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by Sharon Strempski
The
first meeting of the Affenpinscher Club of America was
held in the fall of 1965 in New York State. The club
was formed through the efforts of newer breeders, most
notably Emily Kinsley and Lucille Meystedt. At that
first meeting, Pro Tem officers were elected and a further
meeting to finish establishing the club was planned for
April 1966 at the Chicago International Kennel Club show.
Problems developed at the Chicago meeting. A
combination of personality clashes and hurt feelings
caused a small group of fanciers to split off and form
another club. The officers who were elected at the
Affenpinscher Club of America meeting in April had been
mainly new people to the breed. It’s quite
possible that some of the well established breeders felt
slighted. The splinter group, the American Affenpinscher
Association, lasted about three or four years.
During the same time span, the Affenpinscher Club of
America sought out new members and grew slowly. By
1969 the club’s newsletter, which first appeared on an
irregular basis, was established as a monthly publication
known as the AFFIG ZEITUNG.
The turning point for the club and the breed had to be the
first match show in September 1976 judged by Ruth Terry. People had talked about
doing a match for years but nobody wanted to volunteer for
the job. Emily Kinsley and Sharon Strempski decided
to take on the task and put on a little “fun” match at
Ms. Kinsley’s home.
Originally, it was planned to make paper ribbons and give
dog biscuits as prizes. This quickly went by the
wayside! Through the generosity of club members and
several companies, there were real ribbons, prizes and
even certificates of participation. After the show,
a 8 ˝” by 11” catalogue was printed up and sent to
all the exhibitors.
It would have been very easy just to invite club members,
but invitations were extended to new people in the breed
and those who had belonged to the American Affenpinscher
Association. A serious effort was made to make these
people feel welcome and to encourage them to join the
club. It was most gratifying that these people were
welcomed back into the club, effectively reuniting it.
Best In Match that September went to a puppy bitch who
became Ch. El Cocagi Eli Eli Wahine. Posey, as her
owner-breeder Ellen Stoewsand called her, later went on to
do extremely well in the Toy Group at point shows.
El Cocagi Kamehameha, her litter mate, who placed second
in his class, went on to earn his championship and become
the first Best In Show Affenpinscher.
“Bear”, as he was called, went Best In Show at
the Tonawanda Valley Kennel Club show on June 11, 1978
under Mr. Wills. Over the years a number of fine
dogs had come within a hair’s breadth of it but the
breed had to wait until someone had the courage to say
“the Affenpinscher is Best In Show”.
Until the Club met the AKC’s criteria for a licensed
specialty, members made do with “unofficial” national
specialties, the first of which was held at Kanadasaga
Kennel Club on June 7, 1980. Fittingly, Miss Iris de
la Torre Bueno gave Ch. El Cocagi Kamehameha Best Of
Breed. It was quite a lovely entry with five point
majors in both sexes. The two days of shows were
dubbed “The Great Affenpinscher Weekend”, a name which
has stuck for all Club specialties.
On
May 17, 1986, twenty one years after its first
organizational meeting, The Affenpinscher Club of America
held its first licensed specialty in conjunction with the
Mattoponi Kennel Club Show. Best of Breed went to
Ch. Hilane’s Lonesome Cowboy, under Judge Frank Sabella.
There were 39 Affenpinschers entered, which was the
largest entry ever. Thanks to the efforts of Mrs.
Mally and so many others who loved the breed, the
Affenpinscher was firmly established in the United States.
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