pet connection

I donned my best blue velvet dress last night and drove two hours to Long Beach–normally a 45-minute drive, but that’s Friday night traffic for you–for the AKC Canine Health Foundation Gala by the Bay. My host and hostess, Dr John and Susan Hamil, were nowhere to be seen at our table, but I met my table mates–two women in Goldens and a pair of judges from Pennsylvania–and we talked dogs until the festivities began. When John and Susan finally showed up, we all agreed that they had a good excuse for being late. Their Bloodhound, Rita (Ch. Quiet Creek’s Mi Amor, pictured), had won the Hound Group at the Long Beach Kennel Club show and was in good company in the BIS ring, which included five of the country’s top 10 dogs. The Giant Schnauzer, Ch. Galilee’s Pure of Spirit, won.

After dinner, we got down to the real business of the gathering, an auction to raise money for the CHF. Given the economy, I think the bidding was probably not as spirited as in years past, but there were definitely some noteworthy moments. The competition was strongest for an unusual item: the chance to name a character in Jeffery Deaver’s next psychological thriller novel. Deaver is a noted dog lover who breeds and shows Briards and Poodles, and his “donation” brought in $5,000, which I think was the largest bid of the evening.

Other items and their winning bids included $475 for a private sailboat tour of San Francisco Bay with UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine professor Richard Vulliet, who is studying the use of stem cells to treat dogs with certain diseases, including dilated cardiomyopathy; $1,500 for a Westminster package that included two Broadway tickets, dinner at 21, and two box tickets to the WKC show, as well as various party invitations; and $4,000 for a one-week stay at a private beach home on Sanibel Island in Florida.

I gotta figure out how to get some donations like these for the Darcy Fund.