Ruby was notoriously tough when it came to selling her best dogs; she showed them herself and racked up incredible records with little money, and she really didn’t care if they never left home. Duane Doll, wildly in love with the “Dud-Lee’s look,” worked on her for months and months to get his first Dud-Lee’s dog. Finally, reluctantly, she let him take one home. Three months later they came head-to-head in the show ring and from the classes Duane beat Ruby’s special with a puppy she herself had bred. Ruby was not amused. She acted stone-cold to him, and when it came time for the Toy Group she dragged her lawn chair right up to the ring entrance, and watched the judging with her arms crossed and a belligerent frown on her face. When Duane’s puppy won the Group, Ruby popped up and with a huge smile was the first to congratulate him. “If you’re going to beat me, you’d better beat everybody else, too,” she said. “And you did. Good for you!” The friendship was cemented that day and con- tinued until the day Ruby died. Duane based his successful bloodline on Ruby’s stock and credited her for all the attributes for which his dogs were prized: Enormous correct heads with huge nostrils and gloriously clear eyes, rock-solid bodies and excellent, happy- go-lucky temperaments, all topped off with thick flow- ing coats in vibrant colors. (Ruby was one of the last to produce the prized Chun red which was soon to all but disappear forever from the palate of Peking- ese hues.) Duane artfully introduced outside lines through the years but always managed to retain the traits which he demanded and applauded.
t5 01 / 05$) 5 0:4 / 07&.#&3
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