Page 13 - Chow Life - Spring 2018

would constitute one of the finest Westminster, and her Doberman Fortunately, the revival of the
all-breed dog shows ever held in the Pinscher Ch. Ferry v. Rauhfelsen of Morris & Essex show that began at
United States. Giralda was BIS at Westminster in five-year intervals in 2000 under
The Giralda Farms dogs owned by 1939. In 1933, Mrs. Dodge became the guidance of Wayne Ferguson
Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge could the first woman to judge BIS at will serve as one of Mrs. Dodge’s
also claim the honor of potentially Westminster. She left enormous ongoing legacies. As long as
being a great all-breed show of amounts of money to charity upon dedicated dog people contribute to
its own, housing up to 200 dogs. her death in 1973. the great shows and the exceptional
Mrs. Dodge was never an absentee Mrs. Dodge’s contributions to dogs that win them, early breeders
owner and impressed her large staff American gene pools were equally such as George Washington himself
with her hands-on relationship with valuable, thanks to the dogs she should be long remembered. For
her animals. The Dodge property imported and those she bred in the world of breeding quality
in Madison, New Jersey, contained herself. livestock, breeders build on the
the two estates of husband and Following World War II, the work that other breeders did before
wife, and was the setting for their breeding and showing of purebred them.
famed Morris & Essex Dog Show. dogs became the prime hobby of
In addition to the large kennel many Americans who housed small
staff, three full-time employees did breeding programs in their homes.
nothing but groom the grounds year Even today these hardworking Patricia Trotter was the 2003 AKC
round in preparation for the annual middleclass breeders truly sacrifice Hound Group Breeder of the Year
May show. Special roads were built for their dogs and are overjoyed and is approved to judge more than
on the properties to accommodate when wealthy patrons lease or 80 breeds. She is a regular contributor
the vehicles of more than 50,000 “borrow” their dogs to back with to the GAZETTE.
people who came to compete or energetic campaigns. This allows
spectate. Mrs. Dodge’s butlers their stock to be seen and evaluated This article first appeared in the
served thousands of boxed lunches across the country. Such exposure September 2009 issue of the AKC
on the manicured lawns. Huge tents offers more opportunity for the GAZETTE and is reprinted with
covered spacious benches to display quality stock of the small breeder to permission.
the dogs and their people. With get into America’s gene pool.
sterling- silver trophies and prizes
to be treasured, Morris & Essex was Although the day of the large
the in outdoor dog show of its day. kennel is almost gone, there are
still a few contributing to the
In 1932 Mrs. Dodge’s Pointer Ch. long-term wellbeing of our sport.
Nancolleth Markable was BIS at

The palatial Chinese-inspired Far East Kennel housed over 100 Chow Chows. Owner L.R. Zifferer spent nearly a quarter of a
million dollars on the building and grounds situated in Columbia, Pennsylvania, in the 1920s.
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