I suppose my quality was evident at a very early age. My first match show was when I was 3 months old. It was a local match and Roger’s wife Evelyn showed me for the first time. The class was just me and my sisters. I can remember the judge standing in the ring and saying, “This isn’t fair they all look alike!” I was the only one retained for exhibition, as I had three older sisters from the previous breeding, all who were finished as puppies. There are so many decisions that enter into the equation of a major breeding kennel. Great bitches have short show careers in order to contribute to the future of a kennel. My granddam “Kira” was retired to the whelping box shortly after finishing, which turned out to be an excellent move. They were fortunate to be able to break the Bitch Best in Show Record for bitches (16) with my dam, “Star,” prior to her retirement at 4 years of age. At that point, breedings had been planned for my “older sisters” in the near future. My sire “Triumph” was at the height of his show career with the “Top Hound” record within striking distance. Reaching that pinnacle was a priority.

Soon, it was realized that in order to bring “Triumph” into the Record Books, they had to look for a handler for me. The likely candidate was Sioux Forsyth, who was about to begin showing my older sister “Trademark.” Sioux was “local to my area”; as the daughter of Bob and Jane Forsyth, she had grown up in the sport and recently embarked on a professional handling career. Two of Roger’s sons, Scott and Todd, competed with Sioux in their Junior Showmanship days and they became good friends from that association. Sioux had an excellent background and a flair for presenting the Afghan Hound. It was decided that I was moving to Connecticut, but I had my big sister “Trademark” (who holds the record as the “Youngest Afghan Hound Champion of All Time”) with me for company, as Sioux was going to be showing her as a “Special.”

Tryst's first week of shows! Best Puppy in Specialty, one of the three Best Puppy awards that week. Judges Barry Deitch and Georgiana Guthrie. (Sept/Oct 1991)

Michael was able to debut me at the National Specialty Weekend when I was 6 months old. I was Best Puppy at the 3 companion Specialties, and Reserve at one of them. That in itself made things difficult. I was supposed to be the “companion” for “Trademark”! Sioux would be showing me in the classes at the shows I accompanied “Trademark” to. My success was noticed and it would just be a matter of time before I might complicate matters for “Trademark.”

Sioux had the talent to present, but the acumen to certain conditions that all dogs (sighthounds in particular) are susceptible to had not yet been honed. Maybe it was our young age, both Sioux’s and mine, or the fact that Afghan Hounds aren’t as rugged as some of the Sporting breeds that Sioux housed, but between a new kennel environment and some rough seasonal weather, I came down with a combination of illnesses that manifested itself into a serious condition. Here’s what I can remember about what happened…

While benched at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia show in November of 1991, Sioux, unable to immediately locate Michael at this large venue, sought the assistance of my co-breeder Susan Sprung. Upon hearing of my illness, Susan enlisted the aid of friend and veterinarian Joel Fisher to assess the situation. It was evident upon seeing me on the bench, not able to respond or stand, that I needed more medical attention than what could be obtained “on site.” Therefore, I required emergency hospitalization and I was lucky that I was within a short distance of the University of Pennsylvania’s Critical Care Unit. Dr. Josephine Deubler, a University of Pennsylvania Veterinarian and Kennel Club of Philadelphia member, was asked to call in advance of my arrival to the hospital. For those unfamiliar with Dr. Deubler, she was the first woman graduate of the U of P Veterinary School and still on the staff as of this writing.