Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Interview with Glen and Rebecca Lycan
Aired February 17, 2002 - 07:43 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back to CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We are in an unusual place for this program. This is the set of "TALKBACK LIVE." And this is where we're going to be talking to the dogs, so to speak.
This is a high shot. Take a look at what we're looking a here. That's Duncan. Duncan, oh, he knows his name, doesn't he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, or yes.
O'BRIEN: And these are Duncan's owners, Glen and Rebecca Lycan, who just had a great run at Westminster. Kind of their Swan Song as dog trainers, we are dog handlers and trainers and breeders. We talked to them last week. And we thought we'd follow up with them and talk about how the show was.
Good to have you back.
GLEN LYCAN, PROFESSIONAL DOG HANDLER: Oh, it's a pleasure to be here.
O'BRIEN: All right. And tell us, first of all, how Duncan did. He's...
G. LYCAN: Well, Duncan gave the show of his life.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
G. LYCAN: He did good an award of merit. He didn't win the breed, but he was very competitive. And he gave me everything he had.
O'BRIEN: You know, I'm sure you wish that the dog you own would win on the last go around, but as it turns out, one of the dogs you handled did very well, right?
G. LYCAN: Correct. The Corgie, Sammy, won the herding group at the Garden. So we're very pleased.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's take a look at some pictures of Sammy. Sammy's a Corgie owned by -- who are the people that own Sammy?
LYCAN: Laurie Sawyer, Beth Down, and Dr. Charles Krueger.
O'BRIEN: All right, let's take... LYCAN: Sandra Mottes, M-O-T-T-E-S.
O'BRIEN: Now there's, of course, the moment of triumph, but we also have pictures of Sammy in action. So the way they divide it is by the type of dog. And a Corgie is considered a herding dog then?
LYCAN: Correct.
O'BRIEN: OK. and what are they -- like right there, I always wonder what they're looking for, as you hold them in place there and the judges kind of, you know, give them the once over. What are they looking for?
LYCAN: Well, they're feeling his muscle tone. They're feeling his teeth. They're looking at his eyes, his expression, his coat texture, coat condition. Basically, it's a confirmation thing, just like a beauty contest.
O'BRIEN: Now are you nervous at that point? Is the dog nervous?
G. LYCAN: I was a little nervous. The dog was a lot nervous.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. Well, is that held against the animal if the dog seems like it's, you know?
G. LYCAN: Well, he's not going to give me his best show.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
G. LYCAN: You know, so certainly it'll affect the dog. Sammy's got four great legs. And he was using legs very well that night. He just -- he wouldn't...
O'BRIEN: He's kind of got a prance, doesn't he?
G. LYCAN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: And they want that kind of spring in their step?
G. LYCAN: Very smooth, exactly.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well, let's just talk about Duncan here for a minute. And Rebecca, we're going to ask you to sort of maybe take him through his paces, as if we're at a show here. If you could do a little bit of that. Give us a sense of the kinds of moves you might do.
REBECCA LYCAN, PROFESSIONAL DOG HANDLER: Well, you generally, they have to be stacked for the judge to go over them. And if he was up on the table, the judge would, in this position, the judge would then do the same thing he's doing to Sammy. Check the bite. Top line, tail set. Make sure they have all their male parts.
O'BRIEN: Because you can't be spayed or neutered in this particular contest, right?
R. LYCAN: No, not in confirmation, you cannot.
O'BRIEN: And you call this position?
R. LYCAN: Stacked.
O'BRIEN: Stacked, OK, all right. And then, and he does that like he knows what he's doing?
R. LYCAN: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Obviously, he's been trained to do that. But what else, as far as the maneuvering him around, when you're parading them. Is that the term? Parade or what do you...
R. LYCAN: Well, it's called moving.
O'BRIEN: Yes, OK.
R. LYCAN: And without much space, it's difficult to do.
G. LYCAN: While you're doing it, I can discuss what's she's doing.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
G. LYCAN: What she's going to do, a judge would ask the dog to go down and back, so they can look at their rear legs going away, and then they can look at their front legs coming out.
Now Duncan is -- he's a good moving dog. He swings his front a little bit, but he's excellent in the rear.
O'BRIEN: He's got a very expressive face.
G. LYCAN: Duncan's a happy-go-lucky, playful dog. He's got very expressive eyes.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes.
G. LYCAN: And then after they bring him back, they're going to let him stop. And then they're going to look at him, see how they place their own legs. Where Rebecca stacked in the first time, now Duncan is stacking himself.
O'BRIEN: Oh, interesting. So they are...
R. LYCAN: He does it very well.
O'BRIEN: Yes, he does it in a very natural way.
G. LYCAN: Oh, yes.
O'BRIEN: So you don't really have to position him so much.
G. LYCAN: This particular dog does most everything his own way. And he does it well. O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. Now over the years, he's won numerous awards, I presume.
G. LYCAN: Oh, yes. He was the number one border terrier in the country last year.
O'BRIEN: Why don't you bring him out in front there, so you get a closer to where Robert Procter is with a camera there, so we can get a shot of him. Can you take him around the -- yes, there we go. Look at Duncan. And once again, these dogs -- well, let me ask you this. Do you think they enjoy this?
G. LYCAN: Some of them do.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
G. LYCAN: Duncan loves it.
O'BRIEN: Right. I mean, some dogs can be hams, if you will.
G. LYCAN: Oh, yes. You better believe it. The dog that won the Garden last year, the bichon, that's quite a ham dog. I mean, he'd get up there parading for you. He was a good show dog.
O'BRIEN: Let's look briefly. We had some pictures of the winner this year. It was a poodle. I think the poodle's name was Spice Girl, is that right?
G. LYCAN: Yes, that's correct, Surrey Spice Girl, beautiful animal.
O'BRIEN: And what do you think made that the best of show, that particular dog?
G. LYCAN: Well, she's an excellent conditioned dog.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
G. LYCAN: You know, she shows well. She very rarely makes a mistake. She can make mistakes, but she gave a good show tonight, that night.
O'BRIEN: Look at that coif. Boy, she has got it going there. And I assume, dog hair care is a big deal here. You really got to know how to, you know, make them...
G. LYCAN: Dog hair care is premium, because that's the first thing anybody sees is the hair.
O'BRIEN: Yes, yes. Do you use a certain kind of shampoo and do you blowdry them at all?
G. LYCAN: Oh, yes, all of that.
O'BRIEN: Because it's got to be interesting to see the behind- the-scenes. That must be as interesting as what you see on the... G. LYCAN: Well, to me, that's more interesting.
O'BRIEN: Yes, I can only imagine. All right, now, you've had a chance to think about the fact that it's the last show. Are you a little said or are you looking forward to the next challenge?
G. LYCAN: Well like I told you the other day, it's bittersweet. We're going to miss the conditioning and all that, but I am very much looking forward to the next challenge.
O'BRIEN: All right, Glenn and Rebecca Lycan, congratulations on having a good final show. And thank you for bringing Duncan in. I guess -- does Duncan go into retirement as well? Will other people handle him?
G. LYCAN: No, Duncan's our dog. Actually, he's my son's dog. And he'll stay with us.
O'BRIEN: Hey Robert, can you get a shot of Alex over here? If there's anyway we can show the next focus of...
G. LYCAN: You're going to be on TV.
O'BRIEN: The Lycan household, there's Alex. And I guess it's appropriate that Alex is on a lease. All right. Folks, thanks for being with us.
G. LYCAN: If you knew Alex, you'd know he was on...
O'BRIEN: Thanks very much for...
G. LYCAN: Thank you, Miles.
O'BRIEN: It was really a great pleasure to meet you.
G. LYCAN: My pleasure.
O'BRIEN: And Jeanne, I guess that's what they say in show business, a tough act to follow, wouldn't you?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: It is. Thanks so much for handing it over there, Miles. Appreciate it.
O'BRIEN: It's all yours.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
