Meet the Owner Handlers Sue & D. Blair Gibson

Meet the Owner Handlers Sue & D. Blair Gibson

W e are happily retired after successful careers in archeology and higher education. Sue is responsible for grooming and handling the dogs while Blair does the heavy lifting and driving. We live in Torrance, California, where we reared two sons, and thus far, raised four Irish Terriers.

1. How were you first introduced to the sport of purebred dogs? To your breed?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: Serendipity is so important. Twenty-two years ago, we were introduced to the breed when we spotted the ITs on display at an Irish Faire. We thought we’d go for bangers and Celtic dancing, but we were wowed by the dogs. They were magnificent. Neither of us had ever felt a wire-haired coat or even heard of the breed. Two years later, we decided to get a family dog, and after careful research, the four of us decided to get an IT. Then the trick was finding one as they are a vulnerable breed.

2. How many years in dogs? In your breed?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: We got roped into the sport of showing purebred dogs after we joined a regional breed club. I can’t stress enough the importance of regional clubs in building owner interest in purebred dogs and showing them. The members introduced us to the dog shows. Ten years ago, three enthusiastic members heartily encouraged me to get a puppy show dog. They said it would be easy. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I fell in love with the puppy that became our first champion; CH Rockledge Ruadhri O’Gibson.

3. Do you attend show handling classes? Have you attended in-person handling seminars?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: Yes, I’ve attended show handling classes and I recommend them. Often, they are run in a public park by an experienced owner/handler/breeder. Sometimes I’ve had to step out of a lineup with a younger fidgety dog or leave a bit early. I would have liked to have attended the recent two-day workshop run by Amy Rutherford and Bill McFadden, but we were out of the country on vacation. It focused on terrier grooming, conditioning, handling… I almost canceled vacation just to be with those two greats! Note to Bill and Amy: Please offer it again, soon!

4. Have you found virtual learning tools to be helpful? Videos? Websites? Social Media? AKC Canine College?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: Virtual learning tools are very helpful. Much is on YouTube, but truly, personal mentoring is supreme. I especially like Allison Alexander’s Leading Edge Dog Show Academy videos. I’ve met her in person at Groom Expo West and found her to be pleasant and very helpful. A stranger can ask her anything regarding Conformation dog handling, grooming, and conditioning, and she will answer at a level that you can understand. George Alston has some wonderful online videos. He’s one of the greats. So glad that he has videos. Dan Sackos has some excellent videos specific to Irish Terrier grooming. I also like some, but not all, of Eric Salas’ videos. Again, at some point, I feel that personal mentoring is required to pick up the nuances and finer points.

5. Do you compete in the National Owner-Handled Series? Are rankings important to you?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: Yes, we compete in the NOHS. We love it. Most unexpectedly, we have become very successful with our current boy, CH Gibson’s Cailte Tadhg. Yes, the rankings are important to us. Initially they weren’t as it was only about enjoying our dogs, the people, and taking in the rousing energy of dog shows. But now we’ve become competitive.

We’ve also seen how incredible other Owner Handlers are with their dogs. It’s amazing how they can get into the heads of their dogs and act as a single unit in the ring. They collaborate with their dogs to make physical structure, personality, stacking, and gaiting into a kind of wondrous performance art.

6. In which class(es) are you most likely to enter your dog(s)?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: We have mostly entered in the Puppy classes, Open classes, and BOB/Variety. And of course, we tick off the owner/handler box. Last year, for the first time, and again this year, we entered our 12-year-old spayed bitch, GCH Trackways Cassidy Keepsake, in the Veterans Sweepstakes class. I had always wanted to show Kiki after we got her seven years ago from Cory Rivera, but alas, you can’t show a spayed bitch unless you show her as a brood bitch. That requires that she be entered with her offspring in order to demonstrate fertility. I wasn’t about to track down her progeny to show her in that class. (Imagine knocking on people’s doors and asking if Kiki’s offspring live there!) Then, Nancy Mahan of the Irish Terrier Club of Northern California processed the request for Veteran Sweepstakes to be offered at the specialty. I was so proud at showing my best girl. And we won! Not everyone knows that Veteran Sweepstakes is a possibility for showing spayed or neutered retired dogs. Again, this is where regional clubs have an important role.

7. Who have been your mentor(s) as an Owner Handler?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: I’m afraid to answer this as I would inadvertently leave someone out. Or perhaps embarrass them if I named them. Ha!

8. What are the benefits of competing with your breed(s) as an Owner Handler?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: There are many wonderful benefits of competing as an Owner Handler. Certainly, as a dedicated activity, it has helped us build an especially strong, loving, mutually enjoyable bond with our dogs. In exploring new places together and participating in Conformation activities, we’ve built even greater trust and improved our communication with our dogs.

We’ve visited places and met remarkable people that we would not have known otherwise. Traveling to NOHS shows led us to the lush Olympic National Park in Washington State, scenic Ashland, Oregon, and the Shakespeare Festival and the quaint towns of California’s Gold Country. Most importantly, we reconnected with family in Arizona and Pennsylvania who we hadn’t seen in twenty years. All this because of NOHS!

9. Is there a funny story that you can share about your experiences as an Owner Handler?

Sue & D. Blair Gibson: When I first started out, there were a couple of times that I nearly missed ring time because I was too nervous and too distracted. I appreciated how one judge explained to me where to wait and how to be ready. She gave me an appropriate correction, but she also told me what I did right on the down and back. I appreciate the patience of the judges. Any harshness would have disillusioned me from showing.