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 BURTON J. YAMADA  Lake Arrowhead, California Best In Show  Burt Yamada started in dogs with the purchase of a Standard Schnauzer for his children in 1967. Heidi, the last puppy in a pet litter, was terrific with the children but on the wild side, so Burt enrolled with her in an obedience class. To his surprise, his unruly dog became the star pupil. Then, while waiting for his turn in the obedience ring at a match one day, he decided to enter in conformation. After a quick ringside handling lesson, Burt and Heidi captured Best of Breed over an entry of eight, winning a large "winged victory" trophy.
"It was beginner's luck," Burt says today, "but suddenly I went from being an avid fisherman on weekends to showing dogs. I've never regretted it." On February 10, 2004, Burt will step into the ring at the world's most prestigious dog show in the most visible role in the sport: judging Best In Show at the 128th Westminster Kennel Club dog show. It's been a long journey from the days of Heidi, but on the way to the Garden Burt has worked hard to be successful and active in the sport. From that first "winged victory" Heidi went on to become the top producing bitch in the breed with 20 champion offspring, a record that stood for many years. With a very limited breeding program, Burt and his wife Ellen have owned or bred 75 champions, most of them owner-handled. Many of them were the top dogs in the breed, and National Specialty and All-Breed Best In Show winners. But the Yamadas are most proud of their 15 leading producers in the history of the Standard Schnauzer Club of America, with five of them reaching Hall of Fame status. Professionally, Burt is the Director of Western Operations and Missile Systems for Northrup Grumman Mission Systems, heading a division that works on defense-related projects involving ICBM missiles for space and defense. "As an engineer, my job in the real world is to translate the written word and measurements and specifications into reality. It's the same thing in the dog show world - a judge has to translate and visualize the written words from the standards and apply that to the dogs in their ring," Burt says. "The engineer in me will look at those measurements and angles, but I am really counting on my perspective as a breeder and as an owner-handler to help me find that total package. I've been on that bicycle, roadworking my dogs, I understand the importance of movement and conditioning and what it takes to get that. The breeder in me will be looking for a dog that is well-balanced and has all the attributes called for in its standard, a dog that will be able to move, a dog that will have a certain style and presence in the ring." Burt first started judging in 1989 and has been doing the Working Group since 1995, and has judged all over the world, including in Japan, Taiwan and Costa Rica. In 2003, he judged the Working Group at Westminster. In his 35 years in dogs, Burt has been active in breed and all-breed clubs and has served as President and Director for many of them, including the Standard Schnauzer Club of America and the Standard Schnauzer Club of Southern California. He is currently president of the Orange Empire Dog Club and has served as Show Chairman for over 20 years. Burt and Ellen live in Lake Arrowhead, California, and have recently added avocado farming to their list of activities. They have two children: Michele, a dentist in San Diego, and Bradford, an investment banker in San Francisco. |
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