I Love Dolly Parton. However…..

I was going to do a book review, but last night I watched Dolly Parton’s Pet Gala on CBS, and, having worked with dogs (for almost 60 years…Yikes!), it was the train wreck I could not ignore, I guess I could go online & find out which idiots were responsible for producing this, but it doesn’t really matter. They weren’t dog lovers, that’s for sure!
Dolly—& the entertainers who performed—- were marvelous. I liked the vignette she did on dogs trained to help the physically disabled (they were from Canine Companions for Independence, a well known nonprofit which supplies trained dogs for free to those who need them),

This show could have been so much better without the dog fashion show. You know, capitalism doesn’t exist to meet needs—-it creates ‘wants’. you see it, you want it.

I have owned sighthounds for over 40 years, and unless we have a measurable windchill, my Salukis and Whippets (& now, a lurcher who looks sorta like a Greyhound) go out without coats. They have never shivered. A sweater is a fashion statement, If they need coats (we fanciers tend to call them ‘blankets’—like racing dogs wear). we buy garments to protect them from the chill.

It was sad to see so many obviously stressed out dogs dressed up in glorified doll clothes. Clothes made of satin and lace, with embellishment doodads. All these ‘garments’ would need professional dry-cleaning—using poisonous chemicals….but who thinks of that? I know, I’m a curmudgeon. Chemicals? Seriously? Yes.

You could see by their expressions and body language that these were not ‘happy’ dogs that had confidence. Even the dogs ‘cuddled’ in the audience were overwhelmed. You could tell that (for the most part) these were not ‘show dogs’.

Why do I even mention showdogs? Because dogs that are used to being ‘shown’ are used to strange situations, smells, and noises. If you’ve never been to a dog show, go! The noise you’ll hear will be from blow dryers (I kid you not) being used by obsessive people grooming at the show. You won’t, for the most part, hear barking. It’s funny going to an obedience or other performance trial, seeing the rows of crates & dogs lining up to go into the ring…no noise.

I saw a Pumi (the ears gave the breed away), a Saluki (wearing a ridiculous outfit), what I thought was a Barbet (not wearing clothes, but brushed out, big, black, and wide, that I’m sure was being mistaken for a Doodle of some sort). I saw Asian Fusion trims on Maltese & Yorkies. None of these dogs looked like they were having a good time, In 1 segment when someone was reading, and all the dogs were on mats ( down/stays—in obedience talk), the Afghan got up and walked off the stage. The other dogs held their stays, but I’m sure the Afghan had had enough.

I’m sure most people thought all these dogs were cute, and might have learned something. They were entertained by humans, but it could have been so much better. A trainer could have done a bit on teaching off leash walking, or directing a dog to go away to a target. They could have shown barn hunt, water eetrieving, explained dock diving and scentwork. They could have done something on agility, and lure coursing, They could have given a grooming demonstration showing all the different brushes, combs, and what works on different types of coats! Sure, they can do it again—but will they insist on the dog fashion show?

I know, I’m not their market. Older teenagers and college girls are the ones buying dog dresses. I’m sure their are no college loans. They won’t be going out drinking instead of saving money for a home. Thinking about that is merely irritating. Thinking these women thought the dogs were having fun because their owners are into fashion or pseudo fashion? This is how things fall apart.

I’m Not a Breeder—My (pet) Just Had Babies: It’s a Miracle (of Greed)

Lies Dog Breeders Tell

The irony of this: notice all the ‘ads’ for puppies! Just exactly what this post warns about….

419 Online Sellers/ Scammers (particularly of puppies & kittens)

This is a photo of a Maltese I groomed, and it’s been stolen & recopied by scammers.

Ok, I’m not sure how this happened—-obviously a algorithm thing, but I started getting posts from a FB feed: Bad Breeder and Scammers List, and I am appalled that people can’t find ethical fanciers/hobby breeders by a Google search. At least I think I figured out why, and why buyers are getting scammed..

Before I get into how scammers scam and get away with it, are you old enough to remember Nigerian Princes and estranged wives of African leaders whose millions were tied up and couldn’t be released except to an American bank account? Have you ever used a dating site? Well, this is a succinct description of how it works: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/419eater.com This page goes into detail (just 1 well designed page) .

It started with the bank thing, moved on to dating sites (all a guy has to say is that he’s a Christian, and lonely, rich, vulnerable women fall for the most inane bs), but hasn’t seemed to gotten to Amazon—maybe because they ask for bona fide banking info before allowing you to misrepresent what you sell. The scammers moved on to selling pets. Well—actually, in many cases, not delivering anything. They say they will send you a puppy. Just send them money via Zelle or a gift card. Some rich naive trusting souls have been scammed more than once. Baffling that people could be so stupid.

They post a lot on Facebook : Labrador Retrievers for Adoption and Rehoming ( put your breed and puppies into the FB search & see what comers up). Many designer dogs breeders, but also slapped together FB pages of sellers who’ve stolen photos (the photos of dogs that many fanciers own), and in some cases spoofed whole web pages, merely changing the name & email.

During COVID, when I was at home, i checked out 1 such scammer who posted on Craigslist. He listed his website. Never mind that pet sales are not allowed on Craigslist. Craigslist is run by libertarians who expect the community to ‘flag’ fraudulent & illegal posts. If you read their posting rules & list of prohibited items, they’re pretty clear about what isn’t allowed. However, it’s just to cover the company ass; you can’t sue Craigslist if you fell for a scam. If you had read the rules, you would have been warned.

In any case, this guy selling English Bulldogs set up a classy website. Nothing about why he was breeding dogs. All were photos of the parent dogs & their puppies. Some of the parent dogs had AKC names, so I Googled those names and found the dogs to be owned by others. In any case, although there was a contact email (gmail) in the website, & what credit cards the scammer took, no physical address. Not even a town or closest airport. I can understand not putting an address in…but how about the city or town where you’re located? i contacted the web host & told them why I thought the site was a scam, and they took it down. But I know he was a drop in the bucket. He probably put up another website. Like playing whack-a-mole.

It is a huge industry in Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Russia, China to flimflam Americans—& we’re so easy to flim flam. They steal photos of hunky guys & post on dating sites and have really good backs stories. They post on Facebook, Craigslist, anywhere you can post for free. They steal photos and whole web pages, just changing the contact info. They pay for SEO search terms. Thus, if you’re looking for a particular kind of dogs, the places where they sell come up first on Google search engines.

So, a buyer is looking for, say, a Labrador Retriever. Her ‘key word search’ is ‘Labrador Retriever Puppies’. This is what came up for me:https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=labrador+Retriever+puppies+

I was happy to see “AKC Marketplace” in top, but if you open the page, you will find many commercial breeders, not necessarily ”Breeders of Merit”. The AKC only cares about registration, not genetic soundness. A site called “Puppies.com” and commercial kennels also come up. The parent club contact is embedded in the AKC Marketplace page, but from experience, I know that the link may lead to nothing, Why doesn’t the Labrador Retriever Club of America 
Home – The Labrador Retriever Club, Inc.thelabradorclub.com website come up on the 1st Google page? The club doesn’t pay for key words. Maybe they don’t think it’s a problem.

I next Googled “Yorkshire Terrier Puppies”. Again, AKC marketplace comes up. Yes, they are AKC registered, but you see that most of the parent dogs are not AKC champions. A link to the parent club, again, is embedded. keep scrolling, and many many links come up to commercial breeders, but you wouldn’t know the parent club: http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubofamerica.org/ exists.

I’m sure that if you buy a dog off AKC marketplace, you will get a puppy. Will it be free of liver shunt, juvenile cataracts, & luxated patellas? These issues are not mentioned. The site is so breeders can sell puppies.

i googled “Afghan Hound Puppies,” & again the AKC marketplace is #1. Very good, AKC, & I see most of the breeders are ‘Breeders of Merit,” & the parent club comes up on the first page!

But again, I suggest you Google your breed.

Now, since the AKC marketplace comes up 1st or near 1st, why are people still getting bamboozled? Facebook marketplace & Craigslist.

I know that we can’t protect people from their own naivete or laziness, but if you are a dog fancier, and you care about your breed, do a little research & make sure people looking for your breed can find actual; fanciers who love your breed enough to follow the breed standard & do all the genetic CERF tests.

The Fate of Dog Shows & ‘The Fancy’

I assume most people don’t know how a dog show comes together & how we pull it off. It’s sort of like planning a wedding, except we try to make money on the event.

These days, clubs make money by charging a parking fee, charging for a place to set-up grooming (about half the size of a parking space), booth space for vendors (usually selling grooming supplies, dog beds, and suits for women)and FASTCAT (dogs have to run 100 yards—-I don’t think it proves anything, but the dogs enjoy it and we make money).

We lose money on paying for judges: their meals & hotels, paying the superintendent (who provides the show catalogue, the rings, tables, 1st aid kits, ribbons (imprinting is not cheap), paying for the venue, insurance, and just holding the show.

Judges aren’t allowed to judge more than 175 dogs per day, but these days, unless people of a particular breed find the judge very knowledgeable, there is no danger of the judge drawing the limit. So, we don’t make money on conformation (the ‘beauty contest part) unless we also have a sweepstakes—& then we make money if people don’t show up: the money goes back to the club treasury.

When you come right down to it, Dog shows are not a money maker, However, we who do performance are the ugly stepchildren. People come to dog shows want to see dogs do something other than run around a ring. We all started with obedience or performance (rally, agility, nosework, etc) but for some reason, the Professional Handlers hold sway. We make room for them because they represent multiple owners. However, most s dogs are shown by their owners (or breeders). Does it really make sense to pander to the pros when regular folks are keeping the sport afloat? I don’t think so.

In any case, for those who smirk and think this is a ‘first world problem’ and we should all be rescuing dogs….many of us are involved in rescue—but you’re asking those of us who haven’t cause the problem of surplus pets to solve a problem others are causing—& off the hook for.

You’re al;so asking us to take any random dog, whether we can’t handle the size or grooming , or temperament should be of no consequence. they aren’t all 4 legs & a tail. We choose our breeds because we find them easy to live with. I just want those involved in our sport to think twice when they eliminate performance. You are killing the fancy.

Fake Service Dogs

I got myself banned recently from a Facebook feed because I dared to tell a woman her ‘Emotional Support Animal’ is NOT A SERVICE DOG,–& that a shrink bamboozled her.

Ok, I went too far: i shouldn’t have told her a license psychologist was a fraud—but here we are: a lot of them are pandering, writing letters on letterhead, so they look official. These ‘care givers’ know nothing about dog training, but are pandering to neurotics who want pets & want to be treated as though they are special.

Some service dogs DO provide ’emotional support’—like to victims of PTSD, but they often do it in a physical way: by leaning, by guiding, by standing between their owner and someone they don’t trust. They are trained to do that. You can’t train just any dog to be a service dog, There are evaluating tests dog trainers use to determine which dogs are possibly suitable. Because—even after evaluation and training, some dogs just don’t cut it. They are usually given away as pets.

‘Emotional Support Animals’ are not given any training. In fact, neurotics are allowed to buy any dog they want and claim the dog provides a service of emotional support.

Because there is so much confusion CAUSED BY UNETHICAL PSYCHOLOGISTS, there are guidelines for how to determine what a service dog does to provide service, and we are allowed to ask, “What service does this dog provide?” Some sense seizures coming on. Some guide the blind or alert the deaf. Some pull wheelchairs. Years ago, I had a friend with cerebral palsy. She didn’t need a wheelchair, but she was definitely spastic and unsteady on her feet. By a miracle, she acquired an Afghan Hound who recognized his owner’s issues, and he was her ‘steadier’. This was before anyone even thought that dogs could do this.

In the case where I offended the woman and the site administrators, the woman wanted to go on a cruise with her ‘ESA’ and the cruise line wouldn’t allow it, and she wondered how to get around this because she could not leave the dog alone! Seems that she made the dog neurotic and the dog now had separation anxiety! Some service dog!

I know a lot of dog trainers because dog training is my hobby, and they get calls all the time from people who’ve bought a random dog and want the dog trained to be an Emotional Support Dog—which they are confusing with a service dog. There’s less than a 50/50 chance that the random dog can be a service dog—but here’s how you get an emotional support animal that will protect you and not be a menace to society: You train the dog.

If you’ve never trained a dog, we start with what we call basic ‘novice’ obedience. The dog learns to walk on a leash without pulling, and to sit. We also teach the dog to come when called, stand, lay down. and ignore other dogs. If you have trained a dog to off leash reliability, you might want to start with a rally class, as it’s more interesting and fun. No matter where you start, you want to teach your dog the basics. This takes patience and persistence. The interesting thing is that by attempting to communicate with the dog, and succeeding, you’re creating an emotional bond with the dog, You get a trained dog, YOU gain confidence, your mind is off your grief or other emotional issues, and everyone’s happy.

And—-to prove you’ve trained the dog—-get a Canine Good Citizen certificate. You can google this—& where a local evaluator is. 1 test. Takes about an hour, and the dog doesn’t ohave to be purebred. You’ve proved you have control at least on a leash. If you’re ambitions, you can go for a ‘Rally Novice’ and /or Beginner Novice title. You go to AKC trials. Some clubs offer 2 chances in a day (you just need 3 qualifying scores), you get a certificate from the AKC, & you’ve proven onleash control.

Rob Engelking, GSP Breeder, Field Trial Judge, & Great Guy

I was going to post 1 of my regular rants today, but I learned last night that Rob died. It wasn’t a shock. What was a shock was that he had hung on for as long as he did. Hhe had been in declining health for about a decade, the last few years being terrible. He was diabetic and had other stomach issues. He couldn’t see. He had neuropathy, and couldn’t feel his hands or feet.

His long time companion, Gilly Rank, took care of him and managing Kings Kennels for the last several years.

When I closed my own grooming business in 2006, I has wanted to work for him, but his sister, Diana, ‘managed’ the kennel and grooming until her death in 2013, and wasn’t interested in any nonfamily coming in.. Rob mostly trained hunting dogs, and he had obedience training clients and had basic obedience and handling classes in the evening.

When Diane died, Rob knew he needed more help. His mother, Marianne, couldn’t manage, and Melissa was in school, so he worked with Gilly. They hired me in 2017 when they thought they’d lose their other groomer (and as it happens in so many cases, when a groomer gives notice, Debbie was there when they hired me and the next day decided she couldn’t afford to move out of state).

I had started grooming in the late 1960’s, learning from hobby breeders. Back them, EVERYONE who had a grooming business was a fancier: either handling dogs at shows, breeding, training for performance, or grooming. Things changed. As time went on, fewer and fewer of my employers had any dog experience. They just loved dogs. Loving dogs is not enough if you don’t want to learn about dog conformation, coat types, dog physiology and psychology and training methods.

I was working part time for the Machados, breeders of the top winning Morninglow Coton de Tulear, and they told me Rob was looking for help.

It was a dream job, really. Rob and his father had built the kennel. There was radiant heat in the floors, and the dog runs were huge. Also, they were double fenced. Climbers were put in inner runs (around an enclosed court). You could eat off the floor in this kennel. He also had several huge paddock areas for dogs to really run. it wasn’t pretty. like a lot of places that offer dog daycare—BUT IT WAS SAFE.

Many dog clubs took advantage of the spacious grounds, Weekend were filled with club activities. There were matches and training. For years, Lincolnwood Dog Training Club for German Shepherds trained Schutzhund at Kings.

Rob was incredibly easy to get along with. He helped as much as he could. He was practical. We groomed a lot of retired showdogs, so our clients were picking. We had everything an experienced groomer could want. We had a Primo bathing system so we didn’t have to dilute bottles and bottles of shampoo. We had 2 Edemco ‘groomrooms’—enclosed cages with blowers attached—-particularly helpful for large dogs (we groomed an amazing number of Newfoundlands)..

What did us in was…consumer stupidity. We didn’t offer dog daycare because it’s dangerous. Dogs get injured all the time and it’s a great way to spread parasites and diseases. We offered dayborading: individual play. But you know, the buyers of designer dogs have this fantasy that their dogs play all day in daycare. Some do. Some dogs are bullies, and some are bullied.

In any case, because we didn’t offer daycare, we didn’t get a lot of new clients unless they were picky about grooming. The kennel was also affected by the economic collapse right before Obama was elected…and never totally recovered. COVID was the nail in that coffin: our clientele was upscale, and many traveled frequently. That ended. Grooming really slowed. I was about to retire, anyways.

Also, the land appreciated more than anyone could possibly imagine. It was less than a mile from a Tri-state Tollway interchange. Discover, the credit card company, opened a huge campus right behind the kennel land. They wanted kennel land for …parking. They were made an offer the Engelkings could not refuse.

Rob was a real dog lover, and I’ll miss him. He had a lot of integrity, which a lot of people in the pet industry don’t have. Yes,. the fancy is part of the pet industry. Rest in Peace, Rob.

Why Was I Driving During a Snowstorm?

When Kevin called the meeting about 3 weeks ago, there was always the possibility of a snowstorm. I had not attended the last club meeting, out in the western suburbs, because for some reason, they chose the time during rush hour, and the only way I could have gotten to the meeting, theoretically an hour away, would have been to leave at least 2 hours early. Then, the weather was windy and rainy.The problem is that our club members are scattered in about a 100 mile radius (I know, weird), and really, Zoom would be the practical way to do this—but some members believe people aren’t attentive on Zoom: they do other things.

So? You should be at any of our meetings. there’s always side conversation.

This meeting was particularly important.

As backstory to why I even care…. without ethical hobby breeders breeding dogs and doing the research to make sure they aren’t breeding crippled dogs, even mixed breed dogs would be having issues. In America, mixed breeds aren’t pariah dogs—they are mixes of purebreds. In fact, the irony is, most mixes and what we call ‘designer dogs’ are less healthy (in the 21st century) than purebreds….because pet owners don’t think they are breeders when they let their dogs breed.

I am a member of 4 dog clubs; kennel clubs. I AM NOT SHOWING A DOG. I became a member of Northshore Dog Training Club, a club over 70 years old, because it is a nonprofit club, and once you’re a member ($20 a year) you can do 6 week training sessions for $50 per session. You may or may not get a good trainer if you sign up with a business, like a pet store or dog daycare that offers training, but if you really want to get your dog under control, you’re not going to do it in 6 weeks. You have to keep training, More—in a club, you will be mentored by other trainers who take dog training seriously, and help you. You may be confusing your dog and not know it. With other dog trainers observing you, you, it helps. The last dog I titled I acquired as a 7-year-old adult who had been returned to her breeder. She was housebroken and could walk on a leash without pulling, sit for a cookie, and that was it. Since I had trained other dogs, I did not start her in basic obedience, I started her in Rally. Rally is a different type of training from obedience, and not many businesses offer rally training. In two years, I put 3 titles on this dog, and she and I learned to communicate.

I am a member of the Greater Chicago Whippet Club, but my dogs are either too large or too old to race. For those who believe racing is cruel—-you can’t make a dog run. Many people have gotten retired racing Greyhounds. The breeders have always given these dogs away, but the do-gooders who have no idea what they’re talking about think non running dogs are killed. They aren’t if they’re healthy. Greyhounds are delightful dogs….but I am digressing. My dogs are Whippets, and our racing is non-paramutuel—no betting allowed. We just race for points and prizes. None of our members are currently showing a dog in conformation or performance (obedience, rally. agility, barn hunt) and we have no breeders in our club. The breeders seem to believe we are a racing club only. Yet, because we are an AKC club, and we all love Whippets and support the breed, we ‘support’ the entry at certain shows by offering prizes.

At most dog shows, you only win an acetate ribbon in the classes. There are only big prizes, including cash awards, if your dog isn’t eliminated and goes on to group competition. So, we offer class prizes to support an entry. The whippet breeders in our area know all this, but they don’t join because they don’t want to attend 2 meeting a year. We also sponsor race practice, have run AKC FASTCAT (not even a competition, a certificate program) and refer people looking for whippets to those breeders and to WRAP: Whippet Rescue and Placement.

I am a member of the American Whippet Club—the ‘parent’ club. I’m a member to support the breed, get the newsletter, and get notices of shows….even though I am not showing a dog.

And—I am a member of Skokie Valley Kennel Club-–an all-breed club. I joined to be a member of an all breed club to support dog shows and because, when I joined, we offered ‘performance’ at our shows…but due to having to change our venue (long story, but renting a space for a day or 2 for $10,000 plus insurance….and not making money on parking—which is what a lot of clubs do—-), we had to come up with a different plan.

When you plan an AKC dog show (I’m sure this must be true for UKC as well), you have to have your dates, location,and judges panel approved by the AKC. We used to partner with another kennel club, and circumstances changed. We are looking for another club or clubs to partner with. Venues and insurance have gotten outrageously expensive. An added complication is that we can’t have a show on the same day as another club if they are within 200 miles of us (for performance, within 100 miles of our event).

I won’t digress about how the new International Kennel Club (not a club, but a business) did at their first show, but not being able to charge for parking, they decided to charge $25 to the public to get into the show. I was shocked, but they got a ‘gate’ of 12,000 by doing great publicity. They got feature coverage on both Fox News and CBS. Thus they grossed on spectators alone $300,000!

Knowing that a dog show in our (Chicago) area costs about $20,000 to ‘execute’ (we rent equipment from a dog show superintendent, pay for a dye for ribbons, buy other prizes for group and best-in-show, pay judges & for their hotels, and food, ads in publications and Facebook), and we have to give deposits before we make money, unless we charge vendors for space, and charge for reserved grooming spots (oh, yes— people with multiple entries want & insist on enough space to do grooming), usually we just break even. We are desperate to get specialty (breed) clubs to support our shows, but since our dates have moved (either the price of the venue went up or some other interest took out date for the venue), we are recalculating. We were all shocked that International KC did that well at the gate, but no matter. Some people can afford to take their kids to a dog show. What does a baseball, basketball, or football game cost for a family? We have to compare ourselves to that. Even though I would consider watching conformation BORING…what are we watching? Dogs standing around, then running around a ring…All breed dog shows are an opportunity to meet hobby breeders and fanciers and learn about our breeds. We even have a ‘Meet the Breeds’ area, where people sit with their dogs and the public can ask about our dogs without bumping into everyone.

And why dog shows? What’s amazing is that so many fanciers of various breeds could agree on standards of excellence for their breeds, sponsor competitions so independent judges can judge (& at specialties, even offer critiques), so when we buy a Whippet…it doesn’t look like a Pit bull or bull terrier. The fancy is dying. Our children are not interested in breeding dogs. We are amazed that people are able to sell Doodles and Pitskies and Schnoodles and Maltipoos—-and really the buyers have no idea what they are getting. The benefit of purebreds is, for the most part, predictability. Rarely does a purebred BRED BY HOBBY BREEDER WITH INTEGRITY, mature to be grossly over or undersize, or have an aberrant coat or temperament. Hobby breeders with integrity also do testing to make sure they dogs they breed don’t have genetic defects.

So, we needed a quorum to discus a change of show dates, a change in our by-laws, and a few other ‘bread-and-butter’ issues. For example, we pay $300 a month for a storage unit filled with junk, some of which we have to keep, and some we can get rid of. We need a judge selection committee, we need an event committee to deal with logistics, that kind of thing.

Because the club vice-president had to talk to the superintendent & officers of another club that was holding what we call a cluster of dogs shows at the Lake County (Illinois) fairgrounds, about three miles away, he chose a s restaurant for the meeting. The restaurant was ‘Mission BBQ’ (a chain, and the food was very good) which is in Gurnee Mills, not far from Great America ammusment park (closed in the winter, so in theory, traffic wasn’t a problem), & this venue is at Rt. 132 and Hunt Club Rd.

I am telling you this because I am going to tell you my route.

It started snowing early in the morning this Saturday. Our meeting was called for 5:00p,m, and our VP wanted us to meet at this dog show at about 3:00 after Best in Show (though I was told the show was still going on at 4:30). I didn’t go to the show because I’ve been to enough dog shows, and I didn’t want to pay for parking.

What I did was first, go to see my sister in Lake Forest. I took Sheridan Rd (start at Sheridan and Touhy if you’re looking at a map), took Sheridan to Tower, Tower over to Green Bay, Green Bay Rd north to Lake Cook (Highland Park), got on Rt. 41 north to Rt.60, west almost to US94 (Tristate Tollway: my sister lives in Conway Farms subdivision). I left around 1:30 and didn’t get to her house until just before 3. NONE OF THE ROADS WERE PLOWED AND IT WAS STILL SNOWING.

I discussed the best route to take to the restaurant with my brother-in-law, because I wasn’t sure where I could get Hunt Club Rd. If you go to Antioch, Hunt Club is just a mile from US94 but 10 miles (?) south, it is further west. BIL thought I would be ok taking St.Mary’s up to 137, go west to Rt. 21, northish to 132 and west to Hunt Club, then north, but the roads were so awful—none had been plowed: you couldn’t see the lanes and I made progress at about 25 mph. In good weather, this route would have taken maybe half an hour. It took me over an hour. I missed the left turn at 120 because it was snowing so badly, I couldn’t see the sign & get into the left turn lane, so went up to 132 and west, only a couple of miles, but again, you could not see the lanes. Everyone was driving very slowly. I could not get traction, and lights kept coming on in the dashboard indicating that I was skidding. Very scary.

I got to the restaurant at 4:45, and our group wasn’t there. I messaged Kevin to tell him that if I didn’t see anyone by 5:15, I was leaving, but at about 5:05, our treasurer arrived. In fact, the restaurant manager told me they had gotten a phone call in the morning that a group was coming, but whomever called didn’t leave their name or the size of the group.

People trickled in until about 5:30, and we ordered dinner. For ‘fast food’—it was really good. Most people chose bar-b-q, I had salmon that was incredible, The club pays for dinner.

We had 9 people—so I guess we had a quorum, and Kevin started the meeting. We discussed all of the above, and I mentioned changing the by-laws to allow people to give proxies…and adjourned at 8:00p.m and it was still snowing….and the roads had still not been cleared.

My route back was 132 to Rt.41…and I planned to get off 41 at Lake-Cook, but it took over an hour to get those 15 or so miles from 132 to Lake-Cook.

Rt.41 is a major highway. Thankfully, there was very little traffic, but the snow was at least 2 inches deep and there was ice under that. I pondered whether to put my hazard signal on, but when I saw a car in front of me poking along at 20mph, I did that, & others did along the way. It was stressful & scary. When I got down to Rt.60, I was thinking of going to my sister’s and spending the night, but I was halfway home, and only about 5 miles from Lake Cook.

I took Lake Cook to Green Bay, STILL not plowed, and at Park, went east to Sheridan. Park was plowed, and Sheridan was all the way back to my house, about 10 more miles. I got home just a few minutes before 10:00p.m.

Now, looking at all I wrote, I wonder why I was driving in a snowstorm. In about 20 years, the earth’s environment will be so devastated, most breeds won’t have a gene pool.

How Did the Dog Get so Matted?

I am retired now, but as life goes on. I find more and more about dog ownership (I mean how other people are with their dogs) that irks me: 1. People using harnesses. Harnesses are designed for your dog to pull you. Even the no-pull harnesses don’t get the message to the dog that pulling isn’t right. For centuries, we’ve used collars, and dogs managed to not choke themselves. As modern dog trainers say, ‘The collar (harness) doesn’t train the dog, YOU train the dog.’ Harnesses on ‘non-shed’ dogs are particularly bad because they cause static which causes matting.

2. Worse? Flexis—retractable leashes. You have virtually no control of your dog on a Flexi. & why would you put a pinch collar on the dog if you plan to use a Flexi? It doesn’t make sense!

3. People who can’t go for a walk without their phones. PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR DO!!!! Your dog might eat something, or take a dislike to another dog, or—-some other oblivious person with a ‘friendly’ dog may be approaching you!

3. People who buy ‘non-shed’ dogs and believe they don’t have to brush their dogs.

A few years ago, a dog groomer published an article in a dog groomers’ magazine about teaching dog-owning clients—-particularly owners of dogs that the owners want to keep long haired— how to take care of their dogs at home between professional groomings.   We all know that whoever sold them the dog should have shown the new owner the right tools and techniques to care for their new pet.  We just have to assume, however, that there are so few ethical hobby breeders left, that it falls to us groomers to help our clients be move nurturing pet parents.

I hate dematting dogs…. hate hate hate it!.  It’s one thing to dematt a dog changing coats, who has been taught to lie down and relax, so you are not pulling on the skin, just the hair.  It’s quite another to pander to the clueless dog owners who are in denial about the type of coat care their dog needs to be the length and condition they want to maintain.

Do we all understand why the coat gets matted?  It is the dynamic of the ‘dryness’ of the coat, with moisture, dirt, and static electricity.  Briefly, the coat is untouched, but the dog lives on earth. Earth is dirty.  Stuff floats in the air (let alone what’s on the ground, where the dog mostly is).  Just plain old environmental particulate matter. Then, relative humidity…even dew on the grass. Finally, static. Not necessarily enough to give you a shock, but enough to rub against the cuticle of the hair, opening it up, and all those hairs with opened up cuticles float and stick to each other, the cuticle closes, voila!  Matts.

The only excuse for not informing the dog owner about why this happens, and that the interval between groomings is too long, is not having a relationship with the customer.  I know many won’t care, but most love their dogs and want to do the right thing.  They either have to brush the dog at home, with the proper brush and technique, or pay you to do it, at the right interval.

In the late 1990s and the early part of this century, I had over 100 regular clients with Bearded Collies, Soft-coated Wheaten Terriers (in way too long coat), Afghan Hounds, and Pulik.  I now have 4. What happened?  All my clients did what needed to be done, but as those dogs died of old age, the owners were honest about their finances and personal limitations, and those who got another dog, got: Frenchies, Pit Bulls, Boxers, short-haired mixes, and one former Afghan Hound owner got a smooth Saluki.  What kind of dog owners continue to acquire non-shed dogs which are always matted?  The ones with whom you are not honest.

I worked for a business that catered to elites, and they are having to address this because we are dematting way too many dogs that end up with skin problems. It is taking us too long and costing us too much money.  I won’t go into how this culture developed, but you can guess if you, too, spend too much time dematting the same dogs over and over.

How did they get so matted besides the interval between professional groomings being too long?

The ear fringes:  This happens because you are responding to the owner wanting the ears shorter.  We get the ‘Buster Brown’ blunt cut.  What happens is that the short hair at the tips of the ear leather weaves into the longer hairs, as it grows. Solution?  Try a  C or E attachment on the whole ear, so all the hair grows at the same time…and/or trim the entire ear to the leather (like a Portie).  This is also why you get a matted ‘false skirt’:  the short hair you cut off weaved into the skirt fringe.  A better solution is to make the whole skirt shorter (as an aside…why does a pet dog that is never brushed and  walking  through stuff need more hair than a show dog?)

Around shoulders/neck/armpits:  The dog wears a harness.  The harness causes friction as the dog walks. Solution:  Martingale collar.  It will not choke the dog and only tightens as the dog pulls.  Otherwise, it is loose. The owner has more control of the dog, too.

Matted at the skin, but looks fine:  Everyone’s favorite.  The dog is not brushed often enough, the owner uses the wrong brush or wrong technique. Solution:  offer to show the owner what tools you use, and suggest a system: I start at the rear leg and work my way up and to the front of the dog on 1 side, then do the other side.  & the owner may need more than a brush. They may need a rake, and anti-static.  Sometimes it is too dry in the home, or the dog is on carpet.

Topline:  Dog walks under furniture.  Or, people are scratching/petting the dog.

Only the rear end of the dog (usually at least 2 dogs in the household).  No delicate way to put this. One dog is humping the other.  It could be love, could be stress.  This is why I suggest obedience training, The dog may never actually get trained, but the interaction the owner has with the dog often helps alleviate stress, and it really helps if there is more than 1 dog and the whole family gets involved.

Finally, because people want pets, they don’t understand that the dog bred to be a pet may have a less than perfect coat texture, and certainly, you never know what kind of coat you are getting with a designer dog.  Nobody’s at fault here, except the breeders breeding for the market.  This is one of the reasons many of us buy dogs from hobby breeders.

What is a Hybrid Dog Breed?

This is a misused term by unethical marketers/breeders who know people are stupid, Really.

You’re breeding a dog to a dog—same species—they are mixed breeds. Call them designer dogs or hybrids—they do not breed ‘true’:  you won’t know how big the dog will be, coat type, or temperament until the dog is mature. This  is why we breed purebreds; PREDICTABILITY

They are all dogs. Traits?  Dog traits. By helping unethical dog breeders NORMALIZE their lack of integrity, writers are doing nobody any favors.  In fact, They are helping to mislead people. How ethical is that?

What people should know is that they’ve fallen for the marketing and are being bamboozled.

They should prepare themselves to be disappointed.

I have spent over 50 years in the pet industry, working for pet shops, veterinarians, boarding kennels, and as a dog groomer. I have titled dogs in conformation, obedience, rally, and lure-coursing. i am telling you what is real.#Doodle #Purebred dogs

She Bites

People, particularly Americans, seem to get a lot of their ‘information’ from TV. I think we believe that ‘the government’ would protect us from untruths & BS. Apparently not.

Having worked in the pet industry, mostly as a dog groomer, I have frequently heard from dog owners that they can’t brush their dog because…the dog bites.

I used to have a dog that bites, and I’ve had a few who were almost chronic biters. This is what I’ve learned from dog trainers and animal behaviorists.

There are only 2 reasons a dog bites: the dog is either fearful and trying to protect him or herself, or the dog was bred with no bite inhibition and is grappling for control.

I’ve had a couple of my own dogs who grappled for control as maturing puppies, and I dealt with the behavior immediately and let the dog know I was in charge. I didn’t have to beat the dogs up, but I had to outwit and outmaneuver the dog. I have never owned a dog who bit from fear, but I’ve groomed many.

Whether people want to believe this or not, temperament IS genetic. Some breeders take this very seriously. They’re involved in competition, and they need not just conformation, but a temperament type. Most dogs are not bred for any other purposes than because the owner was lazy and would not control their pet’s fertility, or they wanted to make money selling puppies. Sad but true—and these pet owners do not give a rat’s ass that they are breeding dangerous dogs.

When it comes to correcting bad behavior: biting, most dog trainers and behaviorists agree that you can communicate with most fearful dogs, and if they are with a consistent owner, biting can be reduced or eliminated. Biting a can sometimes also be eliminated if a dog biting to establish dominance. I’ve done it by rewarding good behavior and curtailing bad behavior.

I do know that most people won’t take the time to correct bad behavior and just ignore it. You go into their homes, and there are a bunch of rules about interacting with the dog: don’t try to pet the dog. Don’t try to be friends with the dog. Don’t make eye contact, don’t touch the dog’s (ears, withers, feet…)

I find it shocking that most people with bad dogs don’t realize their children are in danger. Sometimes, adults just don’t want to believe that there are bad dogs. They can’t all be pets. Just because they are domesticated, it doesn’t mean they belong in a home with a family. Shaping the dog’s behavior will help, but it doesn’t solve the problem of genetics.