A Dog Owner-Handler Success Story

In the 1960s and 1970s there were two kinds of trophies: the "Armpit" and the "S.P." An Armpit could be as tall as a 4-foot-tall wooden pedestal with a Winged Victory and her raised arms at the top. S.P.'s were anything that was silver-plated, including tea sets (yes, they really had tea sets then, and a few were actually used), coffee sets, trays and bowls. Karl and Joyce, living in their modest suburban home, traveling all over the country in their motor home with a winning dog, found themselves not only inundated with coffee pots, trays and such, but a bit short of cash. Joyce decided to hold a private sale for her friends from the Twin Cities area. And what a salewhat a good time, and what fun memories! To this day, it's not unusu al to attend a cocktail party and see a silver tray engraved Group One 1975 or Best in Show 1976. Thus, Karl and Joyce were able to continue to show Goober, taking him throughout the country so he could be seen and appreciated.

Goober's wins included two Bulldog Club of America Bests of Breed, 36 Specialty Bests, 48 all-breed Bests in Show, 110 Non-Sporting Group Firsts and 220 Best of Breeds. Among his notable wins were Best in Show at the Chicago International KC show under Anne Rogers Clark in 1976, and Westminster Kennel Club Group First under Peter Knoop in 1978. In 1976 Goober was the top Non-Sporting dog (Ken-L-Ration) and one of the top 10 dogs of all breeds in the country, and Karl was honored as the top owner-handler. Goober's get included two BCA National Specialty BOB winners, six all-breed Best in Show winners, 12 Group First winners, 14 Specialty Best of Breed winners,  and four offspring in the BCA Hall of Fame. He sired nearly 90 champions. He was the top Bulldog sire of champions in 1977, 1978 and 1979 and the top Non-Sporting sire in 1978.

Denny Kodner wrote to the Dingmans in 1995: "I shall never forget the first time I saw [Goober]. I was still handling then. He ambled by with, I presume, Karl in tow, with such an attitude. I said to whatever judge I was talking to, 'Look at that guy, what a he'll of a dog.' I believe you won your first group that day. He was such fun to watch. And I sure knew next to nothing about Bulldogs at the time, but he's one I'll always remember."

In 1983 Vincent Perry wrote: "Goober is the most noted Bulldog of all time, the most beloved show dog by the general public that has ever lived, adored by all Midwestern dog fanciers, and the greatest attraction at every dog show in which he was entered... This writer could not believe his eyes when Goober, at one of the dog's early shows, walked into his group ring. Perfection! And in a breed so very close to my heart. I remember my fingers trembling as I 'went over' this unusual specimen. Heavens above, what a dog!"

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