Dee Hutchinson and the Rose Farm Dogs of Boondox
Download this page in PDF formatDan Harrison can name several people instrumental in his development of Boondox Dachshunds, but one of the most important was Dee Hutchinson. This is a remembrance of Dan’s relationship with Dee and the Dachshunds they had in common. Enjoy!
-Ed.
Dee Hutchinson awarding CH Boondox Sting v Kanawha L ROMO Best In Show. Handler Bobby Fowler with Trophy Chairperson Betty Christian
Dorothy Onthank Hutchinson, or Dee as she was always called, was born into the Dachshund fancy, as her mother, Mrs. Pierce (Nancy) Onthank (1915-1981) was a big staple on the East Coast Dachshund scene from the 1950s until her death. Mrs. Onthank had many important Dachshund friends, including John Cook, Jeannette Cross, Dorothy Pickett, the Hardys and many more. Her Rose Farm Kennel had some great producing dogs and winners such as the standard smooths CH Venture of Hardway and CH Herthwood’s Mark of Rose Farm, the miniature long UK import CH Mighty Fine v Walder and the great standard wire CH Pondwicks Hobgoblin ROMO, who became the top producing SW in history. After Mrs. Onthank’s death, Dee became even stronger in the breed, as she was the one who really showed her own dogs, training them as only she could. When she couldn’t get them trained, no one was happier than I was, since they then usually came here to Indiana.
Mrs. Nancy Onthank awarding CH Fleming’s Jolly Julie; shown by John Wade
Mrs. Nancy Onthank was so successful in dogs, I think Dee always felt as if she was in competition with her mother. I don’t believe Dee ever realized that she herself had accomplished so much more in the dog world on her own and Dee’s achievements were astounding; her kennel was one you could go to for any size or variety of Dachshund and you would usually wind up with a very outstanding dog from a kennel that always produced great ones with amazing regularity. Her mother always used professional handlers until Dee came along, and then Dee got to practice with her mother’s dogs while the handlers got the big specials to show. I think Dee learned a lot in terms of picking show puppies and what it would take to win here in the USA.
CH Pondwicks Hobgoblin
Right after Dee’s marriage, she became very active in her mother’s kennel and started showing all the class dogs and whatever other ones her mother wanted her to show. At that point, Dee chose to help Frank and Dorothy Hardy, learning more about showing Dachshunds from them. At the same time, the Hardy’s other assistant was Bobby Fowler. Dee and Bobby must have been two trouble-makers while they were learning the trade. Bobby and Dee became super close, and they were always a great pair to be near at dog shows, as around their show area was where all the fun was. Bobby and Dee and their friends, Janie Fowler, John Cook, Mary Howell, Fran Colonna, Vera Falco, Ray Patenaude and me, among many others, were a great group of people to be around (if I do say so myself!). While we may have done a little griping about judging, most of our hours together were just enjoying each other’s company. All of us tried to get along with each other, despite being competitors, and we usually succeeded. All of us loved the breed and we wanted to make it better whether we were judging or breeding, and, I must say, we got this accomplished.
Dee Hutchinson showing CH Rose Farm’s Steamboat Willy MS to Bill Shores from Kentucky
When Dee started showing seriously for her mother, she showed mostly standard smooths and wires and a few miniature longhairs. She was reasonably successful, going to the specialties locally and made friends with all the Dachshund people at these shows. Dee showed braces, class dogs and specials at some of the smaller shows and gradually took over her mother’s place in dog shows. During this time, Dee became active in the Greenwich Kennel Club, as her mother was before her, and, when Dee got her license back in 1975, she soon became a popular judge and added many more breeds as quickly as she could. In fact, I think Dee becoming an all-breed judge gave her a big leap forward in the dog game from where her mother had been at her height of influence. It was about this time that Dee lost her mother. Dee went on to really become a force in the Dachshund world, doing her own thing and never looking back as she was writing her own story.
 Bruce Hutchinson (left) and Allen Westphal |
 Jay Hutchinson, Dee’s late son |
Dee was married to Bruce Hutchinson who worked for, I believe, Reader’s Digest as an accountant. Bruce had his hobby, sailing, that kept him as busy as Dee was with her hobby, and both of them loved each other’s hobby almost as much as their own. As a result, they were a great pair. They had two daughters, Nancy and Sandy, and a son, Jay, who they lost at an early age. Much later, in sharing the details around Jay’s passing, Dee’s heartbreak made us feel very sorry for her in that, after all those years, Dee was still so upset at her son’s death. The time she told us of Jay’s passing really made a mark on how I felt about Dee and her family and the great love she had for her family members. She still had two great daughters, Nancy and Sandy, who both loved their parents. Neither decided on dogs as their passion, although Sandy does go sailing a lot even now.
Dee Hutchinson winning Best of Variety at the ’73 DCA in Houston with Ch Rose Farms Moon Rockette W under Judge George Wanner
Dee was always interested in all the differences between the varieties in the Dachshund breed. During this time (the early ’70s), she added miniature smooths, miniature wires and standard longs. She soon had all six varieties on hand at her kennel in Pound Ridge, NY. In 1973, she won BV at DCA with her wirehaired special, CH Rose Farm’s Moon Rockette W, who later became a top producer. In miniature smooths, she had the trio CH Ruckengrat’s Stanley Steamer MS, CH Rose Farms Timothy MS and CH Rose Farm’s Steamboat Willy MS, all mini smooths who were great producers. In miniature wires, she had several that she got from Fran Colonna and they were very successful as well. In standard longs, she bought one bitch, Delldachs Blackberry Girl, from Eunice Huffman and she, too, became a nice producer. Dee just had the talent to find good in any variety she tried to work into the kennel and, I believe, she was like me in that she bred a lot. Of course, she always wanted good things to appear when she did those breedings. She sold the ones who did not quite measure up to her style of Dachshund, although what she sold usually became successful in the show ring. She kept her ‘style’ of Rose Farm dogs with her and they were competitive in the bigger shows and specialties.
Winning BV at DCA in Cleveland, CH Karlstatd’s Lionel ROMO ith Judge Betty Wick and Handler Helen Melucci
My first experience with Dee took place when I asked Hannelore Heller to be on the lookout at the DCA in Washington DC in 1977 for a nice standard smooth bitch for me to show. Hannelore came back from the National, called me and said that Dee Hutchinson had a nice CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMX (a DCA BV that Dee bought after he won the National) daughter named Rose Farms Choo Choo. Best in Smooth Sweepstakes at DCA, Choo Choo’s mother was CH Rose Farm’s Impatiens who was shown by her co-owner Judy Anderson. I met Judy later that year, and she also became a lifelong friend. From Hannelore’s description, Choo Choo sounded like a bitch I would be interested in getting, and so I called Dee and asked about buying this bitch. Dee said to send her $300 and she would send Choo Choo to me. I did just that, and that was the best move I ever made in buying a Dachshund, as Dee was my greatest booster and helper for the next fifteen years or so. When Choo Choo came to me, I could not have been more pleased at how she looked and how she acted and she became my foundation in smooth Dachshunds. Hannelore finished Choo Choo in March at the Badger Specialty. Soon a group winner, she was also BOS-V and BOS-B at DCA in June of 1978. When we bred her, Dee got something back in every litter. These Choo Choo kids became dogs which we were proud to present to the Dachshund Fancy; from Chuckie to his brother, Davey, to Flora and Fauna and all their offspring.
When we finished Choo Choo with a specialty major at the Badger DC in 1978, Dee decided I needed a treat for finishing her, and she sent me a black and tan longhair bitch (with a crooked tail). When I opened the crate and saw Rose Farm’s Black Berry Buff ROMO‘s head and neck, I was hooked! Lardi (she was named before she ever came here) had a home here for her whole life, becoming a top producer of many champions. Lardi was sired by CH Trailblaze’s Red Baron (a Bayard-bred dog) out of Delldachs Blackberry Girl L (purchased from Eunice Huffman), who was a niece of CH Delldachs Rolls Royce sired by CH Han-Jo’s Ulyssis L. Looking back, I assume I got Lardi because of her bad tail, but Lardi and I made a great pair despite that damned kink she had in her tail. I could not have been happier to have her. When Lardi had her first litter, sired by CH B’s Javelin de Bayard ROMO, I was to give Dee two puppies back. Lardi had a litter of two bitches and six dogs, so when the puppies were weaned, I packed everything up and drove them to the Reserve Dachshund Club in Cleveland where Dee was showing. After I got there, when I put them out in the pen, Dee came over, reached in and picked out the two bitches and took them to her setup. Then she came back, and we looked at the rest of the puppies. That story explains Dee in a nutshell, and it also is the reason we always got along so well. If something was hers, she took it, and we all got used to it. We all wound up happy anyway, and most of us had much better dogs from dealing with her and the top quality she had at her Rose Farm Kennel. At first, it was a hard lesson to learn, but we quickly realized that, after these transactions, we still had better dogs and that is what we ought to concentrate on. Despite what we share with the original co-owners, what we end up with is what we are trying to accomplish and when your puppies are better, your dogs get better .
CH Rose Farms Choo Choo winning Best Opposite Sex to Breed at the 1978 DCA in Kansas City under Thirza Hibner with Hannelore Heller handling.
Dee did not go to the ’78 DCA where CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX had her crowning moment; winning BOS-V and BOS-B under Gordon Carvill and Thirza Hibner. Similarly, I did not go to the ’79 DCA where Dee judged wires, but we both were at the 1980 DCA in Denver where I won WD and BW at the Columbine Specialty with CH Boondox Beggar’s Banquet, and Dee won WB and BW at DCA with CH Rose Farms Zesabel of Boondox ROMO. What a weekend we had; I also had RWD wih my CH Moffett’s Georgi ROMX and CH Rose Farms Choo Choo ROMX son, CH Boondox Chuckie Bunyan ROMO at DCA. My friends, Mark, Asa and Karen Mays, won BOS-V and BOS-B with their Lionel daughter, CH Boondox Anka v Zencor, a group winner and multiple specialty winner, co-owned by Mark and myself. While I showed Chuckie for them at the Denver 1980 DCA, Chuckie was a puppy that I had sold to Billy Magrum and Richard Bunyan as a replacement for the Moffett bitches they had been showing. After finishing Chuckie, Magrum and Bunyan got out of dogs. They sold Chuckie to John and Nancy Thompson of Georgia Dachs Kennel, where he became a top winner and a top producer for them.
CH Rose Farms Zesabel v Boondox winning a Group One under Judy Fellton with Dan Harrison handling
After the show, I heard that Dee wanted to sell Zesabel. I talked with Wally and Mary Jones, and we decided to buy her and bring her back to the Midwest. That was one of the greatest purchases ever, as she became the first female standard longhair to ever win a Group One in the USA. After that, over several breedings, she produced five different DCA point winners for us, most of them sired by PJ. With her mother, Lardi, and her soon-to-be-added aunt, she was exactly what we needed to really get traction in the longhair variety.
When we decided to go pick her up, I asked Carol Spritzer and Karen Mays to ride out with us and see Dee’s kennel. We wanted to get a new longhair puppy for Carol and maybe pick up a few more to show from Dee. We left on a weekday morning and drove straight through to NY, getting there about dinner time. As we were unloading and coming into the house, one of my passengers asked if Dee had an ironing board she could borrow. After Dee stopped laughing, she pulled back the curtain and laughingly told Bruce all about this hilarious question!! Dee, certainly, did not have, nor did she EVER have, an iron and an ironing board! We all had a nice night , but Dee was concerned; she wanted Carol to take the right bitch. She had two, both sired by CH Kemper Dachs Bad Habits ROMX out of CH Rose Farm’s Ginger Girl ROM, Lardi’s litter sister. These two bitches Carol had to choose from were CH Rose Farm’s Country Girl and her sister, Rose Farm’s Short and Sassy, who was the one Carol chose. She was no slouch, either, as she became a nice producer after she was finished. I also picked up three wirehaired puppies who were the grand-get of CH Rose Farm’s Moon Rockette W, Dee’s wire DCA BV winner. The puppies, sired by CH Westphal’s Timber ROMX out of CH Rose Farm’s Moonbow ROM, were CH Rose Farms Jay Ar W, CH Rose Farms Rough and Ready W and CH Rose Farms Gypsy Moth W, who became a good producer for Lon Strauch and John Brading. The wires finished quickly, though when we entered Rough and Ready at Knickerbocker that fall (1980), Peggy Westphal was judging sweepstakes. She went over Rough and Ready’s mouth and looked at Asa (who was showing him) and exclaimed, “He has no teeth!!” We had never looked at his bite! Brillo had lost all his baby teeth, and had NO teeth in his mouth. She did not place him in the sweeps class, but Romayne Switch loved him and gave him WD for all his other good qualities, overlooking his [temporary] lack of teeth.
The weekend we were there, Sandy was graduating from high school and they were reporting on the television news about seniors stealing the answers to final exams from local schools. Dee was petrified by that news! Seeing Sandy, knowing she was innocent, and hearing how Dee was as a youngster and how she treated her mother, we immediately realized that Dee was just getting paid back for all the grief she gave her mom during Dee’s high school days. Later that night, after we all went to bed, one of my fellow travelers got up to use the bathroom and as she approached it, the door opened and there was Bruce, nude, walking back to his bedroom. After this trip, all of us Midwesterners became used to anything we would encounter on the East Coast.
Rose Farm’s Country Girl in March 1981 with Judge Betty Dexter and handler Dan Harrison
Later that year, Dee got tired of showing Country Girl, or Pammy, as she was called in the kennel, in the classes, and I got the call I was waiting for! When I went to the airport to pick her up, I got her out of her crate, and I saw what she had that was what I needed to incorporate into my Boondox longhairs. Although a tad set forward, she had an amazing body that went on for miles, with a dead level topline and beautiful short hocks. Dee could never lead break her; she nearly hit the floor with her head whenever she was shown. Dee could just not get her over it, even after winning Reserves at several major specialties on the East Coast. Studying her and leading her around, I saw that every time we tried to lead her with the show lead, she freaked out and put that head down, ruining her gaiting. So, I showed her without leading her and sort of herded her around all the biggest show rings in the area. She finished very quickly for me at some of the biggest shows in the Midwest. When she was bred to CH B’s Javelin de Bayard ROMO and later to CH Gerolf das Zwerglein L ROMO, she produced CH Rose Farms Hannelore Boondox ROMX, CH Rose Farms Honey v Boondox ROMX, Rose Farms Heidi v Boondox, CH Rose Farms Orchid v Boondox ROMO, CH Boondox Opium v Walmar ROM and Boondox Sunni O Ember who all became very nice producers with Hanne producing Chaps and Cheers and Honey producing Eclair and her sisters for John Brading and Lon Strauch. Heidi produced many champions for Dee, Orchid produced so many champions for Martha Grantham, including Shoney and Treasure, while Sunni produced Coppertone, who produced so many champions for me.
There were also others in those longhair litters that became great producers, and they made Dee someone special in the standard longhair ring, as CH Rose Farms Merrakesh Express ROM (Pammy’s littermate) and his get, the BIS CH Rose Farms Xavier and CH Rose Farms Lady of the Night ROMO, proved so many times. As for what Dee offered from her kennel, the dogs had all the highs and lows that all Dachshund breeders can have in their kennels. When offered a dog from her kennel, I wanted a dog with a great front, well set under the body, beautiful head and neck set, great topline, great underline, short hocks and I usually liked a little longer body, as that is something we, as Dachshund breeders, do not always have. Any of us could have had these properties back then if we were careful about what we were adding to our kennel. Dee liked a little higher-stationed dog with a long, well arched neck, sound coming and going with a nice long body and short little hocks and her dogs, Merrakesh Express, Xavier and Calcide all typified these preferences. Her tastes were similar to Bobby Fowler and the East Coast handlers, who always had this look to show in the specials ring. Bobby, showing Sting (a PJ ex Manon son), won a BIS under Dee, as Sting definitely had the look that Dee loved. When we went to Dee’s place after the Garden in ’84 or ’85, Dee had a great little MW bitch, sired by CH Kanawha’s Teddy of Rose Farm, and Wally and Mary fell in love with her. Thinking Dee would never sell her, they never offered to buy her. Later, I asked about that little bitch, and Dee said she sold her to a pet home. When I told Wally this news, we decided then and there to always make an offer on anything Dee had, because who knew if she would sell it or not? It was always better to ask before she sold what you were looking at to someone else.
During this time, we went to all the DCA National shows, as we always supported the idea that you bring your best to the National. We always tried to improve ourselves and our goal was to be among the final winners. During the Washington DC DCA of 1982, I brought a few longhairs and the co-owners of CH Rose Farms Elite v Boondox L ROMX made a mistake when they entered Lardi’s puppies. We had a nice young litter out of Lardi, sired by CH Gerolf das Zwerglein L ROMO, with two bitches entered (Emma and Elite), and Dee had one entered as well. They were fine the first day and all were in the 6-9 month puppy class, but on the second Host Show, the class changed and they went into the 9-12 month puppy class, except for Ellie. Anyway, that was how we started to show these bitches that weekend. The first day, Elite was shown by Asa Mays, one of her co-owners then (although she was bought later by the Martucci’s of California as soon as I got her back in my kennel). She was easily Winners Bitch under Robin Hernandez of Mexico from the 6-9 month puppy class. The next day, I showed her to Mrs. Wear, one of a great group of judges that I always supported, and she immediately gave her Winners Bitch from, unfortunately, the 6-9 month puppy class. Right after Mrs. Wear made her decision, Dee told everyone to show really hard because we were going for the points again! Typically Dee and typically why we all had such fun showing with her as she was always out there trying to win; trying VERY hard. Most people thought I would have been disappointed to lose those Winners Bitch points but anyone who could win those points beating all the good ones out there is going to finish quickly and finishing them with the big wins is what we were out there to do. That same weekend, Dee won Winners Dog and Best of Winners with a MW puppy, CH Kanawha’s Teddy of Rose Farm MW, who was a showy little beast and a lot of fun.
CH Rose Farms Choo Choo winning Best Brood Bitch at DCA in 1983
At the 1983 Nashville DCA, our Choo Choo (shown by Dee) was Best Brood Bitch with her offspring sired by Chuckie (shown by John Thompson), Fauna (shown by Andrea Spritzer), Fallon (shown by me) and Flora (shown by Carl Holder). This is a great picture of all the dogs and it was a great end to our Nashville week.
CH Rose Farm’s Nancy v Boondox MW
At about the same time, my friend, Robert Hartkemeier, and I purchased a young class MW dog from Dee. He was from the Kanawha line of Fran Colonna’s and Dee’s Rose Farm miniatures and was not a very pretty dog. He was a littermate to CH Kanawha’s Teddy of Rose Farm (by Stanley Steamer ex a Kanawha bitch) who was WD at the DCA held in Virginia in 1983, but unfortunately, Yukie (or Pukie as we called him) did not have many of the family’s traits, although he did finish easily for me under some decent judges. Dee did give me a nice black and tan smooth miniature, Rose Farms Deborah MS ROM (a Stanley Steamer daughter out of a Thorn In My Side sister) who, when bred to Yukie, became a top producer for me as she produced Nathan, Nancy, Ned and Rachel, all of whom we finished quickly as puppies. Nathan and Nancy became group placers and were BV and BOS at the Mini-Roundup held back then. I loved the minis, but, unfortunately, Manon did not share my love and, after the death of Deborah, I sold my males and gave Nancy to Sheila Parish where she was Sheila’s foundation in MWs.
CH Rose Farms Hannelore Boondox finishing at DCA in June 1984 with Judge John Cook and handler Dan Harrison
At the 1984 DCA, held in Pennsylvania, Dee and I brought a full compliment of dogs and we had all of our friends there (except Carol Spritzer who was showing in Canada then) and we all had a great time. In longhairs, at the Host Show, Dee was showing a nice class bitch to Eunice Huffman and she won the class and I got second. When Winners was started, I saw that Dee was going to be Winners, so I had Hannelore, a bitch I co-owned with Melanie Maurey, ready to go in for Reserve, which we won. That was a nice day, but when DCA started and Mr. Cook was the judge, it only got better for me and my dogs. First, John gave me Winners Dog with my Gerolf ex Zesabel son, CH Boondox Indigo v Walmar ROMO, owned by the Martucci’s of California. If course, this meant that they also had a great trip to the DCA Nationals. This dog went home to be a top producer and a nice field dog himself, along with being a great dog to look at and watch move. In bitches, my CH Rose Farms Hannelore Boondox was Winners, and she just never looked better. She was a great looking young bitch, sired by Java out of Country Girl. She became a top producer for Melanie and myself, and most notably was the dam of Chaps, a two-time BOV winner at DCA. She had technically finished the week before DCA, but she looked so good, I had to show her at the Nationals. To be honest, I felt good about the wins and her presence at the show. I said earlier that I felt no shame about losing points during the National week, and also felt no shame in gaining some points as well. Remember, we just have one National, and we want our best ones on display. For Best of Variety, John picked CH Rose Farms Dolly v Boondox L as BOS-V to CH Bayard le Maximillien, owned by the late Mary Howell and shown by Bobby Fowler. Dolly (who Thelma Moffett said we named Dolly after Dolly Parton because she had such a big forechest) was from the second Java ex Lardi litter. She won five sweepstakes on her way to her title and this DCA win underscored how we felt about this outstanding puppy bitch. Unfortunately, she contracted parvo and we lost her shortly after this great win. What a weekend we had, and it was one we will always remember: WD, WB and BOS-V at this big National show.
CH Rose Farms Wild Card (dam of FYC, Darla and Oprah) winning under Judge Peg Walton for owner/handler Dan Harrison
We went on finishing the dogs we got from Dee or the ones that came down from Dee’s dogs, and then got a call from Dee about a smooth bitch. She was a bitch that was BV from the puppy class at a large specialty on the East Coast, but was a little small for Dee’s taste. As a result, CH Rose Farm’s Wild Card became my new special after she finished by going BV and BB from the open standard class at the Hoosier Specialty in 1985. She went back three times to CH Karlstadt’s Lionel ROMO in her first three generations behind her and was a very showy little bitch. She always looked great in the ring with her head and neck and shoulders always up and looking good, but she was a smallish bitch, about eighteen pounds. She had sort of a freaky temperament in that no one could touch me while I was showing her. She would bite the head off any dog that came around me or anyone she felt threatened me, although she kept these activities very quiet and no one ever noticed her responses to people who approached us. I made a very conscious decision to not let her more aggressive temperament show and, in fact, usually held her until we got in the ring. She would sit there quietly and never flinch at anyone, but Heaven help anyone who came too near to me. She was a Group placer and won several Specialty BVs and other placements for us. She produced FYC, Femme Fatale and several others who made their mark on other kennels and bloodlines and those that came down from her kept her great topline and her showy attitude. Thankfully, none of them inherited her penchant for biting anyone who came too close to me.
Boondox Pumpkin, winning Best Puppy in Show under Heck Rice during the Seattle DCA weekend, shown by Dan Harrison
The next year was the ’85 DCA Specialty held in Seattle. Dee was judging smooths so we took a few longhairs out. We would not show to her in smooths, but we wanted to have the fun of showing PJ, Pumpkin and Manon at our National Show. At the Host Show, PJ, as a baby puppy, won his class. Pumpkin, his littermate, won Sweeps under James “Heck” Rice, and Manon was WB under Bob Wlodkowski. That night, as I was exercising the dogs, Manon jumped out of my ex-pen and headed for the very close freeway. As I chased her, I could see her getting hit and losing her when she just needed a point to finish after winning the day before DCA. Anyway, as she was running for the freeway, Manon saw a hotel double door and made a beeline for it. I guess she thought the door was standing open, but, unfortunately, one side was closed and she ran right into it. It sort of knocked her silly and while she was standing there, I picked her up and quickly got her back in her crate. Maybe that knock on the head made her all the better in the ring the next day, as usually she was a handful, but she could not have been better for the judges and me at DCA.
Judge Dee Hutchinson and handler Hannelore Heller with CH Apothecary Black Rosey Rose ROMO
Meanwhile, since Wally, Mary, Melanie and myself were not showing to Dee the next day (no smooths or specials), we took Dee out to dinner and had a great evening together. When the show came up, we talked about the great ones there (in our opinions). We were just sort of adamant that it was a shame that the incredible CH Apothecary Black Rosey Rose was not used. We thought she looked great and, since Hannelore did not speak to me and hadn’t since the last DCA, I felt we were just talking about quality and not really promoting any dog, even though we were really wanting her to win since she came down from Chuckie and had a great temperament. At this point, temperament was still a big problem in standard smooths and we very much hated for poor temperaments to win at this level. After that talk, we did go back to the hotel, and reminisced about having a great night out with Dachshund people.
Bayard la Manon winning Best in Show at the Seattle DCA with Judge Dorothy Hutchinson, Handler Dan Harrison and Trophy Presenter Larry Sorenson
The next day, during the DCA class judging, they picked the Inter-Variety Judge and, to our surprise, Mrs. Hutchinson won the honor. Since we did not have smooths or even specials entered, again, we felt that it did not affect us and we carried on showing our few class dogs, winning a first with Panama Jack and losing with Pumpkin, leaving us with only Manon left to show. Under Ann Gordon, she was again Winners Bitch. That finished her and we, of course, were so very happy for her, ourselves (Fran Colonna and I co-owned her) and her former owner, Mary Howell, we couldn’t wait to finish showing her in the BV ring, wanting very much to win the Best of Winners award. Next, Best of Variety wires were shown to John Cook, and Michael Zollo won with Patti Nelson’s CH Solo’s Seafarer W; an excellent decision. Then, Dee took over the ring and, to our pleasure, CH Apothecary Black Rosey Rose, owned by Waldemar Rivera and shown by Hannelore Heller, won. What a fine day that was for the smooth variety as, again, this bitch was so excellent both in mind and body. Finally, Ann Gordon was ready for longs and, after she looked at the entry long and hard, sent the WD and WB to a corner to sit while she examined the whole entry. At the end, when she worked the two class winners, there started to be a lot of applause for Manon, and it became louder as she worked and worked. When the dogs that were pulled were all brought back to the ring, Manon moved again to even more applause and, finally, at the end, she was pulled to the front and sent around with the best male and female Champions at our Nationals. She basically out-moved them and wound up being pointed at as Best of Variety and Best of Winners! At the Nationals from the classes! What a day and what a week that was for all of us! Then we realized that we would have to show under Dee Hutchinson for Best of Breed. With the top competition, we actually felt no pressure and just decided to show her and be happy with what we had won already. During the Best of Breed competition, more and more people clapped and hooted for her and she really just out-showed anyone in the ring. Then Dee pointed to Manon, owned by Fran Colonna and myself, for Best of Breed. We felt over the moon as the pictures show us to be. That was a favorite DCA for me and the flight home was just a joy.
Of course, when she got home, Dee reported herself to AKC about the DCA decision and said she had no choice, was very proud of what she put up and then heard no more about it. Dee always presented herself as someone who just judged the dogs and was very proud of doing it all her way. Her honesty always paid off, because all the AKC people knew her and trusted in what she did both in and outside the ring. During these years, Dee always was applying for new breeds. She would just call me up when she got the more breeds and I added her to the Terre Haute and BIKC panels, until she gradually became an all-breed judge. Dee was one who was herself no matter what problems she caused and, to be honest, I loved every minute of her shenanigans. Her first trip to the BIKC shows, she was judging Afghans. There were just a few males, and she decided that she would not take a picture with the RWD. When asked by the owner, Dee just said no and said why she wouldn’t . I hope that made a difference, but who knows if it did! Another time, there was a huge class of BBE Chow Chow bitches entered and many of these breeders were some of the best around. Dee looked at the class, worked them all and then stopped, went over and got the Chow Chow Standard and brought it back and asked the first owner to read what it said about proportions and especially about the back length. I was standing there, watching this mess fall upon us with my AKC Rep Steve Hurt. Steve and I just looked at each other and waited to see what would happen. Dee did this to make sure that they all knew that they were to be high on leg and short-backed and not short on leg and long-backed. While they were getting that message from Dee, Steve and I split and stayed hidden because we knew those exhibitors would soon be looking for the AKC Rep and the Show Chairman to complain about their treatment from the judge. Both Steve and I felt she did the right thing (even in a slightly wrong way!) and were going to back her up and explain why she did what she did. We always stood up for Dee even when she was pushing the limit a little. In one of her last visits, she had to get back to the kennel and get ready for another trip. She asked the superintendent to schedule her groups early so she could leave as soon as possible to catch the last flight out of Indy. When the group order was announced, her groups were the fifth and sixth ones on the list. So Dee, saying nothing to even the super, judged those groups in about a dozen minutes and had them placed and pictures taken in about three more. Then she was on her way to Pound Ridge! Doing things for Dee Hutchinson always was a challenge and a lot of fun at the same time. When she did things, she did them her own way and you either enjoyed her way or didn’t use her at all. I, personally, always tried to be around Dee as I knew she was always interested in doing the right thing.
Judge Bob Wlodkowski and handler Dan Harrison with CH Boondox Bradauch Kaos L
CH Boondox Opium v Walmar with Judge Pat Hastings; Handler John Mohme
For the next couple of years, we went to DCA and won with some of Honey’s and Shoney’s offspring including a BOS-V and BOS-B at the California DCA. A Gerolf x Pammy girl, CH Boondox Opium v Walmar ROM, who John Mohme had Ray McGinnis showing, was BOS-V at the Arizona DCA. I always had a great time at the National, spending time with Dee and our friends.
CH Jeric’s Danielle W winning BV at the Jacksonville DCA under Judge Dee Hutchinson
CH Jeric’s Danielle W winning Best Opposite to Best of Breed at Jacksonville DCA under Judge Katay Burg
Finally, at the Jacksonville DCA in 1989, Dee was judging wires. I had one that I really wanted to show, CH Jeric’s Danielle, owned by Fran Colonna and me and bred by Lynn Cope. Danielle was on quite a roll and had never been beaten in the variety that whole year and this DCA was in October. I went ahead and entered her at DCA. At that point, Dee and I didn’t co-own any dogs, so Fran and I never told Dee we were entering her, and just showed up with Danielle (who had finished at DCA in Mesa in ’86) ready to show. The day of the show, our main competition was a CH Westphal’s Sparkle Plenty SW, a bitch shown by Michael Zollo and owned by Barbara and Clyde Morris from Texas. I felt Danielle was just a little bit better in that she was more set under herself and a little longer and lower and with a little better coat, although they both had very nice coats. In the ring, Dee soon narrowed it down to these two bitches and worked them together and separately. My worry was that Michael would have his bitch looking so good that he would win, regardless that mine was the better bitch, but, as usual, Dee’s eye for type and style led her to Danielle and so Danielle was BV at DCA and then went on to win BOS-B under Katay Burg. Again, another great day for us at the National and Dee did not even have to report herself to AKC at the end of the show.
Rose Farms Boondox Essence L winning a Group placement from John Cook from the puppy class with Dan Harrison handling
That winter, Dee was coming to Fort Wayne to judge and she brought a nice black and tan longhaired bitch (with a kinked tail), Rose Farms Taking a Chance, sired by Merrakesh Express and out of Express’ granddaughter. After I talked Dee out of this bitch, I bred her to PJ and she produced a big litter of nine puppies. To be honest, I kept the B&T bitch, CH Rose Farm’s Boondox Essence L, Roni, and sent two or three back to Dee’s kennel and none of them had anything wrong with their tails so I tried repeating the litter. Unfortunately, I lost Taking a Chance in a kennel fight, and right then and there decided to build a new kennel. which I did. Roni turned out to be a very nice bitch; she was set back under herself with a nice long, low and level topline, great neck and headset and beautiful short hocks. She had what I always looked for in Dachshunds down from Dee’s Rose Farm Kennel: the great front that is so necessary, sound coming and going, long, low, level with a gorgeous head and neck and the will to show it all off. Those things are what you had to look for when getting a Rose Farm dog and they are what Dee, herself, bred for and what she tried to produce in each litter.
Boondox Ziggurat L winning a major under Judge Lynne Allen at the California DCA with Dan Harrison handling
Anyway, Roni, as we called Essence in the kennel, was quite a nice winner and got two group placements from the puppy classes under John Cook and Peg Walton, finishing her Championship in grand style. She was a fabulous producer, quickly qualifying for her ROMX. Bred to CH Walmar’s Quo Vadis, she produced our special CH Boondox Ziggurat L, who was WD at DCA the same year that his father, CH Walmar’s Quo Vadis, was BV. Ziggy won several specialties around the area before we sold him to Australia to the Poulton’s to replace CH Boondox Jumping Jack Flash L (RWD at the 1990 San Antonio DCA) after his passing. Roni was a great asset to us and we loved what she brought us here at Boondox Kennel.
Finally, Dee and I had a misunderstanding at the DCA in Minnesota. It was hard to move on from there, as I always liked to have some Rose Farm dogs to add to the mix of my kennel, but, when we drifted apart, we never actually got back together again. It was sad to think that we became less friendly and, in looking back, I wish it had never happened and we had always remained close. However, due to the new family I was starting and Dee’s new ventures, it just never quite clicked in the same way again between us. It is something I really regret, as we were great for each other and always helped each other strive for the best dogs we could produce. We became friendlier as time went on, and were always pleasant when we saw each other, but my calls to Pound Ridge and her calls to Indiana were not something that we did any longer. I have to say I missed my connection with Dee and the news of goings-on with her and her dogs. Sadly, she was unable to judge the last year or so before her death, and missing those assignments, I am sure, really shortened her life. Her death drove home the fact I would not longer have her around for either approval or for correction, and that is something that I shall always miss.
Looking back on her career in dogs, I have to say that she was a bigger influence in Dachshunds than even her mother, Nancy Onthank. When Dee was breeding a new [to her] variety and really trying to get a line started for herself, she managed to produce what the breed needed to be great Dachshunds. Her dogs always were beautifully sound, great coming and going, with dead-level toplines, nice fronts and rears with short hocks and with beautiful heads and necksets. When buying from Dee, you had to be aware of what you needed and always try your best to get it. You usually had several choices to pick from, but you had to make the decision yourself. As a judge, while her mother just judged Dachshunds, Dee was an All-Breed approved AKC judge and could judge every dog accepted by AKC. She always was proud of that honor and tried to do a great job and had fun at her assignments, even if she did cause a little trouble while she was there. As a dog handler, Dee usually showed her own dogs and made them look as she wanted the breed to look. She always took pride in that skill, and she wanted to win no matter what. That was always another reason to love her as she loved the Dachshund Breed like no one else. I know it is a little silly to say, but Dee, who passed on May 15, 2010, was always “Mrs. Dachshund” at the shows and in her kennel.
By Dan Harrison
October 2014