About Dr. Dan Dowling
Growing up in Colorado on a small farm my family always had dogs. Our first purebred dogs were Basset Hounds of which we bred a few litters and showed the pups at matches. This was my first exposure to the “sport” of dog shows. When my family moved to a much larger farm, my involvement with dogs increased. While in high school I worked part time at a training kennel that worked mostly with various gun dogs (retrievers and setters) and rabbit dogs (Bassets, Beagles and mixed hounds). While I've never been much of a hunter I did enjoy the training and involvement with these dogs and learned a tremendous amount of “dog knowledge” from these dedicated sportsmen and dog breeders.
As my interest in purebred dogs continued to grow I purchased a Borzoi puppy when I was 15 years old. This bitch, Leah, matured into a beautiful hound that would become my first champion and mother of several top winning offspring in her two litters including two Group winning daughters and a BIS winning son. This would be the start of a very successful line of Borzois that are well represented in many of today’s top winning kennels. During this early time I was also involved with a wonderful Afghan (Joey) that went on to win multiple BIS's and sire some top quality litters. During later years I had the pleasure of owning/showing some beautiful Greyhounds and Whippets and most recently my wife and I have bred and finished several Smooth Fox Terriers.
In 1981, I fulfilled my life-long goal of becoming a veterinarian and headed to the coast of Maine with my family. My wife and I own a very busy veterinary hospital that has kept us involved with numerous breeding programs over the years. We are especially interested in promoting breeding and management concepts to support healthy purebred dogs.
I was first licensed to judge Borzois and Smooth Fox Terriers and now judge all the hounds, all sporting breeds and part of the toy group. I very much enjoy judging and all the challenges that go along with it. With my farming and veterinarian background I look for a dog that is sound enough to be functional and healthy with adequate breed type to properly represent the breed. I am thrilled to be judging at your National Specialty; it is truly an honor and a humbling event for me.