Talk of the Town: The mighty mutt is still the master

A growing number of dog lovers are poo-pooing the idea of owning a pedigree and seeking out what can only be called mongrels, mixed breeds or the plain Heinz 57 variety, otherwise known as “mutts.”

Short-haired or long, tiny or tall, ugly and cute, mixed-breed dogs of questionable backgrounds are enjoying increased popularity, according to our friends at USA Today.

“It’s more fashionable to have a standard, old-fashioned mutt,” says Michael Mountain of Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, the USA’s largest animal shelter. “The ‘in’ thing is not to have a very well-bred, very expensive dog.”

New York fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi, who’s just wild about Harry, a probable golden retriever/border collie mix adopted from a New York shelter in 2000, says: “Mutts are like real couture. There are no two alike.” Mizrahi says He paid about $145 for Harry.

High-brow trendsetter-type folks who many years ago would sport the “in” dog pedigree of the day like a silky Afghan hound (popular in the late 1960s and 70s) or a Dalmatian (a hit after the film, “101 Dalmatians”) are holding their heads high as they walk their dogs of indeterminate heritage about. Animal shelters report that mongrels are often adopted as quickly as purebreds these days.

Adoption fairs featuring almost entirely mixed-breed dogs are now very popular.

Mountain traces the seeds of this growing enchantment with mongrels back to the mid-1990s, when the public became aware of the millions of dogs being euthanized in shelters every year.

Is this affection for mongrels just a passing fancy? Mountain doesn’t think so. “It’s not about a societal pattern or fashion in the sense of what’s ‘in’ this year. It’s part of a … growing consciousness.”

It will stick, he says, because “it’s about knowing forever after that you gave your dog a new life.”

The third-grade students in the Green Valley area are truly ready for a new exciting school year with their new dictionaries donated by local Lions Clubs. Webster’s Dictionary for Students with more than 32,000 definitions were presented to 528 children. They were personally delivered to their classrooms by members of the Green Valley Lions and the La Canoa Lions clubs.

This is an annual gift to third-graders that can last them through high school, the fourth consecutive year that dictionaries have been distributed by the Lions. Green Valley Lions passed out 297 books to Sahuarita Intermediate and Continental schools while La Canoa Lions passed out 231 books to Sahuarita Anza Trail and Sopori schools and to the Great Expectations Academy.

Lions have learned during the past four years that one successful way to help the third-graders understand the dictionary. Volunteers from the clubs go to each classroom, and with the teacher, indoctrinate the students in the use of their very own book. First step, print your name inside the cover. Then comes the fun of how to look up words.

The students looked up “horse” in some classes and found it was “a large four hoofed animal that feeds on grass and is used for riding.” Everyone knew that, but they didn’t know about a saw horse used by carpenters, or a piece of gymnastic equipment used for vaulting exercise!

The Lions feel that these services will result in a better future for these energetic young minds.

The Tubac Center of the Arts, 9 Plaza Road, Tubac will kick off the 2008-09 season with its Members’ Open Exhibition beginning today and running until to Sunday, Oct. 12.

The exhibition celebrates the work of its more than 500 members. A variety of media will be on display.

Always an exciting show and a great party, the opening reception this evening from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the center, will feature special prizes, judged and awarded by acclaimed artist and art educator, Deanna Thibault. Refreshments and live music by Little Monsoon will be an added highlight. The public is invited.

For more information, call the Tubac Center of the Arts at 520-398-2212 or visit the Web site at www.tubacarts.org

Madera Canyon Kennel Club is holding its first American Kennel Club-sanctioned “A” match on Sunday, Sept. 21, at Sahuarita Park, 15500 S. Sahuarita Road. Show hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Judging starts 8 a.m.

Classes are: puppy (6-9 months), puppy (9-12 months) and American bred and open (adult dogs). No championship points will be awarded at this match. Trophies and ribbons will be awarded. Best in match will receive a $50 cash prize.

Entry fees are $10 per dog, pre-entry only. Entries close Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. with match secretary, Judy Mendelsohn. Make checks payable to the Madera Canyon Kennel Club, c/o Judy Mendelsohn, 9302 E. Daniel Place, Tucson, AZ., 85710 For information, call Judy at 520-886-1198.

Participants and guests are asked to bring their own chairs, shade, lunch and dogs. There will be no ramps at the match, no hookups or disposal station.

Bottled water will be available for a small donation.

Valley Players will hold auditions for “A Talent for Murder,” a witty and suspenseful drama murder mystery, Monday, Sept. 8, at 6 p.m. at Desert Hills Center and the following evening, Tuesday, Sept. 9, at the West Center immediately following the regular meeting of the Valley Players, which will also be at the West Center.

“A Talent for Murder,” by Jerome Chodorov and Norman Panama will be presented in Nov. 13-16 at the West Center as the drama club’s fall production. Directed by Roberta Konen, “A Talent for Murder,” was a Broadway hit in 1981 when the production featured the legendary Claudette Colbert, a multiple award-winning actress and three-time Academy Award nominee for best actress.

Colbert starred in Broadway’s “A Talent for Murder” to rave reviews. The plot surrounds an internationally successful mystery novelist whose relatives wouldn’t mind killing her to get their hands on her art collection. Other characters include a live-in doctor who was once the novelist’s lover and a savvy Indian butler who uses words like “chutzpa.” The badinage between the novelist and the butler and between the novelist and the doctor provides comic delight and relief from the mayhem being planned by the family.

This exciting comic thriller was produced on BBC TV starring Angela Lansbury and Sir Lawrence Olivier. Fans of ‘Murder, She Wrote’ will enjoy “A Talent for Murder,” a merry murder mystery that is perfect for summer stock, dinner theaters and community theaters.

Konen would also like to hear from those who may not wish to perform on stage, but prefer to be behind the scenes.

For any questions, please, call Roberta Konen at 625-8070

Send or e-mail me pictures of your favorite mutt?—mixed or purebred—I love them all!

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740