This was due, in large part, to the fact that there wasn’t the vast array of grooming supplies available then that is obtainable now. Their topknots were placed further apart, almost on the top of their ears and many of the heads were more coarse looking. There still were, however, beauti- ful specimens of the breed to behold. During the 1980s, photographs show how the grooming started to change. The topknots were closer together and the coat care allowed for it to grow out long and flowing. Some of the Maltese that stood out during this time was CH. Non-Vels Weejun, who also won the National Specialty and 11 BIS. And the beautiful CH. C and M’s Tootsey’s Lolly Pop, bred by Mary Day and Carole Thomas and owned by the breeders and Sherry Le- mond Ray. In limited showing, Lolly won six BIS, BOB at Westminster twice and won the National Specialty twice, first in 1988 and then from the Veteran’s class in 1992. The decade of the 90s ushered in manyMaltese that made an impact on our breed. It started off with the 25th Anniversary of the American Mal- tese Association. That year CH. Sand Island Small Kraft Lite “Henry”, bred and owned by Carol Frances Ander- son and shown by Vicki Abbott, won the specialty. Henry won the National again the following year and in his short career he obtained an impressive 82BISand237GroupFirsts.Hewas the #1 Toy and#7All Breed in 1990 and#1 Toy and #5 All Breed in 1991. In 1992, Henrybecame the4th, and last,Maltese towin theToyGroupat theGarden. In 1995 a relatively unknown breed- er attended the National Specialty and won WB, BOW, BBEX and Best In Sweeps with her beautiful bitch, CH. Ta-Jon’s Tickle Me Silly. This spectacular little bitch burst onto the Maltese show scene and broke all previous records set for the breed. Silly was shown by her breeder/ owner, Tammy Simon, who had only been in the sport for a mere 6 years when she won several BIS with Silly. In 1996 the duo was observed during a show by Sam andMarion Lawrence. They decided to back Silly’s show
career because they saw something very special in this littleMaltese. The Lawrence’s, to their credit, backed numerous dogs to BIS wins, but four of their dogs were campaigned to over 100 BIS each. In the two and a half years that Silly was campaigned, she achieved a record 262 Group Firsts, 103 BIS and 2 National Specialty wins. She came back four years af- ter being retired and won a 3rd Na- tional Specialty as a veteran. She was the #1 Toy and #7 All Breed in 1997 and the #1 Toy and #4 All Breed in 1998. Silly is the top winning Maltese in AKC history and her record will more than likely stand for many years to come. Other notable Maltese of this de- cade include CH. Marcris Risqué Business, bred and owned by Joyce Watkins. Risqué was a prepotent little male who sired a record 107 Champion get and as a Top Stud he refined the heads of many of our Mal- tese today. Another Maltese is CH. Shanlyn’s Rais’n A Raucaus. Bred by Lynda Podgurski and owned by Jo- seph Joly III, David and SharonNew- comb and Vicki Abbott, “Scrapper” won the 1994 Nationals and was a Multi-BIS winner. This past decade has produced many, many beautiful Maltese. too many to name them all. But some stand- outs include; CH. Divine’s Indecent Desperado, “Bandit”, bred by Angie and Larry Stanberry and owned by Barbara Davis, who was a Multi-BIS/ BISS winner and was #1 Maltese in 2002. CH. Marcris Thrill Of Victory bred by Joyce Watkins and owned by Tonia Holibaugh and Barbara Davis. “Thriller” won 15 BIS and won the National Specialty in 2004. He was the top Maltese in 2003 and 2004 and has produced 47 Champions. An- other isCH. Bhe-Jei’sPinballWizard, bred by Bobbie Linden and owned by Tara Martin Rowell. “Tommy” ob- tained his first BIS at 9 months of age. He went on to win numerous BIS and won theNational in2006. Tommy has produced three National Specialty winners; CH. Ta-Jon’s Whose Your Sugar Daddy, CH. Ta-Jon’s Pawsi- tively Silly and CH. Scylla’s Small
Kraft Re-Lit; two of which are also BIS winners. CH Ta-Jon’s Pawsitive- ly Silly, a “Silly” grandson, won the National in 2008 and has produced to date both a Multi-BIS son and daugh- ter. The daughter, GCH Ta-Jon’s Just Bee-ing Silly “Justine”, won the Na- tional in 2011, and the son CH. Pawsi- tively Pawparazzi, “Snapshot” is also a Multi-BIS winner. In 2007, Richelieu’s Sugar Smacks was the first dog in the history of the AMA to win from BOB from the classes. And to finish out the de- cade, GCH. Rhapsody’s Regarding Henry. “Henry” won the 2010 Na- tional Specialty and is a Multi-BIS/ BISS dog. He was the #1 Maltese and #15 All-Breed in 2010 and #1 Maltese and #11 All-Breed in 2011. Henry was bred by Tonia Holibaugh and is now residing in Australia. Henry is now owned by William Warke and Craig Emerson and is an Australian Champion and has won BIS there. Maltese are not just to adorn your lap or compete in the conformation ring. They are a very versatile breed and the fancy is seeing more and more Maltese compete in Obedience, Rally and Agility. Watching a small white dog with hair flowing as he nails his jump, will take one’s breath away. Re- cently one standout Maltese, OTCH Mister Rugby Sevens UDX OM1 RN, became the first OTCH Maltese in the history of the breed. Rugby is the number one Toy Dog and High Scor- ing Maltese at AKC’s 2012 National Obedience Invitational where he placed 29th out of 146 entries. Mal- tese are also excellent therapy dogs. Known for centuries as the “Comfort- er Dog”, they take their jobs seriously and do themwell.Even considering its glamorous appeal, it has been twenty years since a Maltese has won the group atWestminster. It has only won the group five times (twice with the same dog) since records started being kept in 1924. The Maltese is one of the most difficult breeds to condition, groom and show, but there is noth- ing more breathtaking than to see a beautiful white cloud, gliding around the ring. T op N otch T oys , M ay 2019 • 53
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