The Man Behind The Badge
E. Katie Gammill
©
TheDogPlace / Sept. 2009
After raising dogs
for many years, in the sixties, I became a popular “Match Queen.” I
traveled everywhere judging puppy matches. Leaving my husband with our
girls, I headed off to the shows alone. Bitten by the “dog show bug”, most
weekends and holidays, I was gone. Being active in showing horses, he
understood my passion and encouraged my efforts to breed to a written
standard.
Spousal support is a necessity if a wife is to pursue the art of dog
show judging. My husband helps me study the standards; he sits
ringside and listens to criticism with clenched teeth. He makes sure
my car is in top-notch condition for my journeys. He cleans kennels
and feeds dogs. He whelps litters in the wee hours of the morning in
his pajamas. He heals the wounded and loves the sad. He socializes
puppies and never has less than two dogs on his lap when he watches
TV.
He lies in the floor covered with an afghan while puppies
crawl over his body. He tolerates puppies whelped in the computer room and
socialized in our kitchen. He builds whelping boxes and sleeps with a baby
monitor in his ear at night when whelping dates are near. Love speaks the
loudest when he steps in puppy piddle on the floor in his clean white socks
and manages to curb his anger.
If I am frustrated or sad, he encourages me. When I am hurt, he takes
offense. In later years, he refuses suggested handling tips at home, then
pays the fee and attends my Conformation Classes. He diligently marches
right along with others as I instruct my students.
He attends socialization and participates in club events. He works at the
shows, builds kennels, fences, play yards, and overhangs for shade. My
freezer is full of venison bones. He breaks frozen ice in water bowls and
makes running water available to wash down the kennels. He picks up run
yards and hauls bags to the trash. These things go on while I am on the
road.
When I leave, my husband lives as men will, surrounded by chaos, dirty
dishes, laundry, and dog hair. However, upon arriving home, the dishes are
washed, the laundry done, and the rugs are vacuumed. As time nears, he
tidies up. He hopes once I am home, I will sit down, relax, and once again
become the wife he at one time thought he married.
If I catch an early flight and unexpectedly arrive home, a cleaning frenzy
greets me. Without his saying a word, I know I am loved. Whether I am
deserving or not is another matter. I am not an easy person to love,
considering my creativity and personal agenda. His support and generosity
allows me to reach my goals.
We are slowing down now. He has a new Cattle Dog puppy to show. A last
hurrah! I continue to breed my Shetland Sheepdogs, swearing daily to cut
back. Then a beautiful puppy arrives and steals my heart. Off we go! He
respects my “eye” for a good horse; I respect his “eye” for a good dog. Our
marriage finds an acceptable balance of family, responsibility, horses and
dogs.
Years
ago someone told us Redbud trees do not live very long. Our trees continue
to blossom each spring. Granted, they have lost a few limbs and the boughs
are crooked. Leaves are sparse in places on the branches and the trunks are
thick. However, he DID plant them over 45 years ago.
This is to honor all the “Men Behind the Badges” of American Kennel Club
women judges traveling around the country fulfilling their dreams and making
a difference in this great sport of dogs. It is not an easy road, but it is
a fulfilling endeavor. The sport has given us many highs and lows, memories,
friends and good times.
Some couples travel this road together. Others must allow their mates to
travel the road alone. Some wait patiently with open arms, others become
involved. Could my husband choose to change me now, I think he would not.
Life still holds a certain excitement.
Perhaps my poem says it best of all. “Today I spoke in passing, that the
trees were standing high, maturing well over the years, no more than he and
I.”
Life is fleeting. The trees and our tender feelings toward each other live
tomorrow and forever. In December, we complete this journey of 50 years of
togetherness, of tolerance, consideration, love, compassion, and support. We
anticipate many more.
This story puts into words the love I feel for a man who unselfishly is
there for me through thick and thin, expressing his love, not always in
words, but through generosity of spirit. He is without a doubt “The Man
Behind The Badge.”
Paul “Gus” Gammill and Edna “Katie” Waggoner Gammill
Married December 20, 1957 - December 20, 2007
http://www.thedogplace.org/ShowDog/Man-Behind_Gammill-09091.asp
