A Winning Personality
By Ellen English


Becoming one of the top show dogs in the country involves a lot more than just looking good. The most successful dogs must enjoy the show ring and exhibit that something extra in spirit and personality. Kevin Bergeson, Colby's owner, says that his Lab loves it! His tail never stops wagging in the ring. Colby also does a distinctive dance of sorts, by rocking back and forth on his front feet and lifting them in the air, he tap dances his delight for showing! Make no mistake, however, the judges are most attracted to his outstanding conformation (structure, shape and build.) Carol Coode, a well-respected judge from Surrey, England, made the following official critique after awarding Colby Best of Breed last year at the Newton Kennel Club Dog Show -Jersey Skylands Labrador Retriever Club Supported Entry: a picture - from his excellent head, not overdone in any way, good eye, nice stop, nice moulding to the head, good length of muzzle, down through clean neck set into well placed shoulders, deep well sprung ribs and well ribbed back, short strong loin, well angulated rear quarters and nice low hock. Topline was straight and true and tail straight off the back, superb movement on good legs and feet and to top it all off full coat of correct texture. Wow! Even if youre not familiar with all of those technical terms, it sure gives you a handsome picture.

Its not luck that Colby exhibits all of those impressive qualities, they come from careful and exceptional breeding. Kevin feels very fortunate to have acquired Colby from the renowned Broad Reach Kennel, owned and run by Martha Lee K. Voshell and her husband Buddy. Colby was born at their Free Union, Virginia home on December 10, 1995 from a pairing of his Dam (mother): Champion Broad Reach Ruff N Reddi and his Sire (father): Champion Brad King Mike. Following tradition, Kevin chose a registered, or formal, name that links Colby to his ancestors, including his maternal grandfather Champion Dickendalls Ruffy SH. When asked how he came up with the nickname, or call name, Kevin explains that it took several days after bringing him home. He was running around acting goofy and just looked like a Colby, Kevin laughs. In order to acquire his #1 ranking, Colby first attained his Championship and then began his campaign for national ranking.  Relatively few Lab owners take it to this next level, known as being specialed. It involved having Colby on the road 45-46 weeks a year over the last 2 years with his handler, Joy Quallenberg. She actually shows him in the ring as well as being his caretaker on their frequent trips. By using Joys professional services, Kevin is able to work full time in his position as Director of Animal Husbandry and Reproduction at Guiding Eyes for the Blind near his home in Carmel, NY. He travels to Colbys shows on the weekends and almost always brings him home for their buddy time. Kevin takes him down to the pond for swimming and next door to a middle school for exercise retrieving bumpers on their big open fields. Colby used to enjoy watching the TV show Murphy Brown-he would wait for the on set elevator door to ding, then hed run barking to Kevins back door to see who was there.

This routine was repeated as many times as the elevator door happened to open in any particular episode, which could be 8 or 10 times during the 30-minute show! He also gets to go to Guiding Eyes from time to time, where he enthusiastically checks out all the stimulating smells around Kevins office.

When asked about Colby's favorite toy, Kevin tells me about the stuffed black Lab toy that he won as a puppy in a 6-9 Months class at a dog show. Amazingly, Colby still has it after carrying it around for almost seven years. He never chewed anything and still doesn't, Kevin marvels. Indeed, thats almost as impressive as being the #1 Labrador!

Tail End:
For more information on showing and conformation visit our articles: The Versatile Lab and The History of the Labas well as our links on Show/Conformation.





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