Barakabook Article
Issue #8

Interviewing Lilian Barber
Tina Turnbull

Mrs. Lilian Barber was invited to judge the PLI Specialty at the Esposizione Internazionale Canina of Firenze. Mrs. Barber is currently the Vice President of the Italian Greyhound Club of America, an AKC judge of Italian Greyhounds and other toy breeds, author of three books about the IG, including "The NEW COMPLETE Italian Greyhound", and a successful breeder of Italian Greyhounds for nearly 30 years.

I'd like to get to a very important question we in the US have been waiting to hear about, Lilian: How was the food in Italy?!

Ah, the food! On my first evening there, I was brought for dinner to the Tennis Club in Prato, and that was enough to show me what fine dining Italian style was all about. I didn't have a bad -- or even a mediocre -- meal during the entire week I was in Italy. Among the outstanding ones was the dinner after the show, high in the hills of Vinci at an Agriturist which offered its restaurant meals in a very friendly and comfortable atmosphere. The meal was delicious (among other things, I had Trippa Fiorentina, which was ëto die forí) and the company of the IG people was delightful. I did have a temporary problem while in Italy. Italy produces magnificent wines, which are served liberally at most meals --and I can't drink wine at all. However, it didn't take me long to discover a very refreshing, tasty liqueur called Lemoncello, and my hosts graciously allowed me to consume a respectable quantity of it.
Another outstanding meal was the homemade turkey scallopine cooked by Aldo Cerletti, who obviously has talents in addition to being a top breeder.
I've always been a lover of Italian food, but the chance to try some of the specialties in Tuscany and in Milano was a true delight. It was so refreshing to get away from the normal routine of grabbing a quick hamburger and calling it a meal. The joy of sharing leisurely conversation and laughter along with the food makes dinner time in Italy a lasting memory.

You were in Italy to judge the CPLI national specialty. What kind of preparations lead up to a specialty judging?

When I first learned that I might be judging in Italy I downloaded the Italian Greyhound standard from the ENCI web site and studied it for several months. I got the Italian version and its English translation, and proceeded to do my own translation of it as well. Dr. Lamperti e-mailed me a brief rundown of the judging procedure I would encounter at both the Italian Greyhound specialty and the International show, as I was invited to judge some breeds there also. I read his instructions quite diligently and then called some friends who had been to Europe recently to judge in order to get their input on procedure. As the time grew closer, I also re-read some material from Annette Oliver's book and also some articles written by Piero Renai della Rena.

How was your arrival in Italy?

I set foot in Italy at the Malpensa airport in Milano at 8:20 in the morning, after having been on a plane the entire night and not having gotten much sleep the previous night. It was like emerging from a cocoon and entering a new world. When Dr. Alberto Lamperti met me and asked whether I would prefer to rest or to sightsee the only obvious answer was that I wasn't tired at all. I wasn't -- not any longer. Alberto asked me where I would like to go and suggested that we were not too far from the lakes; I told him that I had not been to that part of Italy in my previous two visits. We made a quick trip to Lago Maggiore, including a boat ride to Isola Bella -- and beautiful it was! Then we went on to Prato. I was completely enchanted with this fascinating town and the Tuscany surroundings.

When you arrived at Firenze to judge the Italian Greyhounds, what did you find?

The venue was gorgeous -- a park-like setting right on the banks of the river, with some of the fabled Florentine scenery on the hills surrounding the site. The rings were large, and there were plenty of trees for shade and at least a little protection from the rain that I was fortunate to escape during my judging, but which descended upon the showgrounds on Sunday with a vengeance. The IG specialty was held on Saturday, on the first day of the Esposizione Internazionale Canina of Firenze, sharing the same grounds.
My Best of Breed was Vertragus Quingi, bred by Allevamento Aldo Cerletti and owned by Maria Antonietta Torno, a beautifully balanced, soundly moving fawn dog. Listed in the catalog as Isabella in color, this dog is what we would call "clear fawn" in the U.S. Isabella in the U.S., and what is called
Isabella in Italy, are two different things. Here an Isabella is a dilute, very light color with very light eyes and nose pigment to match. This dog had excellent dark pigment as well as correct topline, good depth of chest, elegant head, straight front, and a well angulated and muscular rear.
There was nothing extreme about him, and all of his parts fit together smoothly and symetrically.
The Best of Opposite Sex was Lucilla, bred by Allevamento Baciocchi and owned by Paola Martini, also an attractive fawn with a well balanced appearance, a lovely head and excellent ear carriage. She has a deep chest and correct topline, a straight front and a good rear. I was surprised that she was six years old. She showed like a younger dog.
The male C.A.C. was Benito, bred and owned by Allevamento Angelo Anselmi, a very stylish black dog with a nice outline, beautiful head and long, elegant tail. His front movement was straight and true, but he could have used a little more drive in the rear.
The Reserve C.A.C. was Lucignolo, bred by Allevamento Anconetti and owned by Piera Galbiati, also a small, elegant black dog with beautiful arch of neck, refined bone and good movement. He was somewhat wide in back skull and a little thinner than I like to see.
The bitch C.A.C. went to Irene, bred by Allevamento Anconetti and owned by Giacinto Rossi, a blue bitch with an exquisite outline, probably the most striking in the competition. A little large, this bitch has enough other excellent qualities to put her into the C.A.C. spot. She has a lovely head and expression, great depth of chest and strong, reaching movement.
The Reserve C.A.C. was Vertragus Quisisana, bred by Allevamento Aldo Cerletti and owned by Minelli Galli, a small, nicely balanced fawn bitch with good movement and adequate head for her size. Her outline is houndy and correct but is somewhat lacking in depth of chest.

What were your expectations going to the specialty?

My expectations before the judging were quite mixed, but I was more than pleasantly surprised that the overall quality of the Italian Greyhounds I saw in Italy far surpassed any expectations I may have had. I had felt, from the first inkling that I might be invited to judge my beloved breed in its official country of origin, that a great honor was being bestowed on me, not to mention a big responsibility. To say that I was delighted at the opportunity to judge in Italy would be an understatement. In my thoughts, however, I had began to seriously prepare myself to apply my interpretation of what an IG should be to subtle differences between the AKC standard and the Italian one.

Were there differences between AKC and FCI standard-bred Italian Greyhounds you saw?

The Italian dogs were very good and not radically different from their American counterparts. They might have appeared a little plain to some people who are accustomed to seeing flashy markings and the exotic colors we have in the U.S, but I have always been fond of solid colored IGs. In the solids there is nothing to break up the flow of the wonderfully streamlined sighthound outline. Most of the Italian dogs have excellent outlines, and their heads and necks are elegant. Tail sets and carriage were uniformly good. The size of most of the dogs is within the standard. I saw only one set of ears that had a tendency to erect. Feet on all of the dogs were uniformly good -- correct, long, hare feet with well arched toes.
Movement was very sound and strong, and most of the dogs were in great condition. Conformation is everything, since the type of ring ëperformanceí we expect from our show dogs is virtually unknown in Italy.
In fact I probably had my biggest difficulty during the judging because most of the dogs were not trained to stand for examination the way they are here. On the other hand, the relaxed atmosphere was wonderful, and it was gratifying to have nearly all of the exhibitors shake my hand regardless of where their dog had been placed.

Did you have a chance to talk with Italian breeders about their goals for Italian Greyhound conformation?
What would you highlight as the best feature of the Italian IGs?

During informal talks with some of the breeders and exhibitors I found that their goals were pretty much the same as those of most of the IG people in the United States. The serious breeders on both sides of the Atlantic want to establish and maintain a line of quality dogs. I think a much higher percentage of the Italian IG people are deeply interested in lure coursing and other racing, and, understandably, some of their breeding efforts are focused in that direction. With this in mind, I found it quite interesting that the bitch to which I awarded the C.A.C. was very similar in type to the IGs we see in the U.S., yet she is also a top winning courser. I've always suspected that proper breed type and basic soundness will produce excellent running dogs as well as conformation show winners.
In my opinion the best over-all quality I found in the Italian Greyhounds of Italy was the uniform soundness of movement. I was also very pleased with the excellent tail sets and carriage, something with which many U.S. dogs have a problem. Just a little bit more of show training would be of benefit to most exhibitors, as it would enable judges to get a better (and perhaps more fair) view of each dog's conformation during the table examination. As far as breeding per se, I think the Italian breeders are heading in the right direction.

How did your own interest in Italian Greyhounds develop?

I grew up in a city apartment with parents who completely ignored my constant pleas for a dog. I made up my mind at a very young age that as soon as I was on my own I would live in a place that would allow me to have a dog. I had already developed a considerable interest in the larger sighthounds, but the first house my husband and I owned was in San Francisco, where property is at a premium. We had a yard about the size of most people's bathrooms. That narrowed my choice of breeds to the smaller ones. We started to go to all the local dog shows, mostly to look at Whippets and Basenjis; but we soon fell under the spell of an elegant little blue Italian Greyhound by the name of Ch. Falotico's Romeo of Srinagar. I wanted a small blue male just like him. Having been a rabid fan of Italian opera for most of my life I thought it would be wonderful to name my Italian dog after one of my favorite operatic characters. IGs were few and far between in the San Francisco area in 1966, and what I found was a fawn two year old female who already had a name, and it wasn't operatic.
We bought her anyway. We had no intention of showing or breeding her, but one thing led to another. A male from the first litter we bred was a specialty winner, and we were off and running.

Where were the major turning points in your education about breeding? What were the most valuable lessons learned?

Like so many beginning breeders, we had a stroke of fortune at first and then disaster struck. The next few litters produced some winning dogs but also examples of nearly every genetic problem in the breed. I learned quickly that one of the greatest assets a breeder can have is to start out with a good mentor --someone who not only knows the breed well but who has enough vision to know the good points of other bloodlines besides his or her own. Another valuable lesson learned was that everything has a price.
When one breeds a certain way to improve a feature, one most likely will also pick up something undesirable. Successful breeding is based on study, knowledge of pedigrees and the dogs represented in them, compromise --and some measure of good luck. I reached a turning point in 1974 when, on a trip to another part of the country, I watched a lovely little blue bitch, Sylhue Maid of Virtue, win a major at her very first show. I wanted that little bitch more than anything in the world but felt that no one would sell such an attractive youngster. A friend reminded me that "Nothing ventured, nothing gained." I asked Virtue's breeder and owner, Paula Hutchinson, if she might consider selling the bitch. Much to my surprise, Virtue went home with me to California as my new foundation bitch and with her little paws wrapped around my heart.

How long have you been involved in IGCA, and what positions have you held?
What have you learned about organizing a national group of breeders around this breed?

I joined IGCA in 1968. Since then I have served as president, board member, membership chairman and many terms as corresponding secretary.
Currently I'm the first vice president, and I handle breeder referral inquiries by mail, phone and through the internet. Organizing a national group of breeders around this breed -- or around any other -- is a job that requires dedication, passion and tact. IG people feel very strongly about the breed and most of us will do anything to try to protect it from commercial exploitation, something that is becoming increasingly difficult here in the U.S.

When did you begin to judge, and has it influenced your breeding program?

I first applied to AKC in 1988 to become a judge of IGs. Prior to that time I had judged Sweepstakes twice. Since judging enables me to travel frequently to other parts of the U.S. I have seen several dogs that I would otherwise not have had an opportunity to see. It has given me a wider base from which to choose the stud dogs I want to use.

Can you describe your current house-kennel arrangements?

Since we don't have (and don't want) a kennel per se, our breeding program is limited to the number of dogs we are able to keep as house dogs. Right now we have ten adults and a litter of five nine-week old puppies. We have a dog room at the back of our house. This room is divided into three indoor runs, with the capability of adding a fourth area in case we need to isolate a dog. We use Rover pen sections to divide the room. These are made of PVC pipe that is light in weight, strong and easily cleaned. The back door leads into a chain link fenced yard. Opposite the back door are three large chain link runs. This entire area is double fenced. Our two adult males live in one of the indoor runs at night and when the weather doesn't allow them to be outside. The eight bitches are well house trained and are free to be nearly anywhere in the house as long as someone is at home. We have a small laundry room between the dog room and the rest of the house, and when no one is at home the girls are confined there, with access to newspapers between the runs in the dog room. Puppies are raised in a PVC pen in the family room, where they are exposed to the normal sounds and activity of the household and are easily gotten out for play and human interaction frequently during the day. Yes, the girls sleep with us.

After fulfilling your dream of judging Italian Greyhounds in Italy, would you share an example
of the special lasting impressions that you've brought back home with you?

Many wonderful, unforgettable things occurred during my visit to Italy. So many people did so much to make my stay a memorable one that I can't list them all. After the show weekend Aldo Cerletti was put in charge of my sightseeing and entertainment. Since he was unable to leave his boarding kennel two days in a row, he asked his friend and fellow exhibitor Emmie Peretti to escort me, which she did in grand style. Emmie took me into Trussardi's, the very, very chic boutique across from the La Scala opera house. Mr. Trussardi has two IGs, so his logo is a very stylized IG head. This logo is all over his building and on most of his merchandise. The knobs on the plate glass door are also in the shape of stylized IG heads. I really wanted to buy something with the Trussardi logo on it and thought maybe I could afford a bar of soap or something. A bar of soap cost the equivalent of $13, so I could only imagine how much everything else was. Nothing was marked, of course, since it was one of those "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" situations. Anyway, when we left the store, Emmie handed me one of the large Trussardi tote bags with the logo. She said, "I wanted you to have something nice from Trussardi's. After all, he's a friend of mine and a friend of Italian Greyhounds." In the tote bag was a beautiful silk scarf with greyhounds all over it, along with the Trussardi logo.
I would like to say that the dogs I saw in Italy were very good. The people I met were absolutely great.