Mount Carmel Onyx was Best Penn-Marydel foxhound. / Karen Kandra Wenzel photo
For once in the thirty-nine-year history of the Maryland Foxhound Club’s annual puppy show, the weather-gods cooperated. On a marvelously sunny day, supporters of twelve foxhound packs and seven foot hound packs met on the lawn of Tim and Vicki Shaw’s lovely home to show the products of their breeding programs. The show is restricted to unentered hounds as well as the stallion hounds and brood bitches that produced these hounds.
With one ring devoted to foxhounds and another devoted to foot hounds, Jeff Blue, MFH of Middleburg Hunt (VA) and Bob Dougherty, MB of Hidden Meadows beagles and ex-MFH and huntsman of the Plum Run Hunt (PA) had a full day of judging to do. A total of 141 foxhounds were entered and 73 foot hounds went through the rings. In the only combined class of the day, nineteen young fox and rabbit hunters paraded before both judges in a really tough junior handler class. No doubt Masters Blue and Dougherty worked their hardest to pin that class!
Judges Bob Dougherty, MB; Jeff Blue, MFH; and ring steward Charles Duval Smith, ex-MFH, discuss the placing of the junior exhibitors. / Karen Kandra Wenzel photo
At the end of the day, The Potomac bitch Keebler was declared the best American hound, the Green Spring Valley bitch Notice having been selected from her class of thirty-nine entries was declared the best Crossbred hound of the day, and the striking bitch Mount Carmel Onyx was selected as the best Penn-Marydel of the day. Mount Carmel is a private pack founded by the late Carl Shaffer, whose widow Mary continues the program. Mount Carmel hunts in the Elkridge-Harford Hunt country of Maryland with the latter’s permission.
Best American Hound was Potomac Keebler. / Karen Kandra Wenzel photo
Best Crossbred Hound was Green Spring Valley Notice. / Karen Kandra Wenzel photo
Posted May 13, 2014
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