|
Am. Can. CH. Marionhill
Chairman Ofthe Bd UD, RAE, MX, MXJ, MXP, MJP2, NF, NFP, CGC, TDI, Can. CD
March 2005
Owner: Irwin Linker & Mike & Maggie Marion
Breeder:
Mike & Maggie Marion (Marionhill Siberians)
Handled By Irwin Linker
Call Name:
Frankie
Born:
April 25, 1998 Sex:
Male
OFA#
SH-13605E25M-T (Excellent)
CERF# SH-6815/2000-21 (Clear; retested 2003 Clear)
|
|
My Friend
Saturday evening
(September 19, 2009) we had to help Frankie (Am. Can. CH. Marionhill
Chairman Of the Bd UD RAE MX MXJ MXP MJP2 NF NFP CGC TDI Can. CD)
cross over to the Rainbow Bridge. Suddenly he wasn’t acting like
himself and I took him to the vet today. They took x-rays which
showed that he had developed a hemangiosarcoma in his spleen that
had metastasized to his heart and was bleeding out internally. He
was in no pain but was suddenly very weak and there was nothing that
could be done to help him.
He was the most
AKC titled Siberian Husky ever. Among his accomplishments were
numerous national rankings in conformation, obedience and agility,
including more than a dozen times as #1 Siberian Husky, Award of
Merit at the 2001 SHCA National Specialty and Best of Opposite Sex
at the 2008 SHCA National Specialty, an invitation (one of only four
Siberians) to the 2009 National Obedience Invitational competition,
he was featured in 15-20 commercial print ads and breed calendars,
and he and son Travis will represent the Siberian Husky in the
Animal Planet Dogs 101 series.
I want to thank
all of his friends who wished him well and cheered for him through
the years. From his accomplishments Frankie showed he was a
versatile Siberian Husky and one who was a terrific ambassador for
his breed. Though I didn’t know it when I named him, this was one
Siberian who would live up to his AKC name – he truly was the
Chairman of the Board. He had the most wonderful personality. From
his stubbornness and independence to the way he talked to me in the
ring to let me know he was having fun; from the way he ruled his
pack to the way he let me know it was biscuit time. Wonderful
memories!!
I love this gentle
dog for all he did for me, for his spirit and for his honesty.
Mostly, I love him for being my good buddy and companion who shared
a sofa with me.
I have to thank
Mike and Maggie Marion for giving me Frankie to enjoy for these 11+
years – April 25, 1998 – September 19, 2009.
As you wait at the
Bridge for me, play with the other Siberlink kids who went before
you – Kodi, Spunky, Jasper, Nikki and little Pepper.
Wear your Silver
Harness with pride. God speed Frankie. I will always miss you.
|
Title Chronology
-
2009
-
2008
-
2007
-
December 1.........................MJP
-
April 1...............................AXP
-
April 1...............................AJP
-
2006
-
November 12.......................OAP
-
October 29..........................OJP
(AKC title # 20)
-
July 2.................................MXJ
-
May 21...............................RAE
-
2005
-
June 25...............................Canadian
Championship
-
June 4................................RE
-
May 28.............................. RA
-
May 1................................RN
-
April 23..............................MX
-
2004
-
2003
-
September 14.......................AXJ
-
June 29...............................Canadian
CD
-
March 23............................UD
-
2002
-
November 9.........................AX
-
June 1................................OAJ
-
April 21..............................OA
-
2001
-
November 18....................... CDX
-
October 17.......................... NAJ
-
October 16.......................... NA
-
2000
-
August 6.............................CD
-
June 25...............................CGC
-
June
25...............................TDI
-
1999
|
|
Other Neat Stuff
In
addition to all the great things Frankie has accomplished in the various
competition rings, he has some other credits to be proud of.
- 2008
- Featured in 2
Siberian Husky calendars
- Received an invitation
to the 2008 SHCA National Specialty Top 20
Competition
- 2007
-
#8
in the
Working Group & the #1 Siberian Husky
in
Excellent B Jumpers with Weaves Preferred
-
#5 in the Working Group & the #2 Siberian Husky
in Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves Preferred
-
#1 Siberian Husky in Excellent B Standard Preferred
-
Featured in a Macy's
Christmas catalog
-
Subject of an article
in the Spring & Summer 2007 SHCA Newsletter
-
Featured, along with
Travis and Webster, in Macy's Christmas supplement.
- Featured,
along with Lucy and Travis, in the 2007 Kohler product
magazine.
- 2006
- #1 Siberian
Husky in Rally Advanced Excellent (SHCA ranking).
- #1 Siberian Husky in
Master Agility Excellent (SHCA ranking).
- 2nd
Siberian Husky to earn the RAE title.
- 20th
MX, MXJ Siberian Husky &
the 1st CH, UD, MX, MXJ
Siberian Husky.
- #9 ranked
Obedience Siberian Husky by Front & Finish (First &
Foremost System).
- #21 ranked
Agility Siberian Husky by Front & Finish (First &
Foremost System).
- 1st Siberian Husky to earn
20 American Kennel
Club titles (November).
- 2005
- #6
Siberian Husky in Obedience for 2005 by Front & Finish (First &
Foremost System).
- In June
becomes the
1st Siberian Husky to earn 20 titles overall.
- Qualified for
Placement as one of the highest scoring dogs in Obedience, all
breeds, for 2005 by
Front & Finish (Delaney system).
- Appeared in the
October 2005 issue of Allure magazine.
- 2004
- Named one of
the highest scoring dogs in Obedience, all breeds, by
Front & Finish (Delaney system).
- As a registered
Therapy Dog, Frankie has made over 300 visits to hospitals,
nursing homes and assisted care centers since 2000.
- 2003
- Finished as the
#21 ranked Siberian Husky in Conformation.
- #1 Siberian Husky in
Excellent A/B Jumpers With Weaves combined (SHCA
ranking).
- #1 Siberian Husky in
Utility A/B combined (SHCA ranking).
- #9 Working Group in
Utility A (Front and Finish ranking; Delaney system).
- #1 Siberian Husky in
Utility A and Utility A/B combined (Front and Finish
ranking; Delaney system).
- 4th
Siberian Husky from New Jersey to earn a UD title (March).
- Cover boy for the
Neiman-Marcus Christmas catalog.
- Featured in several newspapers doing stories about the
All Star
Performance Dog Association tournament.
- 2002
- #1 Siberian
Husky in Excellent A Standard (Front and Finish
ranking; Delaney system).
- 1998
- Featured in a
front page
story of the Easton Express-Times about the December shows at Lehigh University.
|
|
Frankie's
Offspring
CH Marionhill's Ceo Of
Siberlink NA OAJ (JR)
CH Redriver's Travellin' Man
CD RA OA AXJ NJP NF (Travis)
CH Siberlink's Chairman's
Choice NA (Spenser)
CH Siberlink's Chief Counsel
(Ryser)
Siberlink's Hunter At Two
Rivers CDX RE (Hunter)
CH Siberlink's Once In Love
With NA OAJ (Amy)
CH Siberlink's Hot Diggity
Dawg (Digger)
|
|
Frankie's Videos
Frankie's Excellent P JWW Run at SHCA
National Specialty 10/30/08
Slide Show of Frankie's BOS at the 2008 SHCA
National Specialty 11/1/08
Frankie in Frankie's Place 11/10/08
|
|
1st Award of Merit; 2001 SHCA
National Specialty |
| |
| Frankie became
Siberian Husky number five to join us. He quickly learned he had to use
his natural speed to survive playing with Jasper and Nikki. As he grew he
began to hold his own and level the playing field. Frankie and Jasper
became inseparable "running buddies", always hanging out in the yard and
checking things out together or just side by side on our daily walks. With
the passing in January 2003 of Jasper and Nikki, a new girl named Lucy joined
the family in March to be Frankie's new companion. And in September one of
the boys from his first breeding came to live with us.
|
| |
|
Conformation |
 As
stated above, Frankie is our
fifth Siberian Husky. He is definitely his own person...uh, I mean
Siberian Husky. He has benefited from my
experiences over the 7 years I handled his uncle Jasper in the Breed
ring, my 18 years of experience in the Obedience ring and my 5 years of
experience in Agility.
Frankie kind of hit the ground running and finished his Championship at 19
months. He has several BOBs and BOSs since then. But his
crowning achievement was when he received the 1st Award of Merit at the 2001 Siberian Husky Club
of America National Specialty in a Best of Breed Competition class of about 120
total dogs. Frankie has
since gone BOB and BOS many times, and been awarded a few AOMs.
Frankie came out
of retirement from the breed ring to win Best Veteran In
Sweepstakes at the May 2006 Garden State Siberian Husky Club
Spring Specialty the same day his son JR went Best Puppy In
Sweepstakes! In November 2006 he was Best Veteran In
Sweeps, Best Veteran and 1st Award of Merit at the SHC of the
Delaware Valley Specialty and Best Veteran and 1st Award of Merit
at the Garden State Siberian Husky Club Specialty. A month later
he followed those wins by going BOB at the Richland County KC
show at the Crown Classic Cluster in Cleveland in December 2006.
From mid 2006 to March 2007 Frankie had a streak of BV, 1st AOM in 6
consecutive specialties which was snapped when he went BV, BOS.
In 2007 he continues to be competitive in his occasional foray sin
this ring by winning BOB or BOS in specialties and all breed shows.
Although he has been infrequently specialled, Frankie has now
amassed 8 AOMs, over a dozen BOBs and more than 200 BOSs. The
most prestigious of these wins was his BOS at the 2008 SHCA
National Specialty. That was an awesome win and an incredible
week for Frankie and me. |
| |
|
Obedience |
|
The next challenge was Obedience. Frankie likes
to be on the move, so he likes Obedience. But, sits and downs were a
problem (he wasn't moving...supposed to be moving) and required a lot of work. We
finally worked
through it and he earned his CD in the Fall of 2000. He capped off his
"Novice" career with a score of 194 for High In Trial at the
Garden State Siberian Husky Club Specialty in November 2000. He is the
third of my four Siberians to earn HIT at this show.
Frankie earned his first CDX
leg in September 2001 (he went BOS the same day). And he earned his CDX
title
with back-to-back qualifying scores of 185 and 185.5 in mid-November 2001.
For the 2nd year in a row he was High Scoring Siberian Husky infor the GSSHC Specialty.
We had been training for Utility and were
almost ready for
the ring at the 2002 SHCA National Specialty. While he didn't qualify
either day, he came within one exercise both days. In early January 2003
Frankie earned legs one and two in the same weekend, including a 3rd place at
the Saturday Obedience Trial. That made it 2 UD legs in 6 trials.
Not bad! Frankie had a bit of dry spell in the Futility ring (you know,
the class where, if it can go wrong it will). But, he returned to form and
finished his UD after only13 trials, with a 5th place in a class of
26 in late March 2003. What a very good boy he is! We took
time out from competing to fine tune his Open and Utility exercises and began
going after that UDX in the Fall of 2003. I haven't entered Frankie in
many obedience trials but he does have 5 UDX legs and several near misses.
During this time he has added several High Scoring Siberian Husky In Trials.
We decided to try our
hand at Rally Obedience. Frankie quickly earned his Rally Novice (RN)
title in 3 straight trials and will be going for his Rally Advanced (RA)
title. The RA and RE (Rally Excellent) titles were also
earned in 3 straight trials each. Frankie may have been the
first Siberian Husky to earn the RE title. All 3 Rally titles
were earned in a 2 month time span during the Spring of 2005.
Frankie soon became the first Siberian Husky to earn an RAE leg
when we resumed competition in September 2005. In May 2006
Frankie became the 2nd Siberian Husky to earn the RAE
title. |
|
Agility |
Frankie
began competing in Agility in late September 2001. He is very fast!
As is usually the case, the handler held the dog back until the handler caught
up to the dog. Even so, it was only a few shows before Frankie earned his
NA and NAJ titles with 1st place wins in both classes at the 2001 Siberian Husky Club of America National
Specialty. He also earned his first Open Standard qualifying score with a
first
place win at the 2001 SHCA National Specialty. Frankie earned his OA
title in mid-April 2002 with a pair of 2nd place finishes in one weekend and
followed that a week later with his 2nd Open Jumpers leg. Frankie got his
3rd Open Jumpers leg to earn his OAJ in early June 2002. During
September 2002 Frankie got his first two Excellent A Jumpers with Weaves
qualifying scores; the first one being a 4th place. In October and early November 2002 Frankie got his
three qualifying
scores (two of them were good for 3rd place) for his Excellent A Standard (AX)
title.
The Spring of 2003
saw Frankie begin his quest for that elusive 3rd Q and
his AXJ title; and in September 2003 he got that AXJ with a 3rd place
effort. And, he has begun going for his MX with 5
Qs. And he has begun the quest for his MXJ with 1 Q. Now we
need some double Qs and
some points (744 to go) for his MACH (yeah, right!). We decided to finish the 2003 Spring
schedule by competing in Novice B Preferred. It was in the MUD. Frankie earned 1
Standard leg with a 2nd place and 2 JWW legs with a 1st and a 2nd place,
respectively. Well, we decided to finish the 2004 Spring season by running
in the Preferred classes. Frankie did it in style during the last weekend
of June. He was 1st in all 3 runs, earning his NAP and NJP
titles. His times were pretty incredible, as he was under course times for
the two Standard runs by 29 and 25 seconds and under the JWW time by 13 seconds.
In a late December 2004 trial Frankie continued his quest for his MX and MXJ
when he Q'd 3 out of 4 runs to earn his first QQ and an additional 28 MACH
points, giving him 8 MX and 5 MXJ legs. In April 2005 Frankie got that
10th Q to give him his MX title, and in July 2006 Frankie got that
elusive 10th Q to give him his MXJ title. Boy, are we glad
that one is in the bag!
We went back to the
Preferred classes in the Fall of 2006. Frankie quickly earned
his OJP, OAP, AXP and AJP titles. Next we moved up to Excellent
B Preferred. Frankie promptly went out and earned his MJP
title and has made good progress on his MXP and PAX. During
2008 Frankie expanded his horizons and started competing in FAST.
He quickly earned his NFP and NF titles and is now in Open
FAST.
|
| |
|
 |
"No, no. You just
let me run, jump and do the obstacles and we'll be fine.
You want to qualify? Stay out of my way...like a few yards
behind me."
"OK, Frankie. Whatever you say." |
|
|
Frankie and our girl Lucy had a litter of 6 beautiful puppies,
5 boys and
1 girl, on March 6, 2006.
All have gone to their new homes; look for them in a ring near you.
Mike & Maggie Marion's Marionhill's Jazz O'Madchen (or Baby Dog out of Romeo and Frankie's litter
sister Julie) was bred to Frankie in April 2005 and gave birth to
4
handsome boys June 7, 2005.
Debra
(Micast's Redriver Debutante),
owned by Pam Theis of RedRiver Siberians in Virginia and co-owned by Cindy
Nobile & Jeanette Lamphere of Micast
Siberians of Sparta, NJ, was bred to
Frankie in mid-May 2003.
Eyes of both Frankie and Debra are clear and
hips are OFA excellent and good, respectively.
On July 14,
2003 we had a litter of
4 females and 3 males; all gray/white. Pam
has two of the girls. One of the boys (RedRiver's Travellin' Man,
"Travis") is owned by Irwin Linker. Another boy (RedRiver's Stryke Force,
"Stryker") is owned by Laura Briggs of Tabernacle, NJ. |
|
Frankie left us
suddenly on September 19, 2009. He was suddenly weak and a trip to the
vet indicated he had a hemangiosarcoma on his spleen that had
metastasized to his heart and he started bleeding out internally. There
was nothing that could be done to save Frankie. I kissed him, hugged him
tightly, cried a lot and thanked him for being
in my life, I told him how much I loved him, and we said our goodbyes so
we could help him on his journey to the Rainbow Bridge where I know he
is waiting for me.
To say that it was my
immense pleasure to handle Frankie and be his partner in and out of the
ring does not come close to expressing my feelings for him. He was the
most self-confident, self-assured dog I have ever known. As some of his
human friends have said to me, he was a presence; he had a big
personality that permeated the area wherever he was. He is missed for
the joy he brought to us and to everyone who knew him.
Wear your silver
harness with great pride. God speed Frankie -- until we meet again. |
Spring 2006
