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"Judy Rosenthal was both a loud and soft CDCA member—she could be NYC blunt, but never rude. She worked tirelessly for the club and the breed behind the scenes in ways many people never saw, placing immense importance on health and mental soundness while celebrating the longevity of the Canaan Dog. Whether attending multiple NYC Meet the Breeds events to talk to the public for hours, donating money when she couldn't be there in person, or supporting individuals with trips, rescues, and rehomings, Judy quietly gave everything to the community. Even when her health kept her from attending shows, she cherished every story and photo of the humans and dogs there. Her frequent refrain to her dogs' exuberance, 'Who told you to be so happy?', was always spoken with deep love. Her joy was truly the dogs, and we are all the better for having known her and shared that joy." - Amanda Pough

"I was honored to call Judy March Rosenthal a friend and colleague. She was a true force of nature, and the Canaan Dog breed benefited immensely from her presence. She championed these dogs for decades, and I was fortunate enough to share a couple of those decades alongside her. My first real memory of getting to know Judy was at the 2006 National Specialty in San Diego. Judy, Amanda, Kitty, and I shared a grooming space that year, along with plenty of stories, laughs, and ice—Judy taught me that you can never have enough ice. Her "Harry," piloted by Kitty Burke, went on to win the National Specialty that year, and you could just see the pure pride and joy in Judy's eyes.

Judy’s quick wit and dry humor drew me to her, but it was her deep love and dedication to the breed that kept me close. She was never one for grandstanding, choosing instead to support the breed behind the scenes in countless ways no one ever knew about. But that was just Judy. She will be missed by many, but her legacy lives on in our pedigrees and in our hearts. "Why so happy?" Because we knew you." - Christina Miller

Pleasant Hill Desert's Grace RN NJP NFP ACT1 SWA SCNE SINE SCE RATS TKE FITB, “Becca”

Breeder: Donna Dodson

Sire: GCH Blue Sky Desertstar Orion the Hunter

Dam: CH Pleasant Hill Desert Sonata

Owned by Deborah Friedman and Gary Peterson

Nominated by Marcia Muller

Pleasant Hill Desert’s Grace, Becca, loves to learn and she loves to move. Becca has excelled in Scent sports, which we switched to due to a repeat injury in agility. To this day, if she sees an agility course, she wants to run on it.

In Scent Work, Becca is the first Canaan Dog to earn the AKC Scent Work Advanced title! A title requires three qualifying scores over four types of courses: interior, exterior, buried, and containers. After Advanced, she finished her Excellent Containers title and earned her first Masters Container Q. She has other Excellent Q’s as well. We received multiple teamwork recognitions from our Scent Work judges, who had never seen a Canaan Dog before.

Becca is also the second Canaan Dog to earn a Senior Barn Hunt title! And she has a Masters Q. In both sports, a Masters Q requires finding an unknown number of hides in a complex search environment, then communicating "done!"

We started Trick Training to avoid boredom when the summers were too hot for agility. Becca earned her Elite title with a Ninja Dog Finals routine. Her routine also won Number One Canaan Dog and Outstanding Senior Dog in the 2025 National Trick Dog Competition!! We are now working on learning several new tricks for a routine to submit for the 2026 National competition.

More than any title or Q, I love living with Becca. I hold every moment together as precious and am forever grateful she was entrusted to me.

Tom was full of enthusiasm with a tremendous passion for all things Canaan Dogs. Although relatively new to dogs, he loved his Canaan Dogs beyond measure. His enthusiasm was contagious. Tom was never afraid to try something new and "break the mold," freely sharing his ideas with everyone. He loved to help and do whatever he could to promote the Canaan Dog in various venues, be it conformation or performance.

Tom was always willing to try new activities with his Canaan Dogs and was consistently enthusiastic about it all. He loved his Deli and talked about her at every opportunity, regaling others with fabulous and fun stories of what they got up to. He became the Supported Entry Chair for the Oaks Dog Show cluster—which included the prestigious televised National Dog Show—and even purchased a 3D printer so he could create unique trophies. Tom also supported the breed at Meet the Breeds, bringing his lovely Deli to greet the crowds.

His deep desire was to gain Deli's AKC Championship in the conformation ring, a dream that he sadly did not manage to fulfill while he was here on this earth. However, I hope he is smiling knowing she is now an AKC Champion, thanks to the village that made this happen. She will always be his Champion!

Tom will always be fondly remembered for his willingness to serve the club and the breed. Etched in my memory of Tom is the phone call he made to me when I was the newly appointed CDCA President. The first words out of his mouth were, "Congratulations to you. Know I am here to support you, now how can I help?" Those words will always remain as a testament to who Tom was.