We have a two-part post: Here’s the first part, the latest hint about this coming week’s Purebred of Interest.The creator of this breed was born in the same area where Isabela Palomino horses were bred.
Moving on………
Recently, we shared a post that asked, Can Show Dogs be Hunting Dogs?” (or “working dogs”?) We thought you’d find it interesting to learn that of the Alaskan Malamutes that made the 1994 Iditarod team, six were AKC Conformation Champions.
The dogs assembled by Nancy Russell were the media darlings of the race. Schools were dismissed so that teachers could take their pupils to see and pet the Malamutes, TV cameras focused on them, and most importantly, the dogs returned to native Alaskans a piece of their heritage. One elderly native took his grandchildren to see the Mals. “Here,” the old man told them, “I want you to see these dogs. These were the kind of dogs we used to have.”
Sniff.
The dogs were also personal favorites of the veterinarians for their obliging nature (they would roll over on their backs and wave their paws in the air for the foot check).
We love this next part. When the race was over, the Malamutes had their harnesses taken off, got baths, and went to the dog show. Justin, Joshua, Kruzer, Barney, and Drum were entered in the Cook Inlet Kennel Club show in Anchorage on Saturday, March 26, and the Alaska Kennel Club show on Sunday, March 27. Drum placed third in the Working Group at the Alaska Kennel Club show and Joshua got two 4-point majors towards his conformation championship.
For more on this, visit here.
My shetland sheepdogs are Canadian Kennel Club Champions (CKC) – One is just finished her Grand Champion and we compete in agility and rally. To me that just shows they have the right conformation to be working dogs.
Shirley, your Sheltie is lovely (and congratulations on the Grand Championship!) – and we agree with you. Soundness matters both in the show ring and in a working dog!