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Corky
Vroom - He will be deeply missed
We are all
saddened by the death of our faculty member and dear friend, Corky
Vroom.
Corky sailed as a
faculty member with the K9 College for 3 consecutive years,
presenting his very popular "Beating the Pros" seminar to rave
reviews. We were looking forward to having Corky back on-board
with us in 2011, but sadly, it was not to be.
Corky began his own
career as a licensed American Kennel Club handler and member of the
Professional Handlers Association in 1966. The highlights of
his 40 year career include over 1,000 All-Breed Best in Shows and
numerous individual breed National Specialty wins. He was awarded 8
Group 1sts in 5 different Group categories at the prestigious
Westminster Kennel Club.
Among the many
famous dogs whose careers he led, 3 were #1 ranked Top Dog
All-Breeds in the U.S. and two hold win records to this day which
are unsurpassed in their respective breeds. Corky was awarded the
coveted Fido Award for Handler of the year twice and was awarded
Kennel Review Magazine two times also. These awards were
particularly treasured as they are based on votes from his peers.
Throughout the
years, Corky has handled and judged in three different countries and
has enjoyed presenting seminars on handling and ring presentation,
training students from other nations.
For the last 5
years of his professional handling career, Corky headed the
Professional Handlers Association as President and was instrumental
in drafting the current Registered Handler Program offered by the
American Kennel Club.
Corky believed
that his greatest contribution was in teaching his handling skills to
those who share his love of dogs and enjoy the sport of dog shows as
he had throughout his entire life. This belief was
clearly evident when he sailed with us on the K9 College Cruise.
His down-to-earth approachable style of teaching, engaging
personality, and million dollar smile made him a favorite of K9
cruisers, both in and out of the classroom.
We are blessed
for the privilege of having known this great man of the dog world
and will be forever grateful for his friendship and support.
Our hearts go out in sympathy to his lovely wife Sue.
Expressions of condolences may be sent to Sue at:
Sue Vroom
109 Lakeside Drive
Shady Shores, TX 76208
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