker, 2 Vice-Pres.
Gary Vega, Treasurer
Lizeth Medina, Secretary
1296 Millstone River Rd
Hillsborough, NJ 08844-4729
Board of Directors:
Tom Pierro, Class of 2014
Anthony Pollio, Class of 2014
Elaine Pollio, Class of 2014
Diane Stanley, Class of 2016
Jim Stanley, Class of 2016