PAMELA BRUCE
Best in Show Magazine Issue 36
You are a fourth-generation dog person and finished your first champion at just four years old. What are some of your earliest memories of growing up in the dog-show world, and when did you realize dogs would become such an important part of your life?
My great-grandmother had a few Collies at the owner-handler level and finished her last Collie to a CKC championship.
My Nana had a few retired American Cocker Spaniels that came from a very famous kennel, and she enjoyed going to shows to watch her breeder.
My parents were young when they had me, so from an early age, I helped with the Maltese and Lhasa Apsos. They were shown and bred successfully. Lhasas were exhibited in the Terrier Group here until 1978, the year they became part of the Non-Sporting Group.
It was in 1978 that I won the very competitive Club VI Non-Sporting Specialty with my Lhasa Apso.
It was a full-circle moment when I judged that specialty yesterday—48 years later—and it was the strongest Non-Sporting Group I have ever judged! What an honor!
Your journey has taken you from exhibiting and professional handling to breeding and eventually becoming an all-breed judge. Looking back, which part of that journey shaped you the most?
Definitely being a breeder/owner-handler—you are invested in the betterment of the breeds and in how you contribute to the world of purebred dogs. Breeding worthy Airedales is a passion and a great responsibility. As a judge, you then realize the importance of evaluating breeding stock.
You spent decades associated with the legendary Afghans of Grandeur and Michael Canalizo. What did those years teach you about dogs, presentation, conditioning, and the pursuit of excellence?
E V E R Y T H I N G!!!!
Michael Canalizo, Roger Rechler, and Dennis Sprung taught me how to take care of our breed at the highest level, both in the whelping box and in the show ring. They taught me how to think three generations ahead and how to linebreed properly. They taught me how to navigate the dog world and the world in general.
I am a product of their conduct, morals, ethics, and drive. They are family, and I truly owe them – and my paternal grandmother – everything in my life.
Although you have worked with and handled many different breeds, Airedale Terriers became your own great passion. What was it about the Airedale that initially captured your heart?
I wanted an Airedale in the 1970s, but my parents would not let me have one because of the work involved in maintaining one properly for the show ring. I ADORE this breed because of its heart, tenacity, and mindset. They are SO much work, but they are worth every moment of painstaking effort. They give back and meet their owners on every level!
You have bred Airedales under the Accolade prefix for more than two decades. When you plan a breeding today, what qualities are absolutely non-negotiable for you?
I MUST have a dog that is royalty, has a great mind, and owns the ground it stands on.
I am proud of my dogs’ temperaments and how they carry themselves both in the ring and at home, especially in companion homes.
I am equally proud of their physical soundness. Movement is the crucial test of conformation.
Is there one Airedale you have bred, owned, or shown that had a particularly profound influence on you – not necessarily because of its show record?
Am. Can. GCh. Accolade’s Black Caviar – “Cavi” – is a daughter of Ch. Tierra’s Top Billing- “Cookie.”
Cookie was a fresh start for me in my breeding program. She was sound in mind and body. Cookie’s daughter, Cavi, is such a wonderful example of the breed, and she has given me generations of reliable and consistent Airedales. Accolade stands on the foundation of those two matriarchs.
Your Airedales have enjoyed considerable success, including at Montgomery weekend. As a breeder, what does Montgomery mean to you personally?
Montgomery is the Kentucky Derby, the NBA Championship, and the Super Bowl all rolled into one event! I look forward to that weekend more than anything else.
Airedales are often called the “King of Terriers.” In your opinion, what qualities must an exceptional Airedale possess beyond simply meeting the written Breed Standard?
Again, they ARE ROYALTY – they MUST own the ground they stand on. They are clowns but arrogant beyond measure. An Airedale will rarely start a fight, but they will certainly finish one. They have true grit.
An Airedale should NEVER be a black-and-tan Wire Fox Terrier—they are a MODERATE breed. They can have a fancy trim, but they are, in every sense, athletes in wire suits.
When you look at the Airedale Terrier today compared with the dogs you remember from earlier decades, where do you feel the breed has improved – and where should breeders be particularly careful?
I am actually beyond proud of the true caretakers of my breed!
There are great dogs of the past that I keep in my heart and in my breeding program as much as possible.
As I judge, I think breeders must pay attention to down faces, upright fronts, and ewe necks. These qualities often come in the same package. Some bloodlines are also losing bone and substance.
Terrier judging can require an appreciation of very subtle differences between breeds. What do you believe separates someone who truly understands Terriers from someone who simply knows their Breed Standards?
Peter Green has always said that people who have never bred or at least owned Terriers should never judge them. I appreciate it when any judge realizes, “They don’t know what they don’t know,” and works to understand the Terrier breeds.
Attending Montgomery week and watching large, strong breed classes is of great assistance to ANYONE.
That said, Terrier people are passionate about their breeds and are grateful when they show to judges who appreciate what goes into properly presenting their dogs.
As an exhibitor, I can tell immediately if a judge knows my breed and is comfortable with it by the judge’s hands-on examination and ability to control a spar.
Having been on the other side of the lead for so many years, how has your experience as a handler and breeder influenced the way you approach dogs and exhibitors when you are judging?
I judge as a breeder/owner-handler. I do my very best to give everyone a great day in the ring, where they feel appreciated and feel that their dog was properly assessed according to the Breed Standard. Judging is both a passion and a privilege!
When evaluating a dog, how do you balance breed type, structure, movement, condition, and that harder-to-define quality of presence or charisma? Can an exceptional show dog ever make you reconsider what you initially saw standing still?
Any dog in a local park can be sound. I must have a dog of great type that is in proper condition mentally and physically. I certainly appreciate showmanship in the context of each breed. In regard to type, one should easily be able to identify the breed of dog being observed based on the theory that, if its head were sticking out of the window of a passing car, you would know what breed it was. Type is everything!
You have judged around the world and experienced dog shows across different countries and cultures. What have those international experiences taught you, and is there anything you believe North American dog shows could learn from the rest of the world?
I LOVE traveling around the world, seeing new dogs, and appreciating the dog culture in each country. I think dog shows outside of North America are far more relaxed, and the dogs are valued as breeding stock. In North America, we tend to go to extremes with presentation, products, etc.
Montgomery County Kennel Club is one of the most important and historic Terrier events in the world. What does being selected to judge Best in Show at Montgomery mean to you?
IT MEANS THE ABSOLUTE WORLD to me that I have been selected to evaluate National Specialty winners all in one place, in one group, at the same time. I accept this with great appreciation and a total commitment to doing my very best. It is the highlight of my judging career and a task I will not take lightly. If I die the Monday after Montgomery, I will pass with the biggest smile on my face.
When those final Terrier breed winners enter your BIS ring at Montgomery, what will you ultimately be searching for in the dog that earns that final honor – and what do you hope people will understand about your choice?
I will look at each dog that enters that ring with fresh eyes and a clean slate.
Over the years, I have learned to judge each dog on the day based on what is in front of me and evaluate each one according to its Breed Standard—it’s that simple.
I will give every dog and every exhibitor the same opportunity and just trust my head and my heart. The winners will reveal themselves on that day. That said, I will award four dogs that I feel, with ALL my heart, deserve the accolades on that day! TERRIER ON!
