thedrifter
10-12-08, 06:24 AM
Dobermans popular in war, in peace
Doberman Pinscher Club comes to town for weeklong show
By Bill Blankenship
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, October 12, 2008
A dog bred to protect a German tax collector on his rounds will be celebrated this week in Topeka for protecting U.S. Marines during World War II and keeping America safe today from terrorists' bombs.
The Doberman Pinscher Club of America will mark the centennial of the breed in the United States during the DCPA National Specialty, a weeklong event that got started Saturday at the Kansas Expocentre.
The event will bring about 500 Dobermans and twice as many people to Topeka from all 50 states, plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan and Mexico, said show chairwoman Ellen Hanley, of Portland, Ore.
During the week, Dobermans — "This is where the best of the best are," Hanley said — will compete in obedience, agility and working dog trials; temperament testing; and undergo the scrutiny of judges comparing them against the American Kennel Club standards for the ideal Doberman pinscher.
However, what will distinguish this DCPA National Specialty from the previous 82 will be events marking the breed's introduction 100 years ago to the U.S. and its recognition by the American Kennel Club, said Jeff Helsdon, of Gig Harbor, Wash., chairman of the centennial events.
The Doberman was first bred in Germany around 1890 by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, after whom the breed was named.
Because he was a tax collector who often traveled through bandit-infested areas, Dobermann needed a protection dog that had the perfect combination of strength, loyalty, intelligence and ferocity.
Those traits were ones sought by the Marine Corps for its war dog units in the South Pacific during WWII.
Dobermans "because of their acute sense of smell were able to detect the enemy in the dense jungle covering on the island of Guam and on Saipan," Helsdon said.
War dogs also carried messages for several miles under enemy fire, served as sentries, explored caves, and detected mines and booby traps.
Twenty-five war dogs were killed in action in Guam and buried in a military cemetery there.
A replica of "Always Faithful," the bronze statue atop the Marine War Dogs Memorial on Guam, is on display in the Exhibition Hall entry.
The DCPA also will fly to the show 11 surviving Marine dog handlers and their families, who will get a motorcycle escort from Kansas City International to the Capitol Plaza Hotel, where they will be greeted by Mayor Bill Bunten, a band and a color guard.
The public is invited to join that welcome, which is scheduled between 5 and 6 p.m. Wednesday at the hotel entrance.
The Marine veterans will be guests of honor at a centennial event at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Sunflower Ballroom of Maner Conference Centre, where they will receive the DCPA's Medal of Freedom.
The event also will include the world premiere of "War Dogs of the Pacific," a documentary, with filmmaker Harris Done in attendance. A trailer of the film can be seen at www.wardogsmovie.com.
Also planned for the centennial event is a signing of a document to be accepted by the Department of Homeland Security committing American dog breeders to providing it bomb-sniffing dogs, the vast majority of which are now bred in Europe.
"We want to provide American dogs for American security just like we did in World War II," Helsdon said.
People can attend the centennial event at no cost, but Helsding is asking those who go to dress appropriately for the black-tie-optional celebration.
Bill Blankenship can be reached at (785) 295-1284 or bill.blankenship@cjonline.com.
Ellie
Doberman Pinscher Club comes to town for weeklong show
By Bill Blankenship
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, October 12, 2008
A dog bred to protect a German tax collector on his rounds will be celebrated this week in Topeka for protecting U.S. Marines during World War II and keeping America safe today from terrorists' bombs.
The Doberman Pinscher Club of America will mark the centennial of the breed in the United States during the DCPA National Specialty, a weeklong event that got started Saturday at the Kansas Expocentre.
The event will bring about 500 Dobermans and twice as many people to Topeka from all 50 states, plus Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan and Mexico, said show chairwoman Ellen Hanley, of Portland, Ore.
During the week, Dobermans — "This is where the best of the best are," Hanley said — will compete in obedience, agility and working dog trials; temperament testing; and undergo the scrutiny of judges comparing them against the American Kennel Club standards for the ideal Doberman pinscher.
However, what will distinguish this DCPA National Specialty from the previous 82 will be events marking the breed's introduction 100 years ago to the U.S. and its recognition by the American Kennel Club, said Jeff Helsdon, of Gig Harbor, Wash., chairman of the centennial events.
The Doberman was first bred in Germany around 1890 by Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann, after whom the breed was named.
Because he was a tax collector who often traveled through bandit-infested areas, Dobermann needed a protection dog that had the perfect combination of strength, loyalty, intelligence and ferocity.
Those traits were ones sought by the Marine Corps for its war dog units in the South Pacific during WWII.
Dobermans "because of their acute sense of smell were able to detect the enemy in the dense jungle covering on the island of Guam and on Saipan," Helsdon said.
War dogs also carried messages for several miles under enemy fire, served as sentries, explored caves, and detected mines and booby traps.
Twenty-five war dogs were killed in action in Guam and buried in a military cemetery there.
A replica of "Always Faithful," the bronze statue atop the Marine War Dogs Memorial on Guam, is on display in the Exhibition Hall entry.
The DCPA also will fly to the show 11 surviving Marine dog handlers and their families, who will get a motorcycle escort from Kansas City International to the Capitol Plaza Hotel, where they will be greeted by Mayor Bill Bunten, a band and a color guard.
The public is invited to join that welcome, which is scheduled between 5 and 6 p.m. Wednesday at the hotel entrance.
The Marine veterans will be guests of honor at a centennial event at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Sunflower Ballroom of Maner Conference Centre, where they will receive the DCPA's Medal of Freedom.
The event also will include the world premiere of "War Dogs of the Pacific," a documentary, with filmmaker Harris Done in attendance. A trailer of the film can be seen at www.wardogsmovie.com.
Also planned for the centennial event is a signing of a document to be accepted by the Department of Homeland Security committing American dog breeders to providing it bomb-sniffing dogs, the vast majority of which are now bred in Europe.
"We want to provide American dogs for American security just like we did in World War II," Helsdon said.
People can attend the centennial event at no cost, but Helsding is asking those who go to dress appropriately for the black-tie-optional celebration.
Bill Blankenship can be reached at (785) 295-1284 or bill.blankenship@cjonline.com.
Ellie