By Kathy Brown.
Who knew that Haddam was such a popular town for show dogs? After we published the story about Oliver and Debby Dubay attending the Westminster Agility competition, someone told us about another dog who just competed at Westminster Kennel Club, this time with the show dogs, in the Best of Breed category.
Karen Gresham has lived in Haddam for the last ten years. She has Alistair (CH Khamis Rainbow Warrior), a 4 year old Afghan hound, LilliBelle, a 10 year old Afghan hound, and Bentley, a 10 year old rescue. She has been showing Alistair since he was about six months old. She participates in shows “a couple times a month.”
Afghan hounds are one of the oldest breeds of dogs, and come originally from the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Their history is filled with stories that can’t be confirmed: they were Noah’s choice to represent dogs for the ark, they were the dogs of choice for nomadic people and kept hidden from people from other lands, Alexander the Great brought them to Afghanistan. Similar looking dogs have been found in cave drawings. One thing is for sure: they love to run, and can run up to 40 mph! Their beautiful coat requires a lot of care and grooming, and the dog has a very elegant appearance, though can be “goofy” as well. The breed is not as popular as it once was, possibly due to the amount of grooming they require. According to Karen, “there are only about 275 [Afghan hounds] born each year now.”
Alistair’s breeder lives in Scotland and is a show judge, as well as an artist. Karen saw a video on Facebook of an adorable puppy, and “his little face called to me, so we arranged the purchase and he flew from Edinburgh to Newark, and into my life,” said Karen.
When they aren’t going to dog shows, Karen does marital, family, and individual therapy in Middletown. “[Alistair] is my co-therapist in my private practice,” said Karen. “He’s a popular guy with my counseling clients.”
At Westminster on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020, Alistair didn’t win, “but we had a great time,” said Karen.
