Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Dublin dog makes its mark on show circuit
Moreta, a wire-haired dachshund, recently won best of breed in a national show.
Matt Gentry | The Roanoke Times
Diane Graham demonstrates show dog techniques with her Diagram Baccarat, a miniature dachshund, at her Pulaski County home.
DUBLIN -- Champion Diagram Moreta of Pern V. Rags MW. It's a big name for a little dog. But the wire-haired dachshund, who goes by Moreta for short and who is owned by Diane Graham of Dublin, is becoming a well-known name in dog show circles.
According to Emma Jean Stephenson-Dusold, president of the National Miniature Dachshund Club, Moreta last month won best of breed at the national show held at Purina Farms in St. Louis. She also won best of variety in the wire-haired division.
Wire-haired, smooth-haired and long-haired are the three kinds of dachshund varieties, Graham explained.
Moreta is just one of 23 dachshunds Graham owns. Graham is "specializing" Moreta, which means she goes to dog shows every weekend. But she also has three other puppies she shows from time to time.
"My father showed dogs when I was a little girl; he showed German shepherds," she explained.
Graham said breeding dachshunds is a science, but she never expects perfection.
"When we breed, we know there is no perfect dog out there, and we look at the dog and find a male that complements them, that would correct a fault that the dog has," she said. "Even best in show at Westminster [Kennel Club Dog Show] has faults."
Graham said she looks at the puppies' body shape and coat when they are 8 to 16 weeks old to evaluate whether they're going to be show quality. Wire-haired dachshunds are more likely to be shown if they have a coarse, wiry coat rather than a softer one and if they have a flat back and sloping shoulders, she said.
Most dog shows follow the same routine, she said.
The dogs are stacked in what is called a "show" pose and then led around a ring. After that, Graham said, the judges go over them, looking at the head, the teeth, the bite, the shoulders and the bone angles.
Once they pick the best of the variety, they pick a best of variety from the opposite sex, Graham explained.
Moreta has been on the road with her handler, Marietta Singleton, who lives in South Carolina. Singleton takes her to dog shows on most weekends, though Graham showed her in Missouri.
Singleton is specializing three dogs right now and shows some additional puppies of her own. She said she takes Moreta for a walk every day, often zooming beside her on an electric scooter.
Graham said it costs about $25,000 per year to enter Moreta in the shows and to pay Singleton to show her. That's why Moreta is also owned by two others -- Suzanne Steele of Wellington, Fla., and Kim Ragsdale of Charleston, W.Va.
Graham will not see Moreta until after Christmas, when the dog retires at 2 12 years old.
"When she gets through being a show dog, she'll come home and be a bed bug. And then we'll breed her and hope that we get puppies as good as she is or better," she said.
