The Westminster spotlight on this site for 2011 is veterinary professionals; veterinarians and veterinary technicians, who show dogs at Westminster.
Photo Gallery: Meet Mike and the other interviewees
In this interview, meet Mike, a Bluetick Coonhound, shown by Susan Lloyd, a veterinarian from North Carolina. This is the first appearance of the Bluetick Coonhound breed at Westminster. This breed is joined by 5 other "new breeds" for 2011: the Boykin Spaniel, Redbone Coonhound, Cane Corso, Leonberger, and the Icelandic Sheepdog.
Meet Mike the Bluetick Coonhound
1) What dog are you showing this year? (name, age, gender, breed)
Answer: GCH Live Oaks My Name Is Mike is a 5 year old male Bluetick Coonhound. He finished 2010 as the Number 1 and first GCH Bluetick in the Hound group in 2010.
2) How many years have you shown at Westminster?
Answer: This will be my first year. My breed is new to the WKC dog show this year. I have been waiting years for the opportunity to showcase my breed at this dog show.
3) What can you tell us about this breed, and how did you become interested in this breed?
Answer: The Bluetick Coonhound has been developed from the Grand Bleu de Gascogne and the English Fox hound. Previously registered as English Coonhound, registered as a separate breed in 1946.
The followers of Blueticks wanted to maintain the colder nosed, larger boned, more resolute if slower hunters, rather than follow the trend toward the hot nosed faster hunters preferred by the English followers.
I became interested in the breed after treating a very talented hard hunting Bluetick Coonhound injured while hunting. GrNtCh Ch Wilmoths Cold Blue Steel was a wonderfully laid-back hound. My experience had been with Black and Tan Coonhounds who are also pretty laid back.
Steel was in my veterinary hospital for 2 weeks while recovering from an amputated tail and disco spondylosis. He never complained and was very easy to deal with. When he was back to hunting, I went to observe. It was one of the most exciting things I have experienced with a dog. The hounds found a track, followed it and found the raccoon in the tree.
The music in their voice is so beautiful. I was able to see and hear the joy of these hounds with praise as their reward for treeing the game. This was what these hounds were bred to do while the raccoon was able to stay in the tree, to live out his life. I have rarely been able to watch a dog of any kind do his "job" especially with such exuberance. I fell in love with the Blueticks and coonhunting after the experience.
4) Does your dog do any other types of training (obedience, agility, search and rescue) or therapy work?
Answer: He goes to local day care and elementary schools to educate the children in pet care and coonhunting. Reading "Where The Red Fern Grows" is required reading for all the seventh grade in Carteret County. So Mike and his father go to the schools with me for a presentation about Coonhounds.
We discuss the different breeds of coonhounds. We also discuss the differences when comparing coonhunting equipment, style of hunting (for taking game vs competition) and Hounds used in the Ozarks in the late 1950’s to those found in the current day. The kids all love to pat him and hang all over him. He thinks it is one of the greatest things he ever gets to do.
He is also a working Coonhound staying fit by hunting at night. He does his job well and is a pleasure to hunt with.
5) Do you incorporate dog show life with veterinary practice in any way?
Answer: I generally do not. I do answer questions and help people as best I can at the shows. My practice is a general small animal hospital, so there is little I can incorporate while at the dog shows. My clients like to hear about the competition and how my hounds do. They are very supportive.
6) Do you face any special challenges or have any interesting stories as a veterinary professional participating in dog shows?
Answer: The biggest challenge is to get away from my veterinary practice to travel to the shows. Living on the coast of North Carolina is not very central to the rest of the country. I have traveled as far as Kansas for an event Friday and Saturday. Total ~1400 miles and 20+ hours travel each way for a 2 day event.
I always wished I could figure out how to get the dogs to learn to drive. Other challenges are trying to help people and dogs out without the equipment needed to work in the field. I have been fortunate to meet colleagues all over the country willing to allow me to use their facilities if truly needed. Generally we have a pretty tight group of professionals in the veterinary community.
7) Is there anything else you would like to add?
Answer: I do not think I would have gotten started showing dogs if I have not been involved in Veterinary Medicine. My first veterinary employer showed miniature Schnauzers while a technician at another practice introduced me to showing Black and Tan Coonhounds. I truly enjoy the world of dog shows.
Mike and I would like to thank Kelly Ann Rea for all the effort she put into teaching us both what to do in the show ring. Without her, we would still be at home not able to accomplish our goals. Thank you Kelly.
Thank you, Dr. Lloyd, for telling us about the Bluetick Coonhound breed and sharing stories about Mike. Best wishes for this year's show.
Related Information: Wesminster Kennel Club
2011 Westminster Dog Show:
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