Beginnings
The 1930s were a period of great development for the American Kennel Club (AKC) and dog shows in general. By the end of this decade the AKC Rules & Regulations had assumed essentially the form that we know today. Obedience regulations were adopted in 1936. Handlers were required to be licensed. The first Professional Handlers Assn. (PHA) meeting was held in Cleveland, Ohio in June 1936. Keynote speaker for this event was William Z. Breed, who later married Miriam Hostetter Young (Barmere). In 1938, double handling and artificial coloring were strictly prohibited at shows. July of 1938 also saw the advent of championship certificates issued by the AKC. By 1940, ribbon colors were standardized and kennel names had to be registered if they were to be protected.
To encourage participation in purebred dog shows the AKC, from 1935 until 1940, offered cash awards . These were available to member-clubs for competition at their shows. Amounts included: Best in Show (BIS) $25; Group First-Fourth went $15, $10, etc., and Specialty Best of Breed (BOB) $15. They also offered annual cash awards for American Bred competitors: $200 for dog or bitch winning most Group Firsts, (if registered); $50 each to the dog or bitch with the most wins in its group; $25 to the dog or bitch with most BIS wins, and an additional $10 if the dog was bred by the exhibitor. Many of the top winners had been imported from Europe, and the AKC wished to encourage American exhibitors to show dogs of their own breeding.
Independent specialties enjoyed some additional cash awards. They offered $25 for Best American Bred if registered, with $10 added if Bred by Exhibitor. Also, $15 each for Best American Bred Dog and Bitch. But only the Boston clubs were then holding any significant number of specialties.
It may seem strange today that these awards are for American Bred only, and even more strange that there were dogs being shown and being awarded championships--- including Boxers---who were not AKC-registered. Actually, unrecognized breeds could be shown until 1942. Some of the dogs listed as not registered when they received their titles were undoubtedly imports whose paper work hadn't caught up with them.
The 1930s saw the formation of many parent breed clubs, including the American Boxer Club (ABC) in 1935. It wasn't until 1942, when the AKC drew up the list of recognized breeds and varieties, that new breeds were required to form parent clubs first and maintain their own registries until later officially recognized by AKC.
The first Boxer to finish an AKC championship, Sieger Dampf v Dom, had done so in 1915. His owners, Governor and Mrs.Lehman of New York, were Boxer fans and early members of the ABC. Dampf had no lasting influence on the breed, as there were very few bitches in America for breeding. There were, however, several other interested fanciers, most of them in the Midwest, during the 1920s. This included the Judics, who were the first to advertise in a magazine (1926). But it wasn't until the early thirties that the Boxer began to catch on.
International Champion (ICh.) Check v Hunnenstein arrived in the U.S.in 1932. He was the 1932 German Brindle Sieger, and his new owners, Marcia and Joseph Finesse of Cirrol Kennels, campaigned him extensively. He was the first Boxer to go BIAS (1932), and the first to place in the group at Westminster and Morris and Essex, going 3rd in both in 1935. He attained a lifetime record of ten Group Firsts and four BIS with handler Harry Harnett. Check's exceptional personality won many friends for the breed. He was the grandsire of Dorian (from a litter sired in Germany) and sired the first litters bred at both Mazelaine and Barmere. He died in late 1936.
In 1933, Ch. Dodi v.d. Stoeckersburg, bred by Henry Stoecker and owned by Miriam Breed, became the first bitch to complete a championship. That same year Birbama Crab, owned by Douglas and Mary Hunt of Birmingham, Ala., became the first American-bred Boxer to place in group competition--- it would be 1938 before an American-bred won one.
May, 1934 saw the importation of the Grand Old Man of Barmere, ICh. Sigurd v Dom of Barmere. Sigurd was imported by Charles Ludwig for Mrs. Breed (then Miriam Hostetter Young). Sigurd was four years old when he reached the US and had been Austrian Sieger and twice German Sieger (Fawns and Bridles were shown as color varieties in Europe, so he was the Fawn Sieger).
Also shown by Mr. Harnett, Sigurd won BOB at Westminster in 1935, and attained a lifetime record of 2 BIS, 54 BOB and 43 Group 1s (Non-Sporting). He was the leading sire in 1936 and second in 1939 and 1940. Sigurd was very prepotent, dominating every breeding and founding a line that was easily recognized. He is the grandfather of the other three foundation sires. In all, he sired sixteen American-bred champions and ten imports.
Sigurd was shown many times at ABC shows and matches. He consistently won the Stud Dog class and Veterans until his death at around 12 years of age.
Part 1b: 1935 to 1937
