Some dogs simply rise above the rest. They are our dog stars, forever lighting up our lives with the memories of their accomplishments, their courage, their spirit, and their heart. Our latest round of inductees into the AKC Museum of the Dog Hall of Fame are special dogs indeed, chosen for their star-like qualities in the categories of Service, Obedience, Field Trials, Show Ring, and Media. Enjoy their stories. They shine like the stars they are.
Service
The more than 350 dogs that were part of the search and rescue emergency efforts following the September 11 tragedy in New York and Washington, D.C., have been honored in the Service Category of the Hall of Fame. These dogs endured the agonizing conditions of the aftermath of the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. In their vigilant efforts to find live victims, the dogs suffered burns, scrapes and cuts, fatigue, and the inhalation of smoke and dust at both disaster sites. Veterinarians at ground zero continually flushed dust out of their eyes and cared for their wounds.
The majority of search and rescue dogs called to action in the aftermath of September 11 were associated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) National Urban Search and Rescue task forces located around the country. FEMA certification for Urban Search and Rescue dogs requires at least two years of training to establish the control, obedience, and agility skills necessary to assure the safety and effectiveness of these dogs in dangerous situations. Dogs are trained to move slowly on unstable and slippery surfaces, dig through rubble, distinguish between breathing and non-breathing victims under tons of concrete and steel, and to respond instantaneously to commands which may save their lives. "FEMA is very strict about certifying dogs because these are very dangerous situations the dogs will be working in," says Eric Cintron, part of the Puerto Rico Emergency Canine Rescue Team that assisted the search and rescue efforts in New York with two dogs for ten days. Trained to move through broken glass, walk on rebar, and balance on melted metal, these dogs will work themselves to exhaustion. Their handlers must be tuned into their fatigue to save their lives. Says Cintron, "You need to be in complete control and aware in order to secure your dog's life."
We honor the efforts of these dogs to save the lives of others.
Obedience
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| Border Collie OTCH Heelalong Chimney Sweep, UDX, AX. When Sweep finally retired from the obedience ring, she had garnered 7,981 OTCH points, making her the most winning obedience bitch of all time for lifetime points. |
"Sweep" was whelped in August 1985, one of four puppies out of the promising litter of Border Collie Heelalong Merrie Meg CDX, one of the top-producing dams of obedience dogs of all time, and OTCH Scherry Star Spider TD, one of the top obedience dogs of that era. However, Sweep failed every puppy test given to the litter. Owners Kay and Dick Guetzloff kept Sweep anyway, since they thought this might be the last litter for their dam, Meg. According to Kay, Sweep "preferred the company of a soccer ball to that of a human" as a young dog, and received no formal training until she was 2 1/2 years old. But it's hard to thwart destiny. "When Dick suddenly found himself without a dog to show in obedience," Kay relates, "he decided to see what ability Sweep had. And the rest, as they say, is history."
Sweep was entered in her first trial three months after her initial training session, and won Novice B with a score of 198.5. Sweep completed her CDX in October 1988, and then took time out for a litter of puppies. In May 1989, Sweep earned her UD, and completed the requirements for her Obedience Trial Championship in August 1989. In 1990, she was bred for the second time. Puppies out of her two litters went on to obedience and agility careers, and many earned UD and AX titles. She is listed as a "noteworthy dam" by the Border Collie Society of America, the AKC parent club.
When Sweep was whelped in 1985, the Border Collie was not an AKC registered breed. Instead, the Border Collie, the world's premier herding dog, was placed in the Miscellaneous Class, and competed only in performance events, obedience and tracking through the granting of the Indefinite Listing Privilege number. However, the Border Collie was a purebred dog, registered with either the International Sheep Dog Society, or by one of the two American Border Collie registries where many Border Collie pedigrees can be traced back to 1900.
In 1995, when the AKC recognized the Border Collie for conformation titles, dogs that had earlier been issued with ILP numbers were not required to obtain an AKC registration number in order to continue to compete in performance events, which by then included agility. Therefore, Sweep remained an ILP dog, but with a pedigree longer than many other purebreds.
Sweep was always a better Utility dog than an Open B dog. While obtaining her OTCH, she earned 91 out of the required 100 points from the Utility class, while only 9 points came from Open B. This lopsided share held true throughout her entire obedience career. She won many more High Combined awards than High in Trial, and most of her OTCH points came out of the Utility class. When Sweep finally retired from the obedience ring, she had garnered 7,981 OTCH points, making her the most winning obedience bitch of all time for lifetime points. Sweep was ranked the number one obedience dog for the years 1992, 1993, and 1994, and to date, is the only bitch to ever hold this distinction.
Sweep was what her owners call a "meat and potatoes" dog. "She wasn't flashy, or highly animated, but was steady as a rock and all business," relates Kay. "She had an incredible work ethic, and she never quit, no matter how hot or unpleasant the ring conditions. She loved to work, and during her 10 years of competition, never had a bad training session. In 1992, she competed in 107 obedience trials. In 1993, she was entered in 92, and in 1994, attended 61. She never got tired of the routine and raced to the van as soon as she saw the show bag being picked up."
Toward the end of Sweep's obedience career, she began herding training. At age 11 1/2, she earned her Australian Shepherd Club of America's started sheep title, with a third and first place. At almost 12 years of age, she started a second career in agility, finishing her Novice Agility title in 1997 and her Excellent Agility title in 1998. When she had to be retired at age 13 1/2, she had 8 MX legs.
As well as being a three-peat winner of the Quaker Oats "Ken-L-Ration" award, which is presented to the dog winning the most number of obedience championship points in one year, Sweep was the only obedience dog ever to be featured in Purina's Today's Breeder magazine, and in their dog -food advertising. Additionally, Sweep starred in a segment of Animal Planet, which featured AKC obedience trials.
At age 14, Sweep succumbed to a stroke, and left a void in her owners' lives never to be replaced.
Field Trials
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| '90-'91-'93 NFC-AFC Candlewoods Tanks A Lot. The Labrador Retriever's record is still unbroken. Lottie remains the All-time High Point Derby Dog. She qualified for eight National Opens and came in as a finalist in five. |
Lottie's story is a mixture of quirks of fate, spectacular achievement, and of passion and courage.
First, the quirks of fate. As a seven-week-old puppy at Mary Howley's famed Candlewood Kennel, Lottie was destined to be sent to a "hunting" home. The long-distance buyer backed out at the last second and Lottie was suddenly "leftover." Mary gave the unclaimed pup to Andy Attar, who was then an assistant with us at Handjem Retrievers. Her registered name "Tanks A Lot" was, of course, a reference of the gift and to Lottie's sire, "Tank" (Candlewoods Super Tanker).
Andy raised Lottie and guided her through basic training, which she completed at a remarkably young age. Lottie's basic education included hunting for and retrieving ruffed grouse at three months of age. From the beginning, Lottie displayed a keen but sensible desire and remarkable intelligence.
As was his plan from the outset, Andy searched for a buyer for Lottie once he knew she was a good field trial prospect. Not one to push his own dog on to one of our clients, Andy made arrangements to send Lottie to an East Coast professional who would take a look at her to see if she was suitable for a buyer he had in mind. First, though, Lottie was entered in a Derby stake at Winona, Minnesota. She would be shipped out after the weekend.
So, I ran the 11-month-old Lottie in her first derby and she won! Mary Howley and Randy Kuehl had been watching her run that weekend and decided they ought to buy her. So Lottie stayed in training with Andy and me. People often ask us whether we recognized how talented she was at a young age. We knew she was good, but we certainly wouldn't have come so close to letting her slip out of our hands if we had known just how good she would become.
That first derby win was the start of a remarkable career. First, she became the all-time high-point derby dog at the time with 108 derby points. Then, she completed her Field Championship at 27 months. She was the youngest dog ever entered in the National Retriever Championship in 1990, which she won. Sporting Classics called her victory "among the most convincing triumphs in the 50-year history of the event."
In 1991, Lottie won the National Championship again, becoming the first back-to-back winner since King Buck in 1953. At the 1993 National, she had a dramatic come-from-behind triumph with an unforgettable performance in the 10th (and final) series, making her only the second dog to win three National Opens. In addition to her three National wins, Lottie was a finalist in two others.
What makes Lottie's record even more remarkable is the fact that she whelped five litters during her career, and is the all-time leading bitch producer with over 20 Field Champion and/or Amateur Field Champion titled offspring. Lottie was purchased by Kippy Stroud in 1994. Kippy enjoyed watching Lottie run her last few years, and kept most of the pups from Lottie's last litter, a litter that's proving to be quite good.
From this brief narrative, an outsider might think that Lottie was some kind of commodity, passing through the hands of three owners. Or, you might think she was some super athletic field trial machine who lived in a kennel except when she was breaking records or whelping puppies. To the contrary, Lottie was the center of attention and greatly loved throughout her life. Whether sleeping in Andy's bed as a young pup, riding around on the front seat of Mary Howley's van, hunting the cornfields of Iowa with Randy Kuehl, running the National with me, or raising her last litter at Kippy's, Lottie was always primarily a house dog and special companion to everyone.
Although I have great memories of Lottie's National performances, I have equally treasured recollections of remarkable performances while pheasant and duck hunting. She showed great courage and heart in all aspects of her life from that first derby she won, to her final battle with cancer. No dog was ever better motivated. She used her great intelligence to figure out the right thing to do, and then she almost always did it.
Show Ring
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| Ch. Jacinthe de Ricelaine has been the world's record-holding Skye Terrier since 1963. Jackie remains one of the greatest show dogs of all time, and maintains an incomparable legacy as a cornerstone producer. |
Jackie was the top terrier in 1962 and 1963, and continued to place in the top 10 until her retirement, winning Best in Show at the Beverly Kennel Club Show in 1966. Although Jackie has earned a solid place amongst the greatest show dogs of all time, it is her legacy as a cornerstone producer which will always remind us of her greatness. Descending from her are 23 top-producing sires and 50 top-producing dams.
Jackie remained the devoted companion of her owners, Walter F. Goodman and Mrs. Adele F. Goodman, until her death in 1973.
Media
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| Scottish Terrier Murray of Fala Hill was President Franklin D. Roosevelt's constant companion in the White House. Fala was photographed with dignitaries, heads of states, and royalty, and became a celebrity in his own right. |
Fala also played a role in the war effort as the U.S. president of "Barkers for Britain," an association formed to assist the needy in Britain during the bombing of World War II. Fala was exhorted to "raise his voice in loud barks for the courageous people of Great Britain." No doubt Fala provided much-needed comfort to the President during the war years. A Scots cousin overseas wrote in a letter to the famous Scottie: "To our wee brother Scot, Fala o'Falahill. You are a lucky boy, Fala. Give all you have to make your master happy, and always wag your tail. He has big heavy burdens to carry, and parcels, what the humans call 'burdens and responsibility.' You can sometimes help to carry them."
Fala devotedly accompanied the President to the end. According to Jim Bishop's "FDR's Last Year," immediately after the President's death in April 1945 in Warm Springs, Georgia, Fala leaped from a corner outside the President's bedroom, "ran directly for the front screen door and bashed his black head against it. The screen broke and he crawled through and ran snapping and barking up into the hills. There, Secret Service men could see him, standing alone, unmoving on an eminence. This led to the quiet question: 'Do dogs really know?'"
Well, we know. Here's to the faithful Scottie. Welcome to the Hall of Fame.
Visit the Hall of Fame to see a list of past inductees.
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