by Joyce Johanson
Everyone needs at least one
mentor in her life, and I have been fortunate to have many wonderful women who
have helped me grow professionally and personally. The woman to whom I can
attribute my successes in the show ring was a great mentor to me. Her name was
Marge Lewis. I met Marge when I was such a green novice, having no idea what I
was doing in the show ring but trying hard.
Marge was a professional handler who began by showing Standard Poodles. When I
met her, she was showing a lot of long-coated breeds (e.g.,
Yorkies and Maltese, which were the breeds that she
bred). She showed Shih Tzu, Poms, Pekes,
and some other toy breeds like Min Pins and Brussels Griffons. Of course, she
also showed Lhasa Apsos and that was how I met her. Because she won frequently,
I watched her show her dogs, hoping to learn something. However, I was always
afraid to approach her. Why would someone as important as Marge want to talk to
me?? I recall the one time I went to her grooming set up, her assistant was so
rude and nasty that I thought Marge probably was also. Not true!!
It was actually Marge's friendliness at ringside that gave me the nerve to
speak to her and ask her to show my Lhasa, Rocky. A specialty show was coming
up in Texas, and that was Rocky's first trip with
Marge. Rocky was 13 months old at the time, and he had 1 point. She and Rocky
were a great pair. She put three majors (2 fives and a four) on him in 2
weekends, and he was finished in no time! She later specialed
him.
When Marge started specialing Rocky, he was only 16
months old. I began traveling with her to help her with her other dogs and to
defray some of my handling fees. I learned so much. With Marge, the dogs always
came first. She was insistent each morning before they were shown that they be
washed. (Please note that they had been fully bathed before even going to the
show!) We washed feet, butts, and faces and blew the long-coated dogs dry prior
to every show. Marge's dogs were always immaculate. They looked super and won
often. From Marge I learned how to travel with dogs, how to groom, and how to
show. I learned the jargon and protocol of the dog show world. Although I was a
client, I was also her assistant so I ran with dogs from ring to ring often
showing them for her when she was stuck in a ring and unable to make it to
another; I was on potty duty and cleaned my share of dirty butts; and I did my
share of grooming and bathing.
Marge taught me to be a good sport. She was in the ring to win, but she was
friends with so many other handlers and recognized that some days the wins went
to others. She taught me that there is always another show, that you learn from
your mistakes, and that always, the dogs come first.
It was because of working with Marge that I became adept at long-distance
driving! We lived about 5 hours apart. I lived in David City, Nebraska. Marge
lived in Independence, Missouri. On dog show weekends, I left home after school
(I was a high school English teacher) as soon as I was allowed to leave,
traveled to MO to ride to the show with Marge or traveled to the show site to
meet her there. On Sundays, we often did not get back to Independence until
very late at night. I drove home to NE, fighting sleep, often arriving just a
couple hours before it was time to go teach on Monday mornings. My poor husband
became a "dog-show widower" early in our marriage!
I am thankful to all my mentors, but especially to Marge Lewis. The impact she
made on my life was powerful. I'll always be grateful for her friendship and
inspiration.