AKC Gazette Article

March 1952

SALUKIS March 1952

THE CLEVELAND CLASSIC! That famed show will be history by the time this goes to press, but at the moment, the air hereabouts is electric with all the exciting preparations being made for a gala reception of America's greatest dogs, convening from every corner of this expansive nation. Indirectly though it may be, Salukis are right in the midst of all the doin’s! The president of the Western Reserve K.C., of course is Saluki-ite Loy F. Green who, with better-half Marjorie, is working day and night perfecting myriads of details. Their Akbar Trevfi of Pine Paddocks C.D.X. obligingly spent a Saturday forenoon going through obedience routines for press photographers so that a graceful Saluki jumping picture might appear in the preshow publicity.

My own rascally Ch. Jeytani Val Malik C.D. is secretly putting his ears up in curlers every night, since overhearing my phone conversation promising to get him to the Bonwit-Teller Style Show in time far him to strut his stuff with a lush Powers model. Conceited little brat that he is, I expect he'll out-strut any model in the place, flashing silky white paws like a prancing Hackney pony!
I, too, am due for radio and television interviews. They'd better be ready to take drastic measures to shut me off, 'cause when I get started on Salukis-well-you know the rest!

The John Bodes are bringing their Kashan Farouk of Pine Paddocks, now a dignified(?) gentleman of one year, for his obedience premiere. We all hope that he crashes through with a stellar performance, despite the unaccustomed excitement.

Last but not least, Max Riddle, show chairman, is practically in the Saluki family, having shown the first Saluki n the Mid-West (Ch. Valda), not, to mention many others, since. He has been drawing an endless chain of new ideas out of his fertile brain, with all the finesse of a magician swishing the proverbial silk kerchiefs out of the hat! It promises to be a great show that we are proud to have a part in, so if you missed it this year, better mark your calendar for next! The Cleveland Classic!

Wig-Wags from the Dog-Tail Lounge: Orchids to the Rio Grande K.C. for being on its toes! After noting in this column that Mr. Flory and his Salukis are in their locale, the Rio Grande club secretary called, advising him of the organization’s meeting, and of its licensed point show, next November. They invited the Florys to attend the next monthly meeting with the Salukis so that their members might see them "since none of them has ever seen this breed." Both club and newcomers are bound to benefit by such cordiality.

The West Coast is really cornering its share of Salukis these days! Homer Gilfillan leads the list with an interesting assortment of pups and grown dogs. His first litter was by the famed Ch. Kataf, and out of Diamond Hill Hama of Homs. The next was by his English import, Kadri Shah, from the Mazuri kennels of Gwendolyn Angel. Mr. Gilfillan really subscribes to the feeling expressed by Audrie Laurie and shared by all of us, "Own a Saluki once, and nothing else can ever take its place!" He has reached that too-familiar stage where he doesn’t even want to part with his youngsters-and that’s a good think, methinks! Salukis are not likely to get into the wrong hands, as so well they might if their owner’s interest were solely commercial.

Wayne Jensen has taken several Salukis to the Coast. The Don Diessners are enthusiastic about their very attractive parti-color, as are miscellaneous other one- or two-dog owners -- a Los Angeles artist, an Arabian Horse breeder, and so on.

Helen Reinertsen, El Monte, Calif., writes that her son is back in the Korean front line, again, after several months in this country recuperating from the serious wounds he received, last time he was there.

To J.C.: A tip for finicky eaters is to try cooking you horsemeat in a pressure cooker for about ten minutes, adding if you wish seasoning and vegetables, especially onions. There is something about it that seems to appeal to dogs that will not eat horsemeat any other way.

To H. R.: Encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, is commonly an aftermath of distemper. However other predisposing causes, according to Hutchinson’s, include: "Injuries to the head; exposure to cold or extreme heat, excessive fatigue; . . . fevers; etc." Also such a condition "arises sometimes under the stress of severe and prolonged exertion, intense excitement as in hysteria, and in sunstroke."

Some shots have a violent reaction on the nervous system. According to a veterinarian from a leading university, both rabies and post-rabies vaccinations can cause encephalitis in young dogs. He qualifies this by adding, "The newer types of rabies vaccine may (my italics) not cause this reaction. This to me is rather startling, for obvious reasons. Even some methods of distemper immunization still in experimental stages have had a similar effect on the nervous system.

Sad news comes that two more grand young Salukis have been killed by automobiles. As I have said so many times before, Salukis are fantastically fast, and darting out into traffic must be hard to avoid. The simplest solution to me, since they do not have unbroken desert on which to run, is to keep a barrier between them and the highway. Death in traffic is only one of the reasons why I try to discourage a new prospect from buying a Saluki if he or she intends to let it run at large. Salukis are so happy and contented at home where they belong, why risk the inevitable heartbreak attendant on tragedy?

Robert Gunderson sends photos of some of his salukis, from Minnesota, and are they beauties! I sure do love to hear from all of you, and seeing the dogs by proxy, as 'twere, so keep on writing! MRS ESTHER BLISS KNAPP, Valley City, Ohio.