Weimaraner grabs win, won't reach Westminster
Local couple roams nation in RV, joins in dog shows
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The Akita took best in show all three days. But Strider the Weimaraner reached his own milestone at the recent Coyote Classic Dog Shows in Tucson.
Strider, moreover, is a local boy, not a New Yorker making the regional rounds to rack up dog show points.
While the Akita is destined for the show ring at Westminster, Strider just broke into the big leagues and needs to pick up polish. In the meantime, he's living a dog's dream: roaming the country in an RV, hanging out with his three Weimaraner pals and being adored by his human companions.
Mike and Nancy Grimm lived full-time in Tucson for 29 years before adopting a mobile lifestyle last year. The two now summer in Eureka Springs, Ark., and spend the winter in Tucson and elsewhere in Arizona and the West.
Mike Grimm, a former facilities manager at Raytheon Missile Systems, was until last year the official public relations person for the Coyote Classic. Last week, he rolled into Tucson with the innocent intention of getting Strider - aka Champion Smokey Topaz Eagle Scout, AKC - enough points to break out of the puppy league. Grimm then was immediately tapped to handle PR for the weekend show at the Pima County Fairgrounds.
Grimm did his duty, reporting that Champion Redwitch Reason to Believe - "the top dog in the United States right now" won Best in Show for three days running. The 4-year-old Akita's owners are from Mill Creek, N.Y. There were some 1,800 dogs entered each day.
It didn't take long for Grimm's proud papa streak to come out, though: Strider, 18 months, got his championship, meaning he's eligible to compete at the top level.
Because the purpose of dog shows is to evaluate breeding stock, all entrants must be registered with the American Kennel Club and not be spayed or neutered. Shows such as Westminster, an invitational in New York City each February, grade dogs largely on conformation - how well they conform to the AKC's breed specifications - although there are intangibles, such as confidence or spirit.
The Grimms' other Weimaraners competed in agility. "They had fun but they didn't do well," Mike Grimm said.
Why Weimaraners? Grimm said the couple started with Great Danes. Saying goodbye got hard: "Great Danes don't live as long as you would like them to." They lost their last one last year.
Meanwhile, they had been stocking up on Weims:
• Gandalf, 7, was their first. Nancy, 53, liked the Chrysler ads featuring William Wegman's Weimaraners, and their son got her a puppy as a birthday present. Over a year ago, Gandalf became virtually paralyzed because of a tear in his spinal cord. At the time they had two Great Danes.
Knowing Gandalf might have to be euthanized, they waited a bit to see what would happen. They would carry him outside to let him lie in the sun. Toward the end of the 30-day waiting period, Grimm got home from work, looked out the window and saw Gandalf walking across their Northwest Side patio.
• Nali, 5, was a rescue dog. Their son Brandon called from Northern Arizona University, saying the dog was about to be dumped by students living in his condo complex. That was in 2001. Nali was 5 months old.
• Duncan, 7, is famous. He got to Tucson via the Weimaraner Railroad, a rescue group that hands dogs off like batons as they make their way from a bad situation or a foster home to a more suitable life. Duncan was rescued from Huntsville, Ala., where neglectful owners let him wander the streets, hungry and sometimes sick.
Animal Planet heard about the case and made a half-hour show, recreating Duncan's dramatic rescue and following him for two days on the Weim trail. A film crew was waiting when the Grimms picked him up in Fort Stockton, Texas, and later came out to document his happy life in Tucson. Duncan is a certified therapy dog.
The dogs sleep in crates that fit into the space made by taking out the RV's sofa. While camped out at Beaudry RV Park this past week, they enjoyed use of a dog park.
Strider can just be a dog for a while. Being groomed for a major show would mean hitting the circuit and racking up points. Strider "still has a lot of puppy in him" and needs to mature. "We will not be going to Westminster," Grimm said. Strider "needs to work through some issues."
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Bug M. (bugmenot)
Dec 7, 2007 @ 3:15pm"http://www.greydayz.com":http://www.greydayz.com -
Bug M. (bugmenot)
Dec 7, 2007 @ 3:14pmTheir website is www.greydayz.com
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