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GZ BREED COLUMNSnon-sportingon it, started work on a club website,and planned for our fun match andMeet the Breed event.The fun match and Meet the Breedwere great successes, and we applied forAKC Sanctioned status so that we couldbegin holding the needed “B” and “A”matches. A holiday party was scheduled,and after just three months we were onthe fast track to club formation.Then, suddenly and without warning,tragedy struck.Walt Bebout, who had initiated theprocess and was guiding us through it,was killed in a wreck while on his wayto judge Best in Show in Salina, Kansas,on September 11, 2009. It was awrenching blow for those who knewhim and for our new club still in itsinfancy.At our next monthly meeting, wedecided that we should honor Walt’smemory by continuing on the path heset for us. We held matches, educationaland Meet the Breed activities, and atthis writing await word from AKC onour application for license status. —JanGrebe, greebeez@aol.com; French BullDog Club of America website:frenchbulldogclub.orgKeeshondenReaching Out About OurBreedAs we move toward year’s end, weare planning for the show yearahead. I am thinking about clubactivities and the astonishing array ofvolunteers necessary to plan andproduce the many programs of bothparent clubs and all-breed clubs—monthly meetings, conference calls,committee activities, recordkeeping andstatistics, trophies, catalogs, healthcommittee reports, and fundraising, toname only a few.Now more than ever, we need todevelop and maintain outreach thatkeeps our dogs in front of the public.While we want puppies only to go toappropriate homes, we also have theresponsibility to let people know aboutthe many strengths and advantages ofour breed as a family companion.The AKC Meet the Breeds eventshave become very popular all across thecountry, and they are an ideal way forclub members and dogs to interact withthe public in a relaxed setting. Goodinformation is provided, and no one isrushing off to show a dog. A booth andan accompanying informationalbrochure have been designed forKeeshond clubs participating in Meetthe Breeds events. Clubs are invited tocontact the KCA for materials.This is not the only activity that willpromote our dogs to the public. Inlooking back over the years, we notethat placing the breed in national publicationsand media and attending specialevents were common ways to bringthe Keeshond to the public. In the earlydays, the 1930s to 1950s, there wasmuch excitement when Kees wouldappear in Life magazine or even on atelevision program. Then in the 1960s,because of a fear of overbreeding, a lidwas put on all breed-promoting activities.In an effort to protect theKeeshond from exploitation, we justhuddled together and stopped singingits praises as an ideal family dog, lestsomeone run off on impulse to a petstore demanding “one of those adorableKeeshond puppies.”Times have changed, and decades ofsilence about our breed have finallycaught up with us. The most commonquestion we get when out with ourdogs is “What kind of dog is that?”In looking at the budgets and volunteerhours of many, if not most, parentclubs, we find that the majority ofactivities and expenditures are focusedinward on club-member programs,awards, and shows. Very few resourcesare directed to public education anddevelopment of breed awareness.Today we need to use every venueavailable to us—print and electronicmedia, the Internet, social networking,Meet the Breeds, and other tools—totell the story of our breed. This getsback to volunteers and to recruiting notonly new owners for our breed, but alsonew breeders and club members whowill carry on the work of the future.As guardians of our breed, it is ourmost important responsibility and theway to ensure a healthy future for ourdogs. —Deborah A. Lynch, dlnpoconsult@gmail.com;Keeshond Club ofAmerica website: keeshond.orgLhasa ApsosThrough a Different LensWe’ve all heard the criticalappraisal of dogs others areshowing, and most of us have beenguilty of it at one point or another inour show careers. In an era of declinesin breed numbers, show entries,breeders, and serious exhibitors, itmight be helpful to take a peekthrough a different lens.Police and attorneys will tell you thatthree people can witness the same accidentand each will detail a differentdescription of what happened. Tworeviewers will critique a performance,and reading their reviews leaves oneuncertain that they were at the sameevent. Let’s consider how a breeder,competitor, judge, and spectator mightview the same hypothetical dog namedLhasa.The breeder: Lhasa is the only puppyfrom his sire and dam, and both areimportant in my breeding program. Ireally don’t like his head, which isbroader than I prefer, and the eye is abit round, but he has a good bite withstraight teeth. His balance is ideal, withgood length of neck but not extreme.Coat texture is acceptable. I’m thrilledwith his excellent shoulders, a trait Ihave been trying to improve in my line.His rear is average, like his sire’s, but Ican get by with it for now and improveit later. He has great temperament andis fun to show.The competition: Lhasa is a respectabledog, but he lacks correct head type. Hismovement is bouncy, not smooth, andhis rear lacks proper drive. He appearsto have good shoulders, but I’m not sosure about that rear. I like his color butthe coat texture looks a bit soft. To myeye, I’d like more neck to balance himout properly. He is presented well, has agood attitude, and won’t give you anA K C G A Z E T T E • 25 • S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 2