SPREADING THE WORD FROM THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR EMERITUS Joseph Neil McGinnis III
When AKC first in- augurated Meet The Breeds® many were not sure what to think. Would Clubs par- ticipate? Would the fancy be support- ive? Would specta- tors come? As pretty much every- one now knows, this event has blown through the roof. Held twice a year by AKC (and now, on a smaller scale, by many all- breed clubs) MTB is a virtual hands- on learning experi- ence for the
general public and also for many of us with years under our belts. I never fail to come away with a newfound appreciation for numerous breeds and others tell me it works that way for them, too. This year at the AKC National Championship we had 171 booths up and running bright and early on Sat- urday and entertaining and educating people all weekend long. The num- ber of hours of volunteer work repre- sented here is staggering. I extend my congratulations and thanks to all the booth chairs and their teams for such a professional, responsible pres- entation of their beloved breed to those wanting to learn. Our judging team is always a col- lection of fine minds, people with a strong background and much experi- ence. In the top photo, this year’s panel is (l to r) Pete Green, Daniel Cartier, Sioux Forsyth-Green, Jacque-
lyn Fogel, Zell vonPohlman, Cindy Stansell, Chair Joe McGinnis, Gayle Denman, Diana Skibinski, Michelle Scott, Mark Benson, Pete Scott and Rob Skibinski. Photo by Phil Guidry for AKC. Top winners in the Toy Group were first, the Chihuahua Club of America, second, the Pekingese Club of America, third, the American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, and fourth, the Ameri- can Toy Fox Terrier Club. Again, my thanks to all involved for a tremendous event, and to AKC for the honor of chairing the event once again. And in February we’ll have the MTB event in conjunction with Westminster, another important affair. And so as we enter into 2019, we continue to spread the word about our dogs and the difference they can make in our lives. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that; you’re already a card-carrying member of the group that will promote and protect our breeds on into the future. I’ll see you next month. From all of us to all of you, the very Happiest of New Years!
18 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2019
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