Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

1 hour ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

3 hours ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

4 hours ago

Families Leave Gaza City After Night of Bombardment, Israelis Protest

6 hours ago

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

8 hours ago

Trump Administration Cannot Sue Maryland Federal Judges Over Immigration Order, Judge Rules

8 hours ago

California Republicans Sue to Block Congressional Redistricting Plan

24 hours ago

Trump To Sign Executive Order Directing AG To Prosecute Flag Desecration

1 day ago

Fresno County DUI Crash Sends Car Into Embankment Near Highway 99

1 day ago
Westminster and Work: Some Show Dogs Serve, Search or Soothe
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
February 10, 2020

Share

NEW YORK — From the silky strut of Afghan hounds to poodles with coats sculpted like confections, the Westminster Kennel Club’s green carpet spotlights manicured, pedigreed canines vying to be deemed top dog. But they aren’t just for show.

“We think that certain dogs can only do certain things, but Steve has certainly made me realize that we don’t give our dogs enough credit.” — Ellis-Ulmer, of Fredon Township, New Jersey
Ghost, a Norwegian buhund that competed Sunday a t the nation’s premier canine event, makes weekly rounds as a therapy dog at a Delaware hospital and serves as a nonjudgmental listener for schoolkids learning to read. Lacey, a Labrador retriever that was entered in Westminster’s agility contest Saturday, puts in 50-hour weeks comforting patients at her owner’s child and adolescent psychiatry practice in California.
Steve, a German wirehaired pointer, showed at Westminster last year and represented his breed before millions of Thanksgiving Day TV viewers at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in 2018. But he also wears other hats. Or collars, actually.
“He can transition from being a pretty show dog to throwing on his vest on the same day … and do service dog stuff,” says owner Shenandoah Ellis-Ulmer, a r etired Air Force master sergeant .
Steve helps her navigate public places with post-traumatic stress disorder by sensing when she’s getting anxious and standing on her feet, grounding her emotionally. He’s also an ace bird-hunting dog for her husband and fellow Air Force vet, Michael Ulmer.
“We think that certain dogs can only do certain things, but Steve has certainly made me realize that we don’t give our dogs enough credit,” says Ellis-Ulmer, of Fredon Township, New Jersey.
Not every Westminster dog has a sideline, but there are links between the show ring and the specialized work of service and therapy dogs, animal actors, bomb-sniffers, search-and-rescue K9s, and more.

Many Working Dogs Don’t Have a Show Pedigree

Sometimes those connections are family ties.
Rumor, the German shepherd chosen best in show at Westminster in 2017, counts among her puppies two PTSD service dogs that live with veterans. Two more pups are training toward that goal.
“Dogs have always been pretty good to us, so this is the way that we can give back,” says Rumor co-owner and co-breeder Kent Boyles.

The German shepherds, Labs and other pups bred and trained by the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Vet Working Dog Center are “almost like a whole different breed” than their show counterparts, says Dr. Cynthia Otto, a professor.
And “hopefully, some of the general public will be able to understand that these are not just dogs that people are breeding to be able to go around the show ring a few times and look pretty.”
Boyles, of Edgerton, Wisconsin, says he and partner Liz Oster have always aimed to produce “all-around dogs” for pets and service, not just show champs.
After all, many of the more than 200 breeds and varieties at Westminster this year were originally developed for some function. Even if they no longer do their traditional tasks, “these are purpose-bred dogs that still maintain those instincts,” Westminster spokeswoman Gail Miller Bisher said.
Tabitha, a Doberman pinscher, was initially a show dog for retired New York Police Department officer John Marinos, who has handled other dogs at Westminster. Then an acquaintance suggested Tabitha try out as a bomb-sniffing K9.
Now, Marinos handles Tabitha as she checks for explosives at major events and dignitaries’ private planes. The job requires a dog with not only a great nose but composure around commotion and strangers, and “the show ring definitely helps” with that, says Morgan Dalis of Maximum K9 Detection, the company that deploys Tabitha.
Many working dogs don’t have a show pedigree. The German shepherds, Labs and other pups bred and trained by the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Vet Working Dog Center are “almost like a whole different breed” than their show counterparts, says Dr. Cynthia Otto, a professor.

Some Organizations Train Shelter Dogs for Service, Search and Other Jobs

Looks don’t matter much, and the dogs have a “go-go-go-go-go-go-go” drive to seek out scents, she says. “They’re not what most would want as your average house pet.”
To golden retriever breeder Theresa Yeager, though, it’s a point of pride to see a litter produce both show and working dogs. Like Rainier, one of the country’s top 20 show goldens, and his siblings that do therapy and search-and-rescue work.
“Ideally, that’s what you want — you want the dog that has the beautiful conformation and also has nice, strong working ability,” says Yeager, a retired teacher in Bryan, Texas. To her, “that’s really the whole point of breeding.”
Rainier’s brother Cooper and Cooper’s owner, Robert Andrews — until recently an Austin, Texas, police officer — trained and searched for missing people with a volunteer organization. Andrews, now working for a state agency, says he was struck by Cooper’s dedication and the connection that grew as they learned “how each other worked and what we could tolerate.”

Photo of golden retriever, Cooper
In this June 2015 photo provided by Robert Andrews, his golden retriever, Cooper, wades through muddy water in Austin, Texas. Cooper is a trained search-and-rescue dog, while his brother Rainier is a show champion, a relationship that illustrates ties between show dogs and dogs that do specialized work. (Robert Andrews via AP)
Now, his wife, Patricia, is training Cooper to become a therapy dog for 911 dispatchers.
Work isn’t purely for purebreds. Some organizations train shelter dogs for service, search and other jobs.

‘They’re Not Just Show Dogs’

“It’s probably not the easiest way to do it, but it’s certainly wonderful to see that dog go from being in a shelter to then deploying and going out and assisting survivors,” says Denise Sanders of the National Disaster Search Dog Foundation. Its canine graduates have responded to earthquakes, hurricanes and other catastrophes around the world.
Lacey the Lab responds to a different kind of crisis. She’s a champion agility dog with “a very serious day job,” says owner, breeder and handler Dr. Colleen Copelan.
The job: soothing and helping draw out troubled young patients in Copelan’s psychiatry office in Camarillo, California.
Lacey and Copelan were scheduled to return to Westminster Saturday but had a last-minute change of plans.
Ghost, the Norwegian buhund, is a Westminster veteran and won his breed at the 2018 National Dog Show.

Photo of Ghost, a Norwegian buhund
In this Saturday, Jan. 25, 2020 photo, Ghost, a Norwegian buhund, greets visitors at the American Kennel Club’s “Meet the Breeds” event in New York. Ghost is competing at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, but he’s also a therapy dog that makes weekly rounds to see patients, staffers and visitors at a Delaware hospital, and he visits schools to serve as a nonjudgmental listener for children learning to read. (AP Photo/Jennifer Peltz)
He’s also a winning presence at the Delaware hospital where he sees 100 or more patients, staffers and visitors each Thursday. Wearing a vest that says “please touch me,” he has even climbed onto a bed so a patient could pet him, said owner and co-breeder Patricia Faye Adcox of the town of Wyoming, Delaware.
“They’re not just show dogs,” she says. “At least my guys, they aren’t pampered pooches.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

DON'T MISS

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

DON'T MISS

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

DON'T MISS

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

DON'T MISS

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

DON'T MISS

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Arrest Army Sergeant in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

DON'T MISS

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

DON'T MISS

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

DON'T MISS

Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Charged by Feds With Arson

UP NEXT

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

UP NEXT

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

UP NEXT

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

UP NEXT

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

UP NEXT

US to Seek Death Penalty in Washington D.C. Homicide Cases, Trump Says

UP NEXT

Coarsegold Elementary Briefly Locked Down After Student Brings Starter Pistol

UP NEXT

HHS Asks 46 States and Territories to Remove ‘Gender Ideology’ Content From Sex Ed Materials

UP NEXT

Trump Urges Cracker Barrel to Revert to Old Logo

UP NEXT

California Farming Couple Seeks $300 Million for Aspen Estate

UP NEXT

Trump Administration Cannot Sue Maryland Federal Judges Over Immigration Order, Judge Rules

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

1 hour ago

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

2 hours ago

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

2 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Arrest Army Sergeant in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

2 hours ago

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

3 hours ago

Poll: Katie Porter Holds Early Edge in California Governor’s Race

3 hours ago

Fresno Restaurateur Bobby Salazar Charged by Feds With Arson

4 hours ago

Just 38% of Americans Support Trump’s Use of Troops to Police DC, Reuters/Ipsos Poll Finds

4 hours ago

US to Seek Death Penalty in Washington D.C. Homicide Cases, Trump Says

5 hours ago

ICE Is Suddenly Showing Up in CA Hospitals. Workers Want More Guidance on What to Do

5 hours ago

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

Fresno Unified School District will present a deputy superintendent employment agreement for approval at the School Board meeting Wednesday ...

15 minutes ago

FUSD Fresno Unified employment agreement Ben Drati
15 minutes ago

Fresno Unified Set to Hire Deputy Superintendent With Impressive Credentials

51 minutes ago

Meta to Launch California Super PAC Backing Pro-AI Candidates

56 minutes ago

Poll: Californians Overwhelmingly Reject Trump’s Immigration Policies

1 hour ago

Fresno Leaders Voice ‘Full Support’ for Pismo’s Restaurant Manager in ICE Custody

2 hours ago

Leaked Audio Reveals Ex-Israeli Intelligence Chief Calling Gaza Deaths ‘Necessary’

Texas congressional candidate Valentina Gomez posted a campaign video burning the Quran with a flamethrower while vowing to “end Islam,” sparking swift condemnation. (Video Screenshot)
2 hours ago

Texas GOP Congressional Candidate Burns Quran With Flamethrower

A U.S. Army sergeant was arrested on Saturday, August 23, 2025, on felony charges of possessing child sexual abuse material following a months-long investigation aided by federal and military authorities. (Madera County SO)
2 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Arrest Army Sergeant in Child Sexual Abuse Material Investigation

A drone view of a California High-Speed Rail Bridge as it crosses over the Fresno River in Madera, California, U.S. June 7, 2025. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

California High-Speed Rail Project Hit With New $175 Million Cut

Search

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Send this to a friend