Junior Showmanship: Decades Ago

Here’s a photo of what has appeared on the Labrador Retriever history page on the AKC’s website for at least the last twenty months!

“Oh, my God.”

“What’s wrong,” my husband Dave inquired. He poked his head into my office.

“Oh, my God,” I repeated. My eyes remained glued to the computer screen.

Are the pictures of the so-called “silver” Labradors that bad?” he asked. Dave knew that I was considering writing a blog post about “silver” Labradors which aren’t Labradors at all. The only colors of Labradors are black, chocolate and yellow.

To start that project, I googled the American Kennel Club (AKC) to find out what the dog registry said about Labradors. The AKC’s Labrador page clearly stated the three acceptable colors of Labradors: black, chocolate and yellow.

Next I clicked “learn more.” Then I scrolled down to “history.” Five black and white photos popped up across across the page. None of the dogs or individuals in the photos were identified nor were any credits given for the photographs. My jaw dropped. I knew without any doubt the identity of the person and dog depicted in the far-left photo.

Thirteen-year-old Cary glares at her Ch. Thumper of Walden as they pose at home for a New York Times article about junior showmanship.

The Labrador was my first dog, Ch. Thumper of Walden. And there I was: a thirteen-year-old glaring at him so he’d stay on his crate. I had no idea that the photo was on the AKC’s website. The photo had appeared in a story about junior handling written by John Rendel of the New York Times DECADES ago! The photographer was Paul Kammet.

Dave walked into my office. I just pointed at my computer screen.

“That’s you,” he said. He immediately recognized the photo. He’d seen the photo among pictures from my mom’s house after both of my parents died.

I didn’t recognize the dog in the second photo but the judge in the third photo may be the late James Trullinger. I showed Thumper under him twice and won winners dog both times. I didn’t recognize the dog or handler in the third photo.

The late Helen Warwick was pictured in the fourth photo with a dog and handler that I couldn’t name.

I wondered if the fifth photo included the late Percy Roberts, an all-rounder judge, but couldn’t identify the handler or dog.

Time to put social media to good use: I’ll ask my Labrador Facebook friends for help in identifying the individuals and Labradors in the photographs. Here’s a link to the page:  http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/labrador-retriever/detail/ The photos were probably taken in the 1960s; perhaps early 1970s, judging by the humans’ attire.

Thumper at just four and a half weeks of age.

I remember the year that the photo was taken. I’d shown Thumper to his conformation championship and qualified for the junior showmanship competition at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. At that time, a junior needed to win five times in the open junior handling class to qualify. I’d done so with four different Labradors because my parents didn’t want to spend money to enter Thumper in every show when our other dogs needed to compete to earn their conformation championship. That meant I competed in junior showmanship classes with whatever dog my parents entered in the conformation ring.

Westminster was the exception. I showed Thumper in the Best of Breed conformation ring and in junior showmanship. Thumper and I didn’t win any ribbons but I felt fortunate to compete at Westminster and enjoyed the experience as a young teenager. Afterwards, I caught a nasty cold and stayed at home in bed for several days, lengthening my time away from school. Thumper slept on my bed to comfort me and ended up coming down with a cold too, probably kennel cough.

Sometime that winter or early spring, I was asked to lead a school assembly with Thumper. As a shy, lanky kid, I couldn’t think of a worse school assignment. I didn’t have a choice in the matter, so I dressed up in my dog show attire: pretty blouse, grey skirt and suit jacket, knee-length socks, and probably those horrible red tie shoes. I spoke to my schoolmates about my Westminster experience and showed Thumper as I did in the ring. Somehow, I lived through the experience.

That embarrassment was just the first of what at the time seemed like excruciating, uncomfortable events, related to dogs outside the show ring. In 1966, The Dog In My Life, a fictionalized book about Thumper and me, and written by my dad, Kurt Unkelbach, was published. Only a couple of my classmates knew about the book, including my best friend Sally, so I wasn’t concerned that I’d be teased about it. Parents can certainly embarrass teenagers!

An older and wiser Thumper assists Kurt (Cary’s dad) as he edits one of his manuscripts.

My Tenth-Grade English teacher assigned me to help out in the school’s library during several classes. At the time, I wondered why I was so lucky to escape from her English class but I didn’t ask why.

After missing several classes, I quizzed Sally about what was happening in class during my absences. Why was I sent to the library so often? Sally didn’t want to fess up but finally disclosed that the teacher was reading The Dog in My Life, chapter by chapter, to the whole class. The teacher thought I’d be embarrassed if I remained in the class. Actually, I was mortified! So much for flying under the radar. But my classmates must have taken pity on me and didn’t kid me about the fictionalized account.

Decades later, I’m proud of my dad and his literary accomplishments. I don’t even get flustered if asked about The Dog In My Life. Perhaps I learned to be less self-conscious, thanks to my appearances as a lawyer before federal district court and appellate judges. Or maybe I just matured.

When individuals reach out to say how much they enjoyed my Dad’s books or how they served as an inspiration to train and even show their dogs, I well up with pride. My father would have loved knowing that his books, decades after their publication, are remembered so fondly. I only wish that I could call him to let him know about his fans. I’ll just have to visualize his smile. He’s been gone for twenty-five years.

Feature photos: Ch. Thumper of Walden at age four and a half months.

Related Post about junior showmanship: https://www.caryunkelbach.com/dog-competitions-teach-valuable-life-lessons-children/

36 comments on “Junior Showmanship: Decades Ago

  1. This is an incredibly heartwarming blog. I had no idea you went to Westminster as teen! What other secrets are you carrying around with you Miss Cary? I actually can’t wait to see what you write next!

    • Glad that you enjoyed the post, Patty! I still have fond memories of (and some funny stories) about Westminster…and showing as a kid. Taught me a lot of lessons that helped as I grew up! Thanks for being such an avid fan of my blog!

  2. May I have your autograph next time I see you? You never mentioned that you showed at the famous Westminster Dog Show. What terrific memories you have now shared with all of us. Thank you for sharing the story and pictures!

    • It was just a couple of years ago that I showed Thumper at Westminster…lol!! Glad you enjoyed the post and photos. I love the photo of my Dad and Thumper. Did notice my Dad’s Royal typewriter on his desk?

  3. This is an amusing yet heart-warming blog, Cary. Thank you for sharing your past memories with us.

    • Thanks Evie! I prefer the photo of my dad with Thumper to my teenage-dagger stare at Thumper!

  4. I love this blog! What a great photo of you and Thumper.However I enjoy all of them. It reminds me the books has written by your Dad. Especially “Love on a leash” my favorite. This story brought me a lot of laugh and joy at the time when I really need it.

    • Thanks Jola! So glad that Love on a Leash is a favorite! Keep smiling and laughing!!!

    • Thanks Chris! As to my dad’s books, I’d check your local library. If that doesn’t work, Amazon and Abebooks.com may have some of them. I think that you’d especially enjoy Love on a Leash and The Winning of Westminster, both spoofs on the dog fancy. One of my favorites is Murphy. Good luck in your hunt! Happy reading!

    • Thanks Laurel. Well said! I cherish those memories and am so happy that his books influenced so many children and adults.

  5. You were a cute teenager, but Thumper was even cuter as a puppy! What a great story. 🙂

    • You are so kind! I look pretty stern in the photo! I love the puppy pics of Thumper, and the one with my dad and Thumper. Brings back fond memories.

  6. What a great story, Cary! I remember reading the book when I was about 14, and it truly was what got me interested in showing dogs. It was so much fun to meet you as an adult at the PLRC specialty!

    • Thanks, Brenda. Was great to learn that my dad’s book caused you to start showing dogs. Dad would have loved knowing that. I enjoyed meeting you too and so glad that you met Ranger! Hope you find time to come up to Colorado for a vacation or a dog show!

  7. After discovering your blog, I think I now know why all of us SO connected when looking for #3 Lab in our married life (#6 in my personal life) and your name was given to us with all the right adjectives- dedicated, conscientious, lifetime connection to labradors and responsible breeding. Like you, Cary, my early years were on the east coast and the labs who were our family members were my best friends and warm, cuddly bed mates (although they excelled at claiming 3/4 of the bed before morning!) Now that I know your Dad wrote a book using you and your dog Thumper as the inspiration, I see that you come by your own writing skills naturally, and of course your love affair with labradors is a passion instilled at a young age. When we bought our beloved Wiggles from you in 1997, little did we know that it was the beginning of a wonderful friendship for us. Your “puppy” parties were SUCH fun! as we celebrated each year of the siblings and seeing Molly their mother again. I don’t know breeding lines, but any chance our Wiggles was related to your Thumper? And now we share siblings- your Ranger and our Triscuit! Loved the photo of you as a young girl. I can see you were concentrating intently on discipline at that moment even though Thumper seems a bit casual in accepting it. Great blog! Linda

    • Thanks for all your kind comments, Linda! Yes, I am am a lifelong Labrador lover! I remember Wiggles so fondly and, as you probably remember, she was Dave’s favorite of the litter. I fell in love with her sister, Brew, a very special girl that could never do anything wrong in my eyes (according to Dave!). Brew and Wiggles probably were related to one of Thumper’s ancestors way, way back but came from my parents’ second line starting with an import from Konoboly Labradors in Scotland. Molly was the granddaughter of Konoboly Utterly Foolish, CDX, the import. Foolish’s sire was Eng. Ch. Fabracken Comedy Star. Yes, Thumper wasn’t taking the photo shoot very seriously!

  8. I love this post, Cary. The photo of you and Thumper is priceless. I wonder where AKC got it. Maybe that source would have some more ideas on the other photos.
    You obviously had a wonderful childhood with all the Labs running around your home.

    • Thanks for your kind comments Beth! I’m wonder if the LRC didn’t submit the photos years ago from newspaper clippings or maybe the AKC found some clippings also. I have no clue as to how long the photos have been up on the website. As I mentioned in this post, I stumbled across them! I did have a great childhood, and training and showing dogs taught me many life lessons, including dealing with shyness!

  9. What an interesting article! Lots of great and fun information on your early life and dad! Enjoyed reading this!

    • Labradors and more Labradors! Good thing my dad had a great sense of humor! Thanks for your comments, Barb. Glad you enjoyed the post!

  10. Such a handsome dog. Whenever I see a yellow lab I think fondly of Thumper. He was such an awesome dog.

    • He was a handsome boy and fun too! Do you remember that school assembly when I “showed” Thumper? I remember being so much more nervous there than at Westminster!

  11. The Dog in my Life was one of my favorite books growing up–all my other favorites were horse stories. I just recently bought a copy of the book as a Christmas present to myself, but I will be sharing with my grandkids soon. It has been fun reading your blogs. I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading about you in your fathers book and also how much I have enjoyed reading your blogs.

    • Glad that you enjoyed The Dog in My Life! Appreciate your letting me know. Thumper was such a fun dog and probably responsible in part for my life-long love of Labradors!

    • Small world!! So glad that you loved The Dog In My Life, and we share Judie as a mutual friend!! Met her when we spent some time in the Phoenix area!!

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