Recently in American Kennel Club Category
New dog owner who doesn't have a clue?
Or have you had your dog for a while but have, um, challenges?
Stop by Arthur Johnson Park (1200 W. 170th St.) in Gardena between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday (9/18) where you'll find some excellent resources on how to be a wonderful dog owner.
The event is sponsored by the South Bay Kennel Club and the Southwest Obedience Club of L.A. -- it's part of the national AKC outreach to spread the word about the basics of being a good
dog owner. There are nearly 600 events being held throughout the nation in the month of September.
Sunday's event in Gardena will feature a mini Meet-the-Breeds area where you can scope out representatives of some of the many breeds of dogs.
There also will be information about classes, demonstrations and performance demos.
Barbara Millman, obedience chairwoman for the South Bay Kennel Club, will be administering the AKCs Canine Good Citizen exam. If you feel your dog is ready to take the test, bring him along with his collar, lead and a brush.
The event is being dedicated the memory of Bertha Rizzo, who served as treasurer of the South Bay Kennel Club for many years. She died on Sept. 3 at the age of 95.
"We dedicated the 2006 (dog) shows to Bertha in honor of her 90th birthday," said Cynthia Woods, a director of the club. "Any job that needed to be done, she was there to do it. She and her competition orange 1965 Mustang were known throughout the South Bay. Her chocolate chip cookies were enjoyed from coast to coast not only by dog show people but cat show fanciers as well."
For information, call 310-324-3549 or email sobykc@aol.com.
Information about the Responsible Dog Ownership program and the Canine Good Citizen test is available at www.akc.org.
Or have you had your dog for a while but have, um, challenges?
Stop by Arthur Johnson Park (1200 W. 170th St.) in Gardena between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday (9/18) where you'll find some excellent resources on how to be a wonderful dog owner.
The event is sponsored by the South Bay Kennel Club and the Southwest Obedience Club of L.A. -- it's part of the national AKC outreach to spread the word about the basics of being a good
dog owner. There are nearly 600 events being held throughout the nation in the month of September.Sunday's event in Gardena will feature a mini Meet-the-Breeds area where you can scope out representatives of some of the many breeds of dogs.
There also will be information about classes, demonstrations and performance demos.
Barbara Millman, obedience chairwoman for the South Bay Kennel Club, will be administering the AKCs Canine Good Citizen exam. If you feel your dog is ready to take the test, bring him along with his collar, lead and a brush.
The event is being dedicated the memory of Bertha Rizzo, who served as treasurer of the South Bay Kennel Club for many years. She died on Sept. 3 at the age of 95.
"We dedicated the 2006 (dog) shows to Bertha in honor of her 90th birthday," said Cynthia Woods, a director of the club. "Any job that needed to be done, she was there to do it. She and her competition orange 1965 Mustang were known throughout the South Bay. Her chocolate chip cookies were enjoyed from coast to coast not only by dog show people but cat show fanciers as well."
For information, call 310-324-3549 or email sobykc@aol.com.
Information about the Responsible Dog Ownership program and the Canine Good Citizen test is available at www.akc.org.
September is shaping up to be a busy month for pet-related events in the South Bay. Here's an early heads-up on a few of them:
- Sept. 10, 10:30 a.m. to noon: PAWS to Read Program will hold a reading-aloud session for youngsters at the Hermosa Beach Library, 550 Pier Ave., Hermosa Beach (310-379-8475). More info at www.spcaLA.com.
- Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to noon: spcaLA presents a foster class for volunteers interested in temporarily taking in pets waiting to be adopted into a permanent home. The class is free and applications are available at www.spcaLA.com. "We provide the pet, you provide the home." Pets that have been fostered in a family environment have a much better chance of being adopted. Class meets at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village (in the auditorium), 7700 E. Spring St., Long Beach. Call 323-730-5300, Ext. 300, or email foster@spcaLA.com.
- Sept. 18, 1-3 p.m.: Dog owners can celebrate back-to-school month by picking up some education for themselves at the Responsible Dog Ownership Day presented by the South Bay Kennel Club. The free, AKC-sponsored event will take place at Arthur Johnson Park, 1200 W. 170th St., Gardena, with the stated purpose of educating "first-time dog owners about the responsibilities of dog ownership and helping current owners enhance their relationships with their pets." San Pedro's Barbara Millman, obedience chairperson for the South Bay Kennel Club, will provide information about the AKC's Canine Good Citizen certificate. She will also administer the test for those who want to apply for the certificate. Members of the Southwest Obedience Club of L.A. also will provide information about obedience classes and give demonstrations. Dogs of several breeds and varieties also will be on hand in a mini "Meet-the-Breeds" show. Call 310-324-3549 or email sobykc@aol.com for information; also, www.akc.org. The public also is welcome to attend the South Bay Kennel Club's meeting at 8 p.m. Thursday (9/1) at the Nakaoka Community Center, 1678 W. 162nd St., Gardena. There will be a discussion about the upcoming event. We'll be sure also to post a reminder when the time gets closer.
- Sept. 18, 4-5:30 p.m.: A concert for the animals -- Animal-Loving Musicians Support will donate a performance to help raise funds for Diamonds in the Ruff, a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Los Angeles (310-699-2747). The benefit concert will feature jazz and pop standards performed at The Strings Connection, 716 Deep Valley Drive, Rolling Hills Estates. Call 310-377-0803 or email alms4animals@hotmail.com for details.
The AKC released its annual "most popular dogs" lists this week and for the second year in a 
row, the bulldog reigned as the most popular breed among Los Angeles residents in 2010.
"Los Angeles has spoken and the bulldog is here to stay," Lisa Peterson of the American Kennel Association said. "While the bulldog is slowly moving up the ranks nationally, L.A. has made the breed its top dog for the second year in a row, trending ahead of the rest of the country."
Nationally, the Labrador retriever maintained its first-place spot for the 20th consecutive year, followed by the German shepherd, Yorkshire terrier, beagle and golden retriever.
The bulldog ranked sixth -- up from 21st place in 2009 -- on the national list.
You can see the full list at www.akc.org.
row, the bulldog reigned as the most popular breed among Los Angeles residents in 2010."Los Angeles has spoken and the bulldog is here to stay," Lisa Peterson of the American Kennel Association said. "While the bulldog is slowly moving up the ranks nationally, L.A. has made the breed its top dog for the second year in a row, trending ahead of the rest of the country."
Nationally, the Labrador retriever maintained its first-place spot for the 20th consecutive year, followed by the German shepherd, Yorkshire terrier, beagle and golden retriever.
The bulldog ranked sixth -- up from 21st place in 2009 -- on the national list.
You can see the full list at www.akc.org.
I didn't make it to the "Meet the Breeds" both for the Samoyeds when I attended the show in Long Beach on Saturday.
But not to worry. Josh's sister sent in this photo of three of the dogs who were in the booth on Sunday. What a great looking bunch of dogs.
From Left to right: Lily, Mia and Sherman
Looks like it's an Australian shepherd. Hooray!
Here's Kelly Puente's story. And there are more photos from Sunday's final round of conformation judging at the website of our sister paper, the Press-Telegram.
From the AKC:
We're proud to announce the 2010 AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Best in Show Winner - CH Propwash Reckcon, an Australian Shepherd bred by Leslie Frank, owned by Leslie and Judy Harrington, and shown by Judy! Congratulations to Reckon!!
Handler Judy Harrington and her Australian shepherd, Reckon, wait to accept the Best in Show ribbon at the Long Beach Convention Center on Sunday. (Stephen Carr, Staff Photographer)
Check out the great photos (way better than mine here) by Stephen Carr and the story by Pamela Hale-Burns of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, our sister paper across the bay.
I hung out near the agility ring for the afternoon, where our friend Bogey (see our Daily Breeze story from the past week) made a respectable run with handler Deborah Davidson Harpur of Harbor City. Since Bogey lost his eyesight in his left eye a while back, agility courses can present a challenge for this little guy. He made a couple wrong turns, but finished the course out in good form.
And the Tibetan spaniel from San Pedro was a virtual blur out there on some stretches of the course. (Or maybe that was just my camera phone.)
You can see today's agility results here.
I'm not sure who this dog was, but if there were awards for cuteness ...
But these girls (below, right) also were pretty cute -- Bichon Frise dogs owned by Sandy Bradley of the San Pedro Chamber of Commerce. They were on hand as part of the "Meet the Breed" booths in the lobby. Accustomed to being adored, they lapped up all the attention they got.
Here's a photo she sent me of the dogs' 2008 appearance at the dog show:
From Sandy: They're shown their breeder Sandy Madia who breeds under Marquise Bichon Frises. Lily (Marquise Springdale Lalique) on the left is 6 and Opal (Marquise Iridescent Opal) will be 4 at the end of February.
Below is a video of the other South Bay dog, Beau, a Bedlington terrier from Torrance, with handler Mei, 14, a Peninsula High School student also featured in our earlier article linked above (the dog show continues through Sunday at the Long Beach Convention Center):
The last two dogs of the four show dogs stolen earlier this week have been recovered. Tracy Manzer of the Press-Telegram, our sister paper, posted a story later this afternoon, reporting that the dogs got a little extra attention at the show because of all they'd been through.
The original Press-Telegram story from earlier in the week drew widespread attention, reaching readers as far away as Australia and Sweden. The story also was picked up on television newscasts, which no doubt led to the quick resolution.
David Peek and Kristina Rickard share a moment Wednesday with Didi, one of the two stolen Akitas returned by law officers. Two corgis, Bunny and Peter, who were also stolen now have also been returned. (Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram)
******12/1/10 Update: The two Akitas, along with the missing van, have been found in Compton. The two corgis remain missing.******12/2/10 Update: Hearing that the corgis also were found safe, we'll post details when we get them.
What a buzzkill. A Redding couple who were in town for this weekend's national championship dog show in Long Beach reported 4 prize-winning dogs as stolen over night -- missing after someone made off with their cargo van (where the dogs were sleeping inside). The van was parked in a Motel 6 parking lot in Bellflower.
Tracy Manzer, our colleague at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, filed the story this morning.
Below, Kristina Rickard of Redding gathers her belongings, including Lennox, a show boxer, after the van was discovered as missing. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram.
Missing are two purebred Akitas -- Trace and Didi -- and two purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Bunny and Peter. The corgis belong to clients. All of the dogs have microchips and the couple believes the thieves were after the van, not the dogs who were in crates in the back cargo area. (Their other dogs -- a boxer, a Brittany, and a Parson Russell Terrier -- stayed with them inside the room.)
The vehicle is a Chevy Express cargo van with a black box on the back and with dog-paw stickers on the windows. The license plate # is 8D50252.
Anyone who sees it is urged to call 911.
KTLA has also posted a story and this picture of one of the stolen dogs, Trace, an Akita:
What a buzzkill. A Redding couple who were in town for this weekend's national championship dog show in Long Beach reported 4 prize-winning dogs as stolen over night -- missing after someone made off with their cargo van (where the dogs were sleeping inside). The van was parked in a Motel 6 parking lot in Bellflower.
Tracy Manzer, our colleague at the Long Beach Press-Telegram, filed the story this morning.
Below, Kristina Rickard of Redding gathers her belongings, including Lennox, a show boxer, after the van was discovered as missing. Photo by Jeff Gritchen/Press-Telegram.
Missing are two purebred Akitas -- Trace and Didi -- and two purebred Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Bunny and Peter. The corgis belong to clients. All of the dogs have microchips and the couple believes the thieves were after the van, not the dogs who were in crates in the back cargo area. (Their other dogs -- a boxer, a Brittany, and a Parson Russell Terrier -- stayed with them inside the room.) "We had them in the van because they have heavy coats, It's more comfortable for them to sleep outside where it's cooler. It's better for their coats too," said David Peek, whose girlfriend is a professional dog handler.The couple were planning to travel to New York early next year for the Westminster Dog Show. But unless they find the dogs, they won't be going.
The vehicle is a Chevy Express cargo van with a black box on the back and with dog-paw stickers on the windows. The license plate # is 8D50252.
Anyone who sees it is urged to call 911.
KTLA has also posted a story and this picture of one of the stolen dogs, Trace, an Akita:
The 10th annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show will be presented this weekend (Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 4-5) at the Long Beach Convention Center and Arena, 300 E. Ocean Blvd.
The schedule and ticket information is available at the AKC's show website.
Along with the formal breed, group and Best in Show conformation portion, the show features obedience and agility trials.
Daily Breeze photo by Brad Graverson
Among dogs from the South Bay taking part are Bogey, a 3-year-old Tibetan spaniel owned by Gabrielle Beaubrun of San Pedro, and Beau, a Bedlington terrier owned by Joe and Jeanne Carrier of Torrance.
(That's Bogey in the lead above, followed by Magi and Beau.)
Talented dogs. And good looking to boot!
Check out our story from today's Daily Breeze.
And for more photos by Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson, see our online photo gallery.
Good luck to everyone! (I guess you shouldn't really say "break a leg" in this instance, would you?)
The schedule and ticket information is available at the AKC's show website.
Along with the formal breed, group and Best in Show conformation portion, the show features obedience and agility trials.
Daily Breeze photo by Brad GraversonAmong dogs from the South Bay taking part are Bogey, a 3-year-old Tibetan spaniel owned by Gabrielle Beaubrun of San Pedro, and Beau, a Bedlington terrier owned by Joe and Jeanne Carrier of Torrance.
(That's Bogey in the lead above, followed by Magi and Beau.)
Talented dogs. And good looking to boot!
Check out our story from today's Daily Breeze.
And for more photos by Daily Breeze photographer Brad Graverson, see our online photo gallery.
Good luck to everyone! (I guess you shouldn't really say "break a leg" in this instance, would you?)
This will be the 10th annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show with nearly 2,500 dogs competing for more than $225,000 in cash prizes. The show runs Dec. 4 and 5 at the Long Beach Convention Center and Arena and will be broadcast on ABC on Jan. 23.
******If you and your dog are competing, could you send me an email or otherwise contact me? I'd love to do a story for the Daily Breeze on some of our local competitors.******
In addition to the big weekend festivities, other Kennel Club shows will also take place at the same venue from Dec. 1-3, making it five full days of dog shows in Long Beach.
Six new breeds will compete this year in the national show: bluetick coonhound, Boykin spaniel, Cane Corso, Icelandic sheepdog, Leonberger and redbone coonhound.
Last year's Best in Show winner was Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, a Scottish terrier owned by Amelia Musser (shown with handler Gabriel Rangel, above).
And my favorite, of course, from the herding breed group, Ch. Sylvan Argent Simply Irresistible, a blue merle rough collie shown with handler Brian Livingston.
******If you and your dog are competing, could you send me an email or otherwise contact me? I'd love to do a story for the Daily Breeze on some of our local competitors.******
In addition to the big weekend festivities, other Kennel Club shows will also take place at the same venue from Dec. 1-3, making it five full days of dog shows in Long Beach.
Six new breeds will compete this year in the national show: bluetick coonhound, Boykin spaniel, Cane Corso, Icelandic sheepdog, Leonberger and redbone coonhound.
Last year's Best in Show winner was Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, a Scottish terrier owned by Amelia Musser (shown with handler Gabriel Rangel, above).
And my favorite, of course, from the herding breed group, Ch. Sylvan Argent Simply Irresistible, a blue merle rough collie shown with handler Brian Livingston.
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.