One in a Lifetime Dog “Gideon”
by Sara Reid
In the dog world, and individual breed
communities, there are special dogs that stand out . They can be famous for
many reasons, whether it be the records they hold or the people they
touched. Gideon was one of these dogs. He is a legend in the Beauceron
world and started the love affair of Beaucerons for many. We lost Gideon
this past year and I can say with confidence that it was a loss that was felt
by more than those closest to him.
Owned and loved by Marlene Palmer,
Gideon was purchased as a Search and Rescue prospect and for the first few
years of his life SAR was his only job. At 11 weeks old, he started his
training and by 14 months he was certified in Wilderness Air Scent with the
Klamath County Sheriffs K-9 Unit. He worked for many years before his owner
retired from the field. When speaking with Marlene she told me about a story
where they were called in to find a little girl that had gone missing. She
describes that area they were working were not ideal due to the number of dogs
in the area. The dogs were vocal, territorial, and lacked proper restraint.
Gideon signaled Marlene of the girl’s scent and the authorities were radioed
in. The little girl was found under a house and when she came out reprimanded
that SAR group very vocally by saying, “I’m so mad, I weren’t lost…I was
hiding …and you ruined it!”. The SAR group was amused, and the parents were
relieved she was found safe.
On the advice from his breeder, Karla
Davis, Marlene kept Gideon intact. Karla wanted to ensure that if Marlene
changed her mind to show Gideon that she would have the chance to do so. In the
beginning Gideon and Marlene continued to work as a team. Together they
acquired his AKC Championship and Grand Championship. After their retirement
from SAR Marlene decided to have him specialed with handler Tony Carter. During
Gideon’s show career, he accomplished tremendous success. To this day he still
holds the title of “Most winning Beauceron in AKC History.” He was the first Beauceron
to achieve a Gold Grand Champion and one of the first Beaucerons to Champion in
Canada. He was the American Beauceron Club’s National Specialty winner from
2013 to 2016, Westminster’s Best of Breed winner in 2015 & 2016 and won the
Best of Breed at the 2016 ABC Journée . For four years in a row Gideon was the
#1 Beauceron in the country. During his legendary show career Gideon won nine Best
in Shows, one Owner-Handled Best in Show, four Best in Shows in Canada, 16
Reserve Best in Shows and 76 Group-1 placements. He is the only Beauceron to win a group placement at
the Royal Canin Eukanuba show in Florida and still holds the most Grand
Champion points with 740. It is undeniable that Gideon loved the show ring and
will remain one of the greatest show dogs this breed has ever seen.
Aside from his amazing careers in both
SAR and the conformation ring there was so much more to Gideon. He was a
beloved member of not just Marlene’s family but Tony & Amie’s as well. When
he was at home with Marlene they enjoyed hiking, herding, playing with other
dogs and just lounging on the couch. He was a best friend and protector to his
Frenchie sister, Audrey. He participated in other sports as well, earning his
Coursing Ability, Barn Hunt, and Herding Instinct Test. When he wasn’t with
Marlene, he spent his time with his other favorite people, Tony Carter, Amie
McLaughlin, and Rylee were his family as well and he was their beloved pet. He
slept in their beds with them and was spoiled with puppuccinos. He let Rylee be
a Rockstar in the junior’s ring and brought comfort to Tony when he was
battling cancer. One story that stands out to is when Gideon met an older
gentleman named Charlie at the airport. Charlie had a German Shepherd named dog
named Ben when he was in the Korean War that saved his life. Gideon reminded
him so much of his dog Ben that he went to his knees, buried his face into
Gideon and cried. Gideon was gentle and kind and he was always there when he
was needed.
When I decided to write about Gideon my first thought was, how was I supposed to write about a dog I have never met? As I started to write I realized that I did in fact know him. There is something amazing about a breed community and the show world, it allows owners to share their dog(s) with the rest of us.
This is what Marlene did for so many of us and for that I want to thank Marlene and Tony for sharing him. Though he is gone in body he will never be gone in spirit. He will live on in the records that he set and the offspring that will continue his legacy. There will be other great dogs in the future of our breed but as far as legends go there is only one. Rest easy Werewolf <3
MBIS CAN. CH AKC
MBIS MRBIS MBISS GOLD GCH DE JOIE DU CHATEAU ROCHER CGC CA SAR TT RATN CGCA
chic cert
« Gideon »
June 1, 2008 to
November 5, 2019
#foogallery-gallery-8809 .fg-image { width: 640px; }
