Kennel Club

If it's true that every dog has his day, then yesterday was it for 1,650 pooches at the finale of the Maryland Kennel Club's 79th All-Breed Dog Show in a crowded Fifth Regiment Armory.Dog owners, judges and canine aficionados came from as far as California and Florida to take part in the nation's fourth oldest dog show.More than 5,000 humans were on hand for the two-day affair, petting, prodding and admiring the four-legged contenders representing 126 different breeds -- from Afghans and Alaskan malamutes to Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

The Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club, Inc. offers a $3,000 scholarship for the first place applicant toward the field of animal sciences. Qualified scholarship applications are taken through June 1 and reviewed by the Scholarship Committee. The winner will be announced by Aug. 1. The scholarship is generally awarded by the second week of August. If interested in receiving a scholarship application and a copy of the guidelines, please contact Norma Skillman, scholarship chair, at 410-273-7996.

Due to inaccurate information supplied to The Sun, a story in Monday's editions about the Maryland Kennel Club's annual dog show incorrectly reported the name of the dog that won best in show. The winner was a standard schnauzer named Ch Parsifal Di Casa Netzer.The Sun regrets the error.For Tuffy the Rottweiler, it was dog-eat-dog competition.Tuffy stood in the middle of a makeshift ring in the 5th Regiment Armory yesterday as hundreds of humans circled around, waiting to see whether she would choke, like so many dogs do at the Maryland Kennel Club's annual show.

Despite taking two dogs to the country's most prestigious dog show and doubling her chances of success, a Perry Hall woman on Tuesday was unable to advance in the competition. Lisl Dutterer had entered her champion Samoyeds Halo and Easter in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show with hopes that one of them could win best of breed and compete on live television for the working-class trophy against Siberian huskies, boxers, Great Danes and mastiffs. But neither Halo nor Easter made it past the breed round.

Whether its members and their dogs are visiting schools and nursing homes, providing library books about dogs, purchasing police dogs or offering a breeder referral service, the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club prides itself in its commitment to service. Formed in 1985 under the rules of the American Kennel Club, the Northeastern Maryland branch was created to "protect and advance the interests of all breeds of purebred dogs and to encourage sportsmanlike competition at dog shows and obedience trials."

Every dog has its day, the saying goes - and yesterday dozens of canines had theirs in Harford County, participating in the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club's obedience match. The match was part of an annual two-day event that draws people from Maryland and neighboring states, said its chairwoman, Linda Billings, a member of the Kennel Club's board. "This is like the testing ground for a real show," Billings said. "This gets the dog used to being in a ring setting, working with a judge."

Oh, those big, brown eyes. That face. That fur -- and those paws. You beautiful dog. Pardon the doggie reverie, but it's time for Westminster: the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, live from New York's Madison Square Garden. Tomorrow and Tuesday, 2,622 dogs -- representing 165 breeds and varieties, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkshire terrier -- will compete to be named Best in Show. The group competitions and Best in Show will be televised on the USA Network, starting at 8 p.m. No breed has a lock on Best in Show.

Krissy could have been a contender.Her hair was perfectly coiffed after a last-minute shampoo and clip. She was relaxed after getting encouraging hugs and kisses from her managers. But when it was time for her to prance before the judges yesterday, Krissy didn't make the cut.Such is life on the dog show circuit.The canine contestants in the Maryland Kennel Club's 85th All-Breed Dog Show and Obedience Trial yesterday vied to be the top dog in an intense competition that drew more than 2,000 entries representing at least 135 breeds, from Afghan hounds to miniature schnauzers to soft-coated wheaten terriers.

If you're a dog person (and you know who you are), you'll want to visit the Maryland State Fairgrounds sometime between tomorrow and Monday. Why, you ask? Let's just say the Cow Palace will be more like the Canine Palace for those four days. The Cherry Blossom Cluster dog shows feature three all-breed shows and multiple specialty shows at the Cow Palace. Featured will be the Columbia Terrier Club and other specialties tomorrow, the Old Dominion Kennel Club of Northern Virginia Kennel Club on Saturday, the Baltimore County Kennel Club on Sunday and the Catoctin Kennel Club on Monday.

L. Stewart Cochrane, 81, American Kennel Club judgeL. Stewart Cochrane, a Baltimore resident for more than 20 years and a judge for the American Kennel Club, died of natural causes March 26 in Glenmoore, Pa., where he lived. He was 81.Born in London, he moved to Baltimore in 1923, graduated from Polytechnic Institute in 1935 and attended the Johns Hopkins University.He lived in Roland Park and moved to Philadelphia in 1946.A memorial service is being planned for the World War II veteran, who served in the Army Air Force from 1943 to 1945.

CHESTER F. COLLIER, 80 Shaped dog show Chester F. Collier, an Emmy-winning producer best known for shaping the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, died from diabetes complications Wednesday, the organization said. Mr. Collier was a longtime network television producer and executive with media outlets including CNBC and Fox News. As president of Group W and Westinghouse Broadcasting, he also oversaw the development and production of The Regis Philbin Show and The Merv Griffin Show. Always a dog lover, Mr. Collier took his passion to the competitive level, showing Bouviers des Flandres in the 1960s and winning more than 50 Bests In Show.

If you're a dog person (and you know who you are), you'll want to visit the Maryland State Fairgrounds sometime between tomorrow and Monday. Why, you ask? Let's just say the Cow Palace will be more like the Canine Palace for those four days. The Cherry Blossom Cluster dog shows feature three all-breed shows and multiple specialty shows at the Cow Palace. Featured will be the Columbia Terrier Club and other specialties tomorrow, the Old Dominion Kennel Club of Northern Virginia Kennel Club on Saturday, the Baltimore County Kennel Club on Sunday and the Catoctin Kennel Club on Monday.

Every dog has its day, the saying goes - and yesterday dozens of canines had theirs in Harford County, participating in the Northeastern Maryland Kennel Club's obedience match. The match was part of an annual two-day event that draws people from Maryland and neighboring states, said its chairwoman, Linda Billings, a member of the Kennel Club's board. "This is like the testing ground for a real show," Billings said. "This gets the dog used to being in a ring setting, working with a judge."

DOGS POOCH POWER It will be a canine conclave at the Maryland State Fairgrounds this weekend. The huge "Cherry Blossom Cluster" dog show features three kennel club shows with more than 2,000 purebred canines from more than 150 breeds. (Brichon frise are pictured.) Saturday's show will have dogs from the Old Dominion Kennel Club, Sunday's show includes animals from the Baltimore County Kennel Club, and Monday's show will have dogs from the Catoctin Kennel Club. In addition to the competitions each day, which will include obedience, rally and conformation trials, there will be a midway with doggie items from vendors.

Ruth Ann Ford gently dabbed tears from Rock's eyes as the two waited to have their picture taken. "It's probably from stress," Ford said of Rock - short for Forever Rock Hudson, her 8-month-old papillon that had just won the Best of Winners ribbon for 6- to 9-month-old pups in the Toy Division at the Maryland Kennel Club All Breed Dog Show. "He's doing pretty cool," said Ford, of Osceola Mills, Pa., as she held the tiny white, brown and black puppy in the palms of her hands. Organizers estimated that about 1,000 people ventured out yesterday to the 5th Regiment Armory, where 1,681 dogs, in 142 breeds or varieties, were entered.

Oh, those big, brown eyes. That face. That fur -- and those paws. You beautiful dog. Pardon the doggie reverie, but it's time for Westminster: the 130th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, live from New York's Madison Square Garden. Tomorrow and Tuesday, 2,622 dogs -- representing 165 breeds and varieties, from the Affenpinscher to the Yorkshire terrier -- will compete to be named Best in Show. The group competitions and Best in Show will be televised on the USA Network, starting at 8 p.m. No breed has a lock on Best in Show.

Even kids too little to count know there are 101 of them. Dalmatians, that is.And thanks to the 30th anniversary release of "101 Dalmatians," kids and parents across the country are scrambling to find these delightful, dotted dogs.The American Kennel Club report renewed interest in the breed, thanks in part to the movie."We've been getting a lot of attention lately," said Vilma Baquero, an Orlando, Fla., Dalmatian aficionado, "especially when we walk both of our Dalmatians. Kids point to us as we go by. We're getting lots of double takes these days."

Get ready for some dog with today's bird. NBC will follow the immensely popular Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with a two-hour dog show from Philadelphia, the first time a major broadcast network has aired a regular dog show. "NBC ... saw what the ratings were and the popularity of dog shows on other channels, like Animal Planet and ESPN and the USA Network," said Steve Griffith, publicist for the newly dubbed The National Dog Show. "But no one has ever tried this on a network before."

It took more than an hour of meticulous brushing, styling and blow-drying - and a little last-minute shaving - to get Marlene ready for her big moment. The intensive grooming paid off: The cocker spaniel from France was named the best female in her round during competition at the Maryland Kennel Club's 93rd All Breed Dog Show yesterday. More than 1,800 dogs competed. The top honor - Best in Show - went to Garbh Aerie of Eagle, an Irish wolfhound. The dogs competed in 12 rings against others of the same breed and age. More than 140 breeds were represented.

With a 50-foot-wide American flag hanging proudly from the rafters, about 2,000 people packed a dog show in Baltimore yesterday to ogle affenpinschers, browse the dog diapers and beef ear puffs, and watch 1,725 dogs compete for canine glory. The Maryland Kennel Club's 92nd annual All-Breed Dog Show at the 5th Regiment Armory on Howard Street brought out vendors, pet fanatics, breeders, dreamers -- and schemers. Beth Flierl, a housewife from Beaverdam, Va., brushed the coat of her 145-pound Irish wolfhound, Bran, as she explained her secret for crushing competition in the ring.