Cheryl Corson
1. My Name is Cheryl Corson and I’m from Nazareth, Pennsylvania. I’ve owned Belgian Sheepdogs for 45 years and purchased my first Belgian in 1979. Her name was Lorjen Rising Star. I co-bred her first litter with my mentors, Maxine and Roger Ellis. Out of that litter of nine, there were five Champions, including two BIS and BISS dogs, and three AM/CAN CH and Obedience-titled dogs. I have done, and will continue to do, my best to preserve this breed.
My dogs have since gone under the Chancery Belgians kennel name and I’m proud to be awarded an AKC Bronze Breeder of Merit. Currently in our house we have five dogs, ages ranging from 1 to 8 years of age. In the last year, we had a significant loss of three Belgians all over the age of 12. I was fortunate to have acquired dogs from well-known breeders overseas, including our last from Lithuania. This gives us a better gene pool, including many of the dogs from Europe which have beautiful breed type.
As a breeder, my vision has always been to combine American and European lines. It’s important to research pedigrees and combine them to get beautiful type, structure, and good temperament. Belgians are a versatile and talented breed. It’s important for us to educate those who aren’t familiar with the breed. There are numerous sites on the Internet through AKC and the breed clubs. AKC now hosts Meet the Breeds where you can personally meet the dogs and talk with breeders who leave you with a memorable impression. The most important thing is to carefully interview puppy buyers and pair them with a puppy to fit their life style. Remember, this breed is versatile. They can compete in numerous events or just be happy living as a family pet.
2. Today, in our current state, the breed has gone so far down in numbers it is a very sad to see. Rarely do we see large entries competing in Conformation at shows. There are three main shows in the country that get more than 20 entries. Over the past 10 years we have lost many breeders, and people are not showing dogs like they used to. That being said, judges can only put up the dogs they see in the ring on that given day.
3. Our breed is a beautiful breed that should on first appearance be a square dog with an elegant appearance that exudes type, and should cover ground effortlessly and with fluid movement. Judges should read the Breed Standard if they are not familiar with our breed prior to judging them. The BSCA has just revised our Breed Standard video which would be helpful to many who have not judged our breed recently.
4. The Belgian Sheepdog is not only beautiful but very smart and active, which makes them one of the best versatile breeds that can compete in any venue.
5. Social media can be a positive experience and a good thing for dog shows; photos, pictures, opinions, anything that would be a nice experience. Unfortunately, seeing some of the negativity (what people say about each other, what people say about judges, what people say about dogs) can be very hurtful, and I do not find that to be a positive and helpful area in dog shows. There is too much negativity in our world at this time to bring down people and hurt people. You may not realize that you’re hurting people, but sometimes people get hurt and that is not a good thing, and it turns people off to the dog show world.
6. Clusters of shows spanning over 3-4 days are very convenient for most exhibitors. With the increase in events offered, kennel clubs can now include events such as Dock Diving and Fast CAT along with Rally and Obedience at shows.
