When Spencer and her Doberman Pinscher puppy, Mojo, arrived at the Montezuma County Fairgrounds for the three-day Durango Kennel Club Dog Show, May 15-17, she couldn’t not help but flash a wide smile.
“I’m a competitive spirit and I love to spend time with my dogs,” said Spencer. “I love looking at and seeing the most beautiful animals on the planet. There is no money in this, but you get to ride around and get ribbons and have a good time.”
According to Durango Kennel Club Show organizers, Spencer was one of several hundred dog handlers that combined to bring more than 500 purebred dogs to the show. Dog groups that were represented included terriers, non-sporting, sporting, herding dogs and hounds.
Dogs were judged based on their genetic characteristics compared with the ideal genetic characteristics of their specific breed. Several awards, including “Best in Show,” “Best of Breed” and “Best of Opposite Sex” presented.
“Every breed has a standard, and judges judge dogs against that standard,” said Donald Schwartz, owner of Mancos Valley Veterinary Hospital, who has been involved with dog shows for 40 years. “We look at how close each dog’s confirmation matches the standard.”
Best of Breed
Gracie, 4-month-old black and tan coon hound, won the Best of Show Puppy title.
Gracie’s qualities stood out immediately from the other black and tans in the litter, said owner Francie Olson. Gracie’s bone structure, prettier face and longer ears marked her as a dog to watch, Olson said.
Olson landed in Denver when she arrived from Michigan and became the director of the University of Colorado horse-riding program. In 2005, she came to Southwest Colorado to establish Hound Dog Ranch in Hesperus where she breeds, trains and shows black and tan coon hounds.
She chose to breed black and tans because she had been captivated as a child by the image of Pluto, the floppy-eared dog in Mickey Mouse cartoons, Olson said.
Another of Olson’s black and tans named Pluto on Saturday won the Best of Breed title.
Mojo’s journey
Brenna Spencer’s puppy, Mojo, a majestic brown Doberman, was named the Best of Opposite Sex in the puppy category.
Born in Connecticut to a set of parents registered parents that were brought together by breeder Lynn Roberts, Mojo has competed in numerous shows and shown the potential of one day becoming champion dog.
Roberts, who flew to Cortez for the show, said that breeding show dogs has always been one of her passions and that she generally produces one litter of puppies every year.
“Breeders come to shows like the (Durango Kennel Club Show) so that they can find compatible dogs to breed,” Roberts said. “Mojo was a repeat breeding of a breeding that I did in 2012 that produced two show dogs and they are both doing really well.”
Once puppies are born, breeders begin socializing and grading the young animals before separating each litter into two categories: show dogs and pets. Owners and handlers such as Spencer are found and puppies are then placed in homes to begin their training.
“When I get dogs like Mojo, it’s my job to train them and socialize them,” said Spencer. “I need to get (Mojo) used to everything and let him make good decisions and teach him how to be as handsome as he is.”
Most show dogs begin competing at six months of age and travel to shows across the country. Prior to shows, owners and handlers meticulously wash and groom and even brush their dogs’ teeth before showing their animals off for judges.
“It’s my job to present my dogs in a way that benefits them the most,” Spencer said. “You can have a really beautiful dog with a handler that doesn’t know what is going on. The dog won’t win because the judge can’t see what they need to see.”
Spencer said that she shows her dogs between five and 10 weekends every year and travels to shows in Albuquerque, Denver and Phoenix. She said that the sense of camaraderie between handlers, breeders and judges make the travelling worthwhile.
“The people involved with dog shows are awesome,” said Spencer. “Everyone knows one another and there is a real sense of community. I love being able to spend time with great dogs and great people.”
Dale Rodebaugh, of the Durango Herald, contributed to this story.