Elaine
09-06-2010, 09:42 PM
Finally got these photos from Arthur, that we're taken in the ring on August 22, 2010... of Warkant, with Cliff Steele.
Since Warkant finished so early, we never got to see him in the ring at maturity. This show was a lark, Arthur was going to take him in the ring "just for fun".. which would have led to a divorce. At the last minute I convinced him not to show the dog. In exchange, I agreed to look for a handler - that I liked, who was on the showgrounds. Try finding a handler for a Doberman Special within an hour of ringtime... it's a thrill. :cool::rolleyes:;)
We were fortunate to snag Cliff Steele an hour or so before ringtime. Cliff is an excellent handler. He handled a BIS BISS National Specialty winning Giant Schnauzer I co-owned about 15 years ago, I haven't seen him much since then... and I have never seen Cliff show a Doberman, he is more commonly seen in the Beardie ring (he went BIS with his Beardie both days on Aug 21 and 22).
As you can see, Warkant and Cliff are not even remotely "an act." For one thing, Warkant is a bit out of shape and out of practice. He hasn’t been in the ring in about two years… and he hasn’t been on the farm here in months and months (except for weekends). He’s been living the Urban life of a city dog, sleeping on bed and going for walks through the neighborhood. As a result, he is not the "always on the muscle barbarian" he used to be. :D He's has become a calm civilized gentleman… the downside of which is that he does not really fire up on his toes like he did when he was hanging around here as our resident thug.
Even so, Cliff did a very nice job with Warkant and we are indebted to him for taking the dog in on such short notice. It gave Arthur and I a chance to sit ringside and see "our boy" in the ring, all growed up, and we will treasure the memories of the day for years to come.
You will notice that Warkant has red-eye in several of the photos... I did not re-touch them... or anything about him... and I tried to put them in a progression, so that you can see the dog, standing on his own, reflecting his true shoulder assembly, topline, tail set etc., without being tugged, pulled, cranked or twisted into a frame.
Since Warkant finished so early, we never got to see him in the ring at maturity. This show was a lark, Arthur was going to take him in the ring "just for fun".. which would have led to a divorce. At the last minute I convinced him not to show the dog. In exchange, I agreed to look for a handler - that I liked, who was on the showgrounds. Try finding a handler for a Doberman Special within an hour of ringtime... it's a thrill. :cool::rolleyes:;)
We were fortunate to snag Cliff Steele an hour or so before ringtime. Cliff is an excellent handler. He handled a BIS BISS National Specialty winning Giant Schnauzer I co-owned about 15 years ago, I haven't seen him much since then... and I have never seen Cliff show a Doberman, he is more commonly seen in the Beardie ring (he went BIS with his Beardie both days on Aug 21 and 22).
As you can see, Warkant and Cliff are not even remotely "an act." For one thing, Warkant is a bit out of shape and out of practice. He hasn’t been in the ring in about two years… and he hasn’t been on the farm here in months and months (except for weekends). He’s been living the Urban life of a city dog, sleeping on bed and going for walks through the neighborhood. As a result, he is not the "always on the muscle barbarian" he used to be. :D He's has become a calm civilized gentleman… the downside of which is that he does not really fire up on his toes like he did when he was hanging around here as our resident thug.
Even so, Cliff did a very nice job with Warkant and we are indebted to him for taking the dog in on such short notice. It gave Arthur and I a chance to sit ringside and see "our boy" in the ring, all growed up, and we will treasure the memories of the day for years to come.
You will notice that Warkant has red-eye in several of the photos... I did not re-touch them... or anything about him... and I tried to put them in a progression, so that you can see the dog, standing on his own, reflecting his true shoulder assembly, topline, tail set etc., without being tugged, pulled, cranked or twisted into a frame.