1998
DR Goes To Bookstores… Glossy

January 1998 reported that Westminster entries opened and then closed in record time, in less than one hour. DR published the police report from the Warwick, R.I. Police Department in connection with the Ramsey case, much of it contrary to David Ramsey’s own report in the April 1997 issue. The January Breed Forum covered Fox Terriers. It was at this juncture that DR would begin to appear on the shelves of high-end book stores, including Barnes & Noble and Borders, and as a result the February 1998 issue brought the first of several format changes over the next nine years; DR was printed on heavy glossy stock instead of the newsprint of the first year, and the size was reduced to 101/2 inches wide by 12 inches tall. Cavaliers were the focus of the February Breed Feature. An additional change was seen with the March 1998 issue, one that endured until the October 2006 issue, when the cover photograph, still dog only, began to appear as a beautiful, and often arresting, full-bleed.  The table of contents was moved to the inside of the magazine, although items of interest were still noted on the cover as was befitting a newsstand publication. Color reproduction on the new, glossy stock was gorgeous. The March issue reported that the Norwich Terrier, Ch. Fairewood Frolic, owned by Sandy and Glorvina Schwartz, and bred by Lotus Tutton, had won Westminster. It was handler Peter Green’s record-breaking fourth Westminster Best in Show. This issue also reported that passing of another of the all-time great professional handlers, Bill Trainor, who had twice won the Garden himself. Pointer experts weighed in for the Breed Feature in this issue. ‘Rocki’ the Norwich graced the April issue of DR.

The May 1998 issue reported that the owner-handled Welsh Terrier, Ch. Saredon Forever Young, had won Crufts with Judy Averis. This issue included the Dachshund Breed Forum. June reported that the dog world had not lost enough yet during this year with memorials to the beloved Derek Rayne and the also much-loved Betty Moore. Yorkshire Terriers, Whippets and Boxers were the breeds featured over the next few months and each feature was fascinating, thanks to input from breed experts.

The October issue included an enlightening interview with then-AKC President Al Cheaure and the Lhasa Apso Breed Feature. With that issue DR also acquired as art director and production manager Christine Mallet, who would remain with the team for the next five years. The December issue included the feature on Golden Retrievers. The year closed with a letter from a Siberian Husky breeder/exhibitor in Bainbridge Island, Wash., who wrote, “Enclosed you will find a subscription for Dogs in Review, the best all-breed publication I’ve ever run across.” It seemed to be working.

1999

The year 1999 opened with an 80-page Dogs in Review. Mrs. Clark reported on the very first Advanced Judges Institute in which those attending were not only exposed to the conformation aspects of the breeds, including hands-on examinations of dogs and lectures by breed experts, but also to the functional working capabilities of the breeds. In this case, about 70 judges were signed up for the Institute on Sporting dogs, put together by, among others, AKC’s Mari-Beth O’Neill and judges Pluis Davern, Dorothy Macdonald and Anne Katona, along with Mrs. Clark. The attendees were treated to a day of watching Pointers and Setters, then Spaniels and Retrievers, do the work for which they were bred. This institute was a smashing success, and spawned Judges Institutes just like it for other Groups in the years that followed. Also among the great reading in January was a kennel visit with the noted  Covy-Tucker Hills German Shepherd breeders Cappy Pottle and Gloria Birch.  Veterinarian, breeder and exhibitor Deb Eldredge joined the DR team to write her monthly column on health matters.

The Breed Features for February and March were Bearded Collies and Dobermans. The April 1999 issue reported that the Papillon, Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being, was Best in Show at the Garden under Edd Bivin, with owner John Oulton at the helm. The featured breed was Chows. On page 5 of that issue the publishers reported that by popular demand, ad space would no longer be limited to 50 percent of each issue. More and more people wanted to advertise in DR, and while the editorial content expanded, Bo and Paul decided to take on more advertising as well.

In May we reported that Liz Cartledge had awarded Crufts Best in Show to the Irish Setter, Ch. Caspians Intrepid, in an entry of 21,503 dogs. Bull Terriers were the featured breed. Also with the May issue long-time breeder and exhibitor Cindy Chandler joined the DR team to assist Paul Lepiane with ad sales, as the demand for ad pages continued to increase. The August/September issue, now up to 118 pages, included among its offerings the Irish Setter Breed Feature, a compelling article about the controversy over the Japanese vs. the American type Akitas and a report by Paula Heikkinen-Lehkonen from the European Winner Show. Also in this issue Bo Bengtson mentioned in Opening Space that we were having some complaints about the “oversized” format of the magazine, owing to problems with it fitting in mailboxes, getting damaged easily and being difficult to tuck in a bag, and he asked for feedback from readers.  And with that…

The October 1999 issue of DR was reduced in size to 91/16 by 107/8, the size it is today. The first “smaller” issue featured on the cover the Shih Tzu, Ch. Charing Cross Ragtime Cowboy, owned by Gilbert Kahn and handled by Luke Ehricht. Basset Hounds were the Breed Feature focus. With the following issue DR was perfect-bound and of course remains so today. The November issue reported new entry rules for Westminster in which the top five dogs from each breed, based on dogs defeated in breed competition, would be sent a special invitation to enter previous to regular entries being accepted. Also in that issue, Bo Bengtson and Paul Lepiane interviewed AKC Chairman David Merriam, and DR covered the Top Dogs from 1956 through 1998, as well as all of the Achievement Award winners and Hall of Fame inductees from the early 1960s through 1991.

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