The best of the breeds will be in Pinehurst next month and for the first time in the 126-year history of the American Kennel Club, Rockingham’s Cynthia Grooms will be welcome at the annual event.

The Bluetick Coonhound joined the AKC list of breeds in December, along with the Redbone Coonhound and the Boykin Spaniel - the official state dog of South Carolina.

Grooms raises Bluetick Coonhounds and is the secretary/treasurer of the Southern Bluetick Association. Her first Bluetick came from a lineage out of Raeford. According to Steve Watson, president of the Moore County Kennel Club, Grooms is well-versed and well respected in the Bluetick Coonhound community.

“I’ve been involved with the Bluetick for nine years,” Grooms said.

Grooms is registered to participate in the AKC dog show at the Pinehurst Harness Track and Polo Field off NC Highway 5 on Sept. 18. This outdoor show starts at 8 a.m. and lasts until afternoon. Admission is $5 per car.

According to Grooms, there are six Coonhound breeds all together, but two still remain unrecognized by the AKC. Grooms said the Bluetick was derived from a French hound chosen from several varieties General LaFayette brought with him for President George Washington. The hounds were fast, and could easily find fresh trails left by wildlife.

Grooms said hunters in the South liked the dog, but because they relied on dogs for their dinner, they needed a dog that was slower, and could find and stay on trails left days ago; or ‘cold-nosed’ instead of ‘hot-nosed,’ which refers to the faster dogs.

Among shows, Grooms also enters her dogs in field events. They run trials that demonstrate to judges how well the dog finds trails and finds the raccoon hide.

“They take a raccoon hide and put a raccoon scent on it. They drag it through a predetermined course, and hide it in a tree. They also determine a finish line. Dogs that cross the finish line first get credit, and the first treeing dog gets credit,” Grooms explained.

Grooms makes the distinction that some Blueticks have show titles, while others have hunting titles, but that show dogs still posses the characteristics needed to hunt effectively. According to her, some people seeking dogs for breeding will decide by the titles the dog carries if it will make a good match. This sometimes leads people to overlook a dog with solid characteristics.

Since the AKC’s founding in 1884, it has become the largest non-profit registry of dog breeds in the world. Mrs. Robert S. Forsyth, an AKC judge and Pinehurst resident has been involved with AKC since 1942.

Forsyth began showing dogs when she was nine, and continued to do so for 43 years. She said her favorite dog to handle in the ring was the Miniature Pinscher.

“Anyone can stack a regular dog. These guys wouldn’t hold still for a second,” she said.

Stacking refers to the handler placing the front and back feet into correct alignment.

“ I enjoyed the challenge,” said Forsyth. She showed 125 dogs a year as a professional handler.

In 1980 she began to judge dogs at shows in the confirmation ring. Dog handlers bring their dogs into the ring to present them as good examples of the breed’s standards. The handler walks, runs, carries and turns the dog all around, and the judge must determine which dog best exemplifies the breed.

Forsyth said in order to become a professional show judge, one must be tested on knowledge of all breeds. One must correctly judge each breed five times before approval. She said knowing the standards of a breed and breed history are at the core of judging.

“You have to look at them from mouth to eyes, the level of their backs to their tails, their angulation front and back. You also have to know the breed’s disqualification, or if it has any,” she noted. “The Pointer has no disqualification. When we look at the color, we say ‘there can be no bad color in a Pointer.’”

Forsyth said judging dog shows took her around the world, but she doesn’t leave the country anymore. She named a few countries she’d been to, such as Finland, Australia, Italy and some places in South America.

“There aren’t too many places I haven’t been,” she said. She continues to travel intensely to some of the thousands of shows in the United States each year.

Forsyth generally serves as show chair for the Pinehurst show, choosing judges and the breeds they will judge, as well as arranging for the judges’ accommodations. Judges are flown in, wined and dined, put up for the night, and flown back out - all by the AKC. At the upcoming show, Forsyth will be judging the Cairn Terrier and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Staff Writer Dawn Kurry can be reached at dkurry@yourdailyjournal.com or by calling 997-3111 ext. 15.