Denise Milko is well-known in Ocean City, MD as one of the area’s most successful realtors. She owns the company, Holiday Real Estate, and her picture has appeared on countless billboards proudly brandishing a milk mustache, ala the famous “Got Milk” ads, and an all-knowing smile. There’s little doubt Milko knows her stuff when it comes to the real estate market, but in just four years, she’s also risen to the top of a new venture–something that started out as a hobby, but has come to mean so much more.
A few years ago Milko was fully immersed in her real estate life—working seven days a week, attending near nightly happy hours, hosting late client dinners, and taking work calls until the wee hours. A trip to the cardiologist confirmed her lifestyle needed a big change.
“My blood pressure was sky high, my doctor said I had to find something to slow down,” recalled Milko.
Finding the Right Breed
The first step was picking a breed. Initially the plan was for a Greyhound, but with seven rescue cats at home, and the Greyhound’s fondness for catching small animals, that breed was out. Whippets were next in line, but again wouldn’t mesh well with the cats. The third and final choice was the Italian Greyhound, known in the industry as the IG. Milko fell in love with the breed.
“The definition of the breed is ‘a true greyhound in miniature, sheer elegance.’” Milko said.
“They really reminded me of horses, or beautiful sculptures in a gallery. And as far as showing them, their bodies must be perfect to win—you can’t hide any flaws with hair or a bow.”
Perfection seemed to be a bit lacking in Milko’s first IG, Baxter, who turned out to be the size of a Whippet—an unnatural “growth spurt” for an IG, meaning that Baxter wasn’t meant to be a show dog.
“I told my husband, ‘we were sold a bill of goods’ with that dog. He’s seven now, which is young, but he’s nearly blind. We love him, and treat him like a prince.”
If the first foray into the dog show world didn’t pan out so well, the second a female IG named Lily-Belle, from the esteemed kennel Honore’ owned by Carol Smith, known for producing the best IG’s in the world—more than made Milko’s decision to change her lifestyle for the dog show world, meant to be. Lily-Belle won her class at her first show, with Milko as the handler. After that first showing, a mentor told Milko she needed to get another dog—thinking she had purchased yet another IG not meant for shows, Milko was surprised to learn that her friend was instead suggesting that Lily-Belle needed a professional handler—the dog was too good for Milko to handle herself.
Around this time, the Milko’s both flew to attend a dog show in Florida. While there, Jerry was hooked—he too had fallen in love with the dog shows and particularly the Rhodesian Ridgeback breed. At this point, the Milko’s had one IG and then purchased a Ridgeback. They next hired Greg O. Strong, a well-known handler who had shown for many notable people, as Lily-Belle’s handler. Rather than ship Lily-Belle off to shows without them, the Milko’s bought a state-of-the art motor home, complete with fireplace, two bathrooms, and a king size bed, to accompany her on the circuit. It turned out to be a much-needed investment; shows are nearly every weekend of the year, all over the country.
Now, four years later, Lily-Belle has won Best of Opposite, and Best of Breed Twice at Westminster. Her last and final year she was gifted with an Award of Merit. She was invited to the “Top Twenty” a prestigious show held at night, where the dogs are shown under spotlights, with handlers in tuxes and gowns, and won her breed there, too. Lily-Belle has won various other best of breeds, best in shows, multiple specialties, and has been a grand champion at other shows across the country, and is considered one of the top IG’s ever, and was number one in the country for nearly three years. She is now retired.
Aside from the obvious success the Milko’s have had with the dog shows in the winner’s circle, it’s given them a even deeper satisfaction,
“It’s changed our lives, it’s brought us really close together. We’ve got this group of dog show friends too, people with similar interests that we still get to go out to dinner with, but it’s worlds different from our previous life. The days start at 6am, it’s early to bed and early to rise,” said Denise.
The Milko’s now own their own kennel called “Bravehound,” and have nine dogs. Lily-Belle had her first litter of puppies, four boys, and the Milko’s hope to breed her at least one more time—hoping that one of the puppies may follow in their famous mother’s footsteps. Not bad for an endeavor chosen simply as a hobby to slow down, and enjoy life a little more.
Behind the Scenes at the Eastern Shore Classic—the Salisbury Dog Show
Last week, the Milko’s returned to Salisbury for the Eastern Shore Classic, the site of Lilly-Belle’s first show. They were kind enough to give the reader’s of ShoreBread an insider’s look behind the scenes at a dog show.
Kennel Clubs across the country host shows. The show in Salisbury is a joint venture between the Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club, the Talbot County Kennel Club, and the Mispillion Kennel Club. During each show, dogs are either shown by individual breeds or in one of seven groups—the working group, toy group, herding group, etc. In order for a dog to make it to one of the invitationals, such as Westminster or the Top Twenty like Lily-Belle, they must be a champion from at least one of the other shows, awarded Best in Breed, Best in Show, and so forth.
The Real Winnings
Which begs the question, what does a “top dog” actually win? In a society where success is largely and often unfairly based on money, the perception would be that the appeal of dog shows lies in winning the “big purse” at the end, which simply isn’t the case. Winning at dog shows is a matter of prestige, not money. There is no proverbial purse at the end. This is a world where a title means honor, and those who are a part of this lifestyle, are quite pleased with the pursuit.
Josephine Stiles, a twenty-year dog show veteran at the Eastern Shore Classic with her Afghan Hound “Beach Boy,” a beautiful majestic gray dog, in the process of being groomed, said simply,
“We live for this.”
Walking through the backstage area of the shows, it seemed as though Josephine’s statements stood as a mantra for all those in attendance. Owners and handlers happily stopped to converse about their dogs, discuss their breeds, and what could make them champions by show standards.
Milko herself is a veritable wealth of knowledge on the IG—as it turns out a 3500- year-old breed, buried in the tomb of King Tut, the favorite dog of Cleopatra—who gifted a litter to Julius Caesar. Milko could also likely tell you more about the Ridgeback than many veterinarians, and knows a great deal about various other breeds too, pointing out specific characteristics, and even who has won what title. This recalls the concept of prestige—above all, those who participate in dog shows are proud of their animals, and those owned by others—they are respectful and have a passion for animals that exists on an entirely different level than what most of us experience.
Upstairs, where the toy group was about to be shown, Pam from San Diego, California sat gently grooming her dog, “Brenda,” who happened to be the number one Silky in the country. This dog’s coat was near perfect, and she held her chin tilted slightly upward, much like a princess as her hair was tended to. To keep a dog in this state, Pam said,
“She has to be bathed every day or she would get stringy, she’s a thin coated breed,”
Which sheds a bit of light on the amount of work owners put into their dogs.
Then there’s the other half—the very wealthy, some of celebrity status that participate in the dog show world. Among them, Martha Stewart, Patty Hurst, various heads of notable corporations–you don’t exactly see them behind the scenes working on the grooming, but they often attend the shows. They rely on well-known handlers like Koz Hosaka, famous in the dog show world, to train and show their dogs.
Koz was backstage at the Eastern Shore Classic meticulously grooming the number one miniature poodle in the country, “Sugar Baby,” the granddaughter of “Spice Girl” who won the prestigious title of Best in Show at Westminster. Koz is considered the best of the best, with 32 years in the industry—and he does it all, breeding, grooming, and handling both his own dogs and additional poodles for high profile clients. He has a remarkable devotion and affinity for the show world.
The wealthy aside, Milko says the sport has wide-ranging, generational appeal.
“It’s really a sport for all ages. It’s fantastic for retirees because of the socialization aspect. There’s also a junior division, and it’s really great for the children. Often with activities like scouting, [boy and girl scouts] people say the children are so respectful. It’s the same way with dog shows. I’ve seen little children as young as four in the ring all dressed up in suits, proud of their dogs. It’s great because it refreshes and breathes new life into the sport"
The generational appeal is apparent in Milko’s own household. Her son, Todd Chandler shows a Ridgeback. The Milko’s are also mentoring a young boy, Tyler Mailloux, age 11, who showed an enormous interest in the Milko’s dogs.
Tyler’s mother, Kearston Frey said,
“It’s nice to see his passion in effect at such a young age, thanks to the Milko’s.”
As for Tyler, when asked what favorite part of being involved with the dog shows was, he said simply, “all of it!”
Tyler has since purchased his own Handling leash, and practices with his puppy, Snoopy at home. He recently received his Junior Showmanship number, and under the tutelage of the Milko’s, is well on his way towards becoming a successful junior handler.
It’s apparent that something chosen to simplify life, and decompress, has instead breathed new life into the Milko’s, opening up a world that has brought notoriety and success, but also a passion for a sport and love for animals that they are only too happy to share.
