Highest honor awarded to breeder of prized pooches

Sixty years of quiet dedication to the art of breeding Great Pyrenees dogs at her family's Lake Barrington home has won Judy Cooper the American Kennel Club's widely celebrated Breeder of the Year Award.

There are seven categories of the award covering all 140 of the club's recognized breeds. Great Pyrenees belong to the working dog category, and Cooper's award was for top breeder in that group.

She was as surprised by the award as she was thrilled because the entire nomination and consideration process is handled in complete confidentiality by the American Kennel Club.

"This was an extreme honor to win this award," she said.

Kennel clubs spokeswoman Michelle Barlak said the award is based on how a breeder's dogs have fared in competition throughout the year, from statistics to sportsmanship.

Though only one year is considered, it usually requires the experience of a longtime breeder to have what it takes to stand out, she said.

Cooper's parents bought their first Great Pyrenees in 1948, when Cooper was about 6. The name of their kennel, Tip'N Chip, still honors the names of those original dogs Tippy and Chippy.

Today, there are 14 Great Pyrenees wandering the former farm property, from 10 years to 9 months old. The village of Lake Barrington gave the family a special allowance for their large number of dogs.

The kennel and a love of dogs has been a generation-spanning thread in Cooper's family. Both of her daughters remain involved and her youngest granddaughter is now training to be a veterinary technician.

"It's been a family venture," Cooper said.

Great Pyrenees are a predominantly white, large breed of livestock guardian dogs from the Pyrenees mountains of southern France and northern Spain. They were first brought to the U.S. in 1931.

While all-white dogs are not uncommon, breeders like Cooper believe the most attractive ones bear some color, from subtle face markings to spots on their bodies.

"I prefer not to breed two white dogs together," Cooper said. "The black eye rims and markings enhance their beauty, I think. A third of their body can be colored, but it distracts, in my mind, if they have too much color."

In the U.S., Great Pyrenees are neither exceptionally common nor rare, falling about halfway down the American Kennel Club's list in terms of numbers bred, Cooper said.

The winners in all seven breed categories will receive medallions Dec. 13 at the club's Eukanuba National Championship. The overall 2009 Breeder of the Year winner will be announced then.

The person's name will be inscribed on a trophy and plaque at the American Kennel Club headquarters in New York, and a prominent dog from their kennel will be commemorated by a portrait artist.