THE TOY GROUP JUDGES
1. Where do you live? Howmany years in dogs? Howmany years as a judge? 2. What is your original breed? What is/was your kennel name? 3. Can you list a few of the notable dogs you’ve bred? Any performance or parent club titles? 4. What are some of the qualities you most admire in the Toy Breeds? 5. Have you judged any Toy Breed Specialties? 6. Can you offer any advice to exhibitors regarding the presentation of these “table” breed? 7. Some longtime exhibitors have “downsized” to Toys. In your opinion, has this had an impact on quality? 8. Toy Breeds can require special care. Do you have any advice to offer breeders, exhibitors, and judges? 9. In your opinion, how do today’s exhibits compare with the Toy Dogs of the past? 10. Why do you think Toy Dogs can become outstanding Show Dogs? 11. If you could share your life with only one Toy Breed, which would it be and why? 12. Just for laughs, do you have a funny story that you can share about your experiences judging the Toy Group? VICKI ABBOTT
proudest of, that I handled but did not breed, was Ch. Sand Island Small Kraft Lite, bred by Carol F. Andersen. “Henry” won the Toy Group at Westminster in 1992, was the top-winning Maltese Dog of all time, No. 1 Toy Dog for several years, No. 5 among All Breeds, and he is the ances- tor now to many of our dogs at Scylla. Because of that, I am very proud of his offspring (combination with our Scylla Maltese). His great-grandson, Ch. Scylla’s Small Kraft Re-Lit, “Hank,” was bred by Scylla Kennels and remains the top-winning Group and Best in Show winning Mal- tese in this millennium—handled by my daughter, Tara Martin Rowell. What are some of the qualities I most admire in the Toy Breeds? They are just big dogs in little bodies. They have no clue that they are small! That is what makes them endear- ing. They will try anything, and usually achieve it, and they are excellent companions. Have I judged any Toy Breed Specialties? I have had the honor of judging many Toy Breed Specialties over the years, and am constantly rewarded with quality entries of dogs to choose from all over the country. It is the highest honor to be invited to judge a Nation- al Specialty. Being asked to judge a National Specialty is about those breeders entrusting their very best from that year to you as a judge. It is a lot of fun and a great responsibility! Can I offer any advice to exhibitors regarding the presen- tation of these “table” breeds? Presentation, of course, can make a mediocre exhibit look great, or a great exhibit look less desirable, until you actually have the dog on the table to go over it and weigh all the factors involved. I expect the dogs that come into my ring to be clean and groomed—but I do not expect them to be perfect. They should be bathed, brushed, and de-matted, eyes should be clear, and the dog should have clean teeth. There are a lot of exhibitors who show and groom their own dogs and are not professionals, and sometimes, the best dog in the ring is not the most per- fectly groomed. But there is more to the choice than just the grooming. Conditioning means many things, includ- ing being in the right weight and muscle tone, even in a Toy Dog. So often you hear that Toy Dogs don’t have to really do anything other than be companion animals, so consider- ation of how they move, are put together, or their condition is secondary and does not reallymatter. Oh, but it does. You can have the typiest, showiest Toy Dog, but if that dog has definite structure problems, you can bet it is not going to serve the purpose for which it was bred—to be a good com- panion. A dog with bad hips, unbalanced angulation in the front and rear, knees that need operations later, or even a
Where do I live? How many years in dogs? How many years as a judge? I live in Fairview, Texas, which is just north of Dallas. I have been in dogs for over 45 years, first as a breeder/owner-handler, and then as a professional handler for many years, concentrating on the
Toy Breeds. I am most well-known for the many Maltese that I handled in the past, especially the No. 1 Maltese Dog of all time and Westminster Group Winner, Ch. Sand Is- land Small Kraft Lite. I have been a judge for 21 years. What is my original breed? What is/was my kennel name? My original breed is Maltese, although I also bred Pekingese and Shiba Inu. My kennel name is Scylla. While I originally started the kennel in the 1970s, it became a family endeavor, including my husband, Larry, and my daughter, Tara Martin Rowell, and her husband, JD. Can I list a few of the notable dogs I’ve bred? Any per- formance or parent club titles? We have bred many Group-Winning and Best in Show Maltese that have held the title of No. 1 Maltese over the years. The one I am
24 • T op N otch T oys , M ay 2022
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