Welcome To My View

She makes it look so easy, you may be fooled into thinking it is easy!!!!

I have wanted to write about this lady for a long time.    She has helped me out more times than I will ever be able to repay.  You have a question about show procedures, rules and regulations, upcoming shows and entry information, Vickie is the go to person at the show site.

Vickie is a woman that wears a lot of hats.  She may very well be the busiest woman in

The Busiest Woman in Dog Fancy, Vickie Barrett

Canada.

Vickie has been in dogs for thirty years, starting with Chows.  In fact she still has three Chows.  She currently owns and shows a Newfoundland.

In addition to owning MJN Show Services, Vickie has worked for the Ontario Government for 30 years. She currently works 40 hours a week as IT support for the provincial government.  Vickie is a member of Chow Chow Fanciers of South Central Ontario, where she met Joey Nattrass, the original owner of MJN.  Vickie went to work part-time at MJN in 1990 until 2005 when she took over MJN’s ownership when Joey wanted to retire.

MJN has seven employees that process entries, performs graphic design and assist at the show sites managing the show secretary’s functions.  By the end of 2013, Vickie will have worked 40 different shows.  Vickie makes sure the clubs she works for meet all CKC requirements.  Under Vickie’s guidance, MJN processes entries, provides the premium list, designs and prints the show catalogs, prepares the judges schedules, prints armbands and records and submits the show results to CKC.  The mark of Vickie’s success with MJN is all the repeat business she enjoys.

I asked Vickie what is her one complaint about her job and she said, Entry Forms.  She’d like to ask people to be more careful when they complete their entry forms.  She said, please take the time to look over the entry for accuracy and legibility. 

The one aspect of her job does she love?  The people.  For the most part, exhibitors have a good time at the show and enjoy their dogs.  The dog show atmosphere is fun.

If Vickie could change one thing it would be that the CKC would move into the Electronic age. Currently she has twenty one days to submit the hard copy of the show’s results.  She wishes they would make it possible for her to electronically report the show results.  This would be easier for her and the exhibitors would be able to get their show and point results almost immediately.

Vickie is generous with her time for exhibitors, and she is a friend to the Junior’s program by providing prizes and ribbons.  When your results are listed on Canuck Dogs website, many times it is due to the time Vickie has taken for Canuck Dogs volunteers to go through her paperwork to send the results in for timely publishing.  She is a real friend to the Dog Fancy and deserves kudos for all she does for the exhibitors and many clubs during the year.

Purebreds are for the Rich, Not for the Average Person

BIO: SW is on a leave of absence from her graduate studies after being diagnosed with advanced stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma in March 2013.  Her major symptoms were swollen lymph nodes under her left collarbone and in her underarm and itchiness for several months.  She underwent 6 months (12 treatments) of chemotherapy at Juravinski Cancer Centre and recently had a PET scan to determine if radiation will be needed.  She is currently applying to medical schools for next year and taking care of her new puppy, Copper.  Happy to report that SW is currently in remission and doing well.  She has asked that her picture and name not be used because she fears that having cancer could jeopardize her chances at finding employment.  We wish her all the best in her long, healthy and successful future.

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About fifteen years ago, my family got my first dog when I was ten years old.  My parents were worried that my dad had allergies so one of the main reasons we chose a cocker spaniel/poodle mix (cock-a-poo) was because they apparently didn't shed.  We didn't know anything about temperament or puppy mills, so when we went to the pet store, we just picked one out and bought him.  We also were under the impression that purebred dogs were unhealthy (with recessive genetic defects) so we thought it would be better to buy a mixed-breed dog.  Unfortunately, Buddy had health problems his whole life, which included many ear infections, itchy paws that he would bite, and an obsession with food (and eating non-food items like toilet paper).  After he passed away two years ago, my parents said we would not get another dog.

However, last March I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  During the week of waiting for the lymph node biopsy appointment and then the two weeks of waiting for the results, my parents took time off work and I basically stopped going to school.  It was a miserable month.  We were all stressed (and I was itchy from the lymphoma), and I was stressed out even more because of how my parents were stressed.

Then, a day after my biopsy result came back with my official diagnosis of Hodgkin’s, my parents told me that we could get another dog.  I thought that this was the best idea ever: it would give my parents something to worry about more than me, and it would give me something to do and think about during my chemotherapy treatments.

I tried getting a dog from a shelter this time, but my dad said he wanted a puppy and I couldn't find any.  I also decided I wanted an active, smart breed of dog that we could go jogging with, and that I could play fetch with.  And we decided to get a medium-sized dog and we didn't mind if it shed (by this point my dad’s allergies were better).  We still thought that purebred dogs had more health issues, and I didn't want to wait much longer, so I turned to Kijiji.  I found some puppies that were a German Shepherd/collie mix from a house in Hamilton that bought them from “out in the countryside” and then sold them in Hamilton.  So we went a few days later, and I picked out a brown one.  In the few minutes I looked at the puppies, he seemed slightly calmer than the other two puppies, which I thought would be good.

           It turned out to be such a great idea!  My parents and I focused on house-training Scout and I started doing a lot of research on training dogs, which we knew very little about even after our last dog.  In between my chemotherapy treatments and injections and doctor’s appointments, my parents and I took him to puppy socializing class and two levels of puppy-training classes.  We learned so much about training and we were trying really hard to be good dog owners. 

Scout turned out to look very much like a Nova Scotia duck-tolling retriever and when I asked the place where we bought him about that, the lady had no information she could/would give me.  And we didn't realize this then (we thought it was normal behavior , but he drank and peed a lot, would get in bad moods and had red eyes sometimes, and wouldn't jump up into the back of the car (we had to lift him).  We think now he had kidney issues.

I brushed Scout almost every day, brought him to my uncle’s so he could play with their dogs, and bought him a new toy after every chemo session.  After my last chemo session in September, I was excited that I was going to be able to take care of him all of the time, not just during the non-chemo weeks.  However, on Thanksgiving Monday when we were visiting my grandparents, Scout ran outside their fenced-in area and was hit by a car on the highway and died before I could find out where he went.

I missed Scout so much, and we decided to get another dog.  The shelters didn't have any puppies, so we went on Kijiji again.  This time on Kijiji, we at least made sure that the puppies were well socialized and that we could see their parents first.  We found a golden retriever puppy and so far he has been wonderful!  We don’t think he has any health issues.

The other option was always to get a registered purebred, but along with our persistent idea about their health issues (never mind that our two dogs from sketchy sources both had health issues), we thought that registered purebred dogs were for rich people.  A purebred dog owner seems like they would be someone in a mansion with a huge property or someone who has owned many dogs before and shows them at dog shows.  On Kijiji, one puppy can cost $300 and can be bought immediately whereas a purebred puppy can cost $1200.  What is the reason for this price difference and what are the advantages of buying from a breeder?  There are breeder websites, but sometimes there isn't a breakdown of what’s included in the price of a puppy, what the breeder wants in an ideal prospective dog owner, or information on why buying from a breeder is better than Kijiji.

I met Donna when both Zachary and I were getting PET scans to see if our chemo-therapies had been successful in eradicating our lymphomas.  While she and my mom were waiting, they talked about breeding dogs and my mom told me everything Donna said on the way home.  We now understand that reputable breeders are people who love dogs and are looking for them to be healthy and have healthy puppies so they can all have healthy, happy lives.  Our next dog will be a registered purebred but in the meantime we will train our new puppy and hopefully do agility, dock diving, or rally obedience with him!

SW would like to get involved in fun activities with Cooper.  She is interested in learning more about rally obedience, flyball, and agility.  If you can help her find these activities in the Burlington/Oakville, Hamilton area, please contact me via email with the details and I will pass them on to her -  djenkins@shaw.ca

Submitted by: Angel Wagner, Canadian Dog Fancier Magazine

I would like to suggest a person for your nice deeds - Lisa Wysminity of Jumpstart Imagery. 

Canadian Dog Show Fancier Magazine includes an editorial profile on a breeder/owner/handler and a professional handler in each issue.  The people asked to participate in these features do not always have high resolution photos to include.  On more than one occasion Lisa has come to the rescue and has provided some of her lovely photographs to be used.  Lisa is a terrific photographer and is never too busy to help out and for that the we would like to say  - thank you Lisa for your Nice Deeds !

Lisa is also a Manchester Terrier Breeder/Exhibitor under the kennel name, Jumpstart Manchester Terriers located in Alberta, Canada.  She started in dogs at the tender age of 9 as a junior handler.

You can visit her website http://www3.telus.net/amstaffmanchester/index.html  or  http://www.jumpstartimagery.com/

Lisa is another example of the good deeds happening all around us in the Dog Fancy.  We should all strive to perform at least one nice deed per show.

There is more to Dog Shows than Competing and Dogs

We make life-long friends through dog shows.  We get to know each other's families, we know about the children's achievements and when someone is going through an illness or a family death.  Just like family, we get together for meals, we share hotels or campers.  We share tips and grooming space and tools.  Sometimes we have spats or get on each other's nerves, but we get over it.  One thing you can say about the Dog Fancy, we will look after each other when the chips are down.  So many friends have passed away recently, it serves to remind us that time can be short.  We should try a bit more tolerance, offer a hand more often and give encouragement when needed.

Thanks to everyone that has shown a kindness to Lyle and me throughout the year.  We genuinely appreciate it and won't forget.

Be sure to go to Canuck Dogs, http://www.canuckdogs.com, to see all the upcoming events and to check stats.  You should  bookmark it.  That's where you will find my blog. 

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