Spring 2016 Saber Tails 21
Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen Club of America
Tom & Diane Shupe
Tom & Diane Shupe currently live on Grand Lake in Grove, Oklahoma. Tom is a retired Cartographer and Diane retired several
years ago from property management. They moved from Houston, Texas to their native Oklahoma shortly after retirement.
W
hen did you get your
first PBGV?
We currently have two PBGVs, 9
year old Oliver was our first who
we got from Julie Shannon in 2006
and 4 year old Chester who we got
from Bill & Tiffany Cannon in 2011.
H
ow did you find out about
PBGVs?
Just after we moved to Houston
from Oklahoma, we lost our last
Newfoundland and began look-
ing for a new breed to bring into
our home. We decided to attend
the big dog show at the Reliant
Center and ran into breeder Julie Shannon while wandering through the grooming area. We walked up to her groom-
ing set-up to meet the adorable scruffy ‘heebie jeebies’ as we called them. We had bought several previous dogs from
breeders and hadn’t had a lot of luck. Julie was friendly, informative and ‘wonder of wonders’ she actually wanted us
to visit her kennel. Over the next year, and after many visits to her kennel as well as going to watch her show her dogs
periodically, she became more than just a breeder...she became our friend. We waited for her next litter to be born and
ended up with Oliver.
W
hat other Pets have you had?
We have always preferred to own purebred dogs and have owned a wide variety of them including three New-
foundlands, a German Shepherd, an Old English Sheepdog and an Affenpinscher named Rufus. We had Rufus when we
brought baby Oliver home. Oliver loved him and followed him around, but the age difference was dramatic and Rufus
didn’t make a great playmate for Oliver.
H
ow long have you been involved in the club?
We have been members of the club for almost 10 years. Neither of us has held a position or worked on a committ-
tee but we did spend a lot of time assisting the show chairman when the 2013 National Specialty was held in Houston.
W
hat activities do you enjoy with your PBGVs?
We have always been fans of dog shows and watched all the shows on TV as well as attending any local
shows in Oklahoma where we were raised. We just loved looking at all the different breeds and observing the show
rings. We got the bug to show our beautiful boy and with Julie’s enthusiastic help and tutoring, Tom showed Oli-
ver to his championship. It was a wonderful time spent with wonderful friends, traveling to shows and celebrating
each others’ successes. Now our boys are primarily spoiled, lazy, goodie-driven Peebs, living the good life. But they
definitely don’t let us forget about their daily ‘walkabouts.’ We live on the lake which means we are surrounded
by wildlife and the boys enjoy chasing bunnies, birds, possums, and anything else that dares come into their yard.