The CBARRC Board
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Corey Burgess has been involved in the breed since 2004. She became interested in lure coursing in 2005 and began competing with her first dog. In 2007 she acquired her first show prospect. Corey has competed and put titles on dogs for competitive lure coursing, lure coursing tests, conformation, rally, hunting instinct, herding instinct, canine good citizen, trick dog, and therapy. Corey has volunteered for rescue, and has served on the board of other local clubs. She currently resides with her Ridgebacks in south central Pennsylvania.
I became acquainted with Ridgebacks in Southern California in 1972 while living next to a mother-and-daughter pair, Rhoda and Simba from the Redhouse Kennel, each weighing in at over 100+ lbs. After meeting these impressive girls and learning more about them, I found Kari (Lionpride) in a newspaper ad in 1974. She was followed by Tuffi in 1976, (Ch. Rolling's Tufani), the first dog I showed in conformation. We learned the ropes together and he finished owner handled at 13 months. In 1978, I obtained Rose (Ch. Kimbida’s Crackling Rose, ROM, dam of 13 champions) from Ida Poore.
Over the last 50 years, I have been involved extensively with the national club, RRCUS, serving four two-year terms as corresponding secretary, serving on several committees over time, and assisting with rescue. I served from 2008 through 2020 on the board of Ridgeback Trust, Inc. (RTI), an all-volunteer group dedicated to saving Rhodesian Ridgebacks from the chains of indiscriminate breeding.
My most recent Ridgebacks were active in the sport of lure coursing. In 2012, they were introduced to straight racing and did well with that after learning to wear the muzzle. My current single resident is 12-year-old Mardi. We frequently have foster dogs and boarding regulars to keep life interesting.
Since 2017 my focus has been on rescue and I serve as state coordinator for Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue, Inc. National Capital Region covering Maryland and West Virginia. I also cover Pennsylvania for the Mid-Atlantic Region.
CBARRC has been a part of my life since its inception in the 90s. I have served previously as secretary and president.
My husband, Greg, and I got our first Ridgeback in 2017. We wanted a companion dog as we never gave it much thought to doing anything specific with our dogs in the past. Our breeder suggested we try our girl at lure coursing as she had shown some aptitude for it. She made it sound like fun and if anything, a fun day to hang out with other puppy families. Our girl not only showed a talent for lure coursing, but you could see how much she enjoyed it. Little did we know this would be the start of an adventure of a lifetime.
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We currently have 3 Ridgebacks: Izzy, Niko & Bourbon. These three all bring something unique and special to our family. We have multiple Lure Coursing Field Champions, multiple Conformation Champions, and titles in Rally, Agility, Barn Hunt, and all have their CGC’s and Temperament Test titles to name a few. We cater to their individual strengths and interests and expose them to as much as we can for as the saying goes, “Variety is the spice of life”. At the end of the day, we all pile on the couch and snuggle together.
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As for me, I live outside of Warrenton, VA. I am a bookkeeper at an Equine Vet Clinic, and currently the CBARRC Treasurer for my second term. I am also a member of RRCUS (Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of the United States (parent club)), and a member of Mattaponi Kennel Club. For the past 1 ½ years I have been mentored by Mattaponi to become one of their agility instructors, and I am working towards becoming an AKC CGC evaluator.
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I enjoy meeting new people so please don’t be shy in introducing yourself if you see me at any of the events.
Pat Wieland was introduced to Ridgebacks in the 1990s and has been owned by them ever since. Her Ridgebacks have been successful both in the conformation ring and on the lure coursing field, has bred a few Ridgeback litters over the years, and has also shared her household with Golden Retrievers and Smooth Fox Terriers. Besides CBARRC, Pat is a member of RRCUS, Tortoise & Hare Lure Coursing Club, Mason Dixon Lure Coursing Club, Upper Chesapeake Bay Saluki Club, and Golden Retriever Club of US.
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Outside of Ridgebacks, Pat lives in Thomasville, PA with her husband, has two grown children, and attended Virginia Tech University, obtaining a BS in Animal Science. Pat is active in her church and has sung with the adult choir for over 20 years. Pat and her husband love the beach and spend each summer at their family home in Eastham, Cape Cod. Pat is retired from being a customer service representative for a box company but has recently completed the Project Management Course curriculum at Penn State, York Campus.
I joined the CBARRC Board in 2017, having owned ridgebacks since the early 2000s. I was first introduced to the breed in the 1990s through a friend and immediately fell in love with the dog’s combination of athleticism, loyalty, and love of sleeping on couches (or anywhere). I currently have three ridgebacks – Zephyr (DC Mahaba’s Monkey Business, SC, CA, FITG, TKN, CGC, ET(2), TDI), Celeste (Keniba’s Celestial Queen, CA, CGC, TKN, FITB, ET), and Tugger (Springridge Supermoon’s Till It Shines, CGC, TKN). I discovered CBARRC through Bonnie Louden’s welcoming attitude while getting involved in lure coursing with Zephyr several years ago and am pleased to now be able to serve the organization and its members through the Board.
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Outside of CBARRC, I currently work at Habitat for Humanity and have served as a partner in a van conversion business (Road Dog Vans) focused on designing and converting vans for dog owners. Prior to launching Road Dog Vans, I worked for approximately 20 years as an executive and lawyer in the consulting and emergency management industry. Finally, for approximately 20 years, I served in various board positions, including President, and as a volunteer master firefighter/emergency medical technician for a metropolitan Washington, D.C. fire/rescue department.
I have owned Ridgebacks since 1991. My first dog “ Benny “ was bred by Lisa Hoffman and John Arvin. We had many fun wins and I was hooked. My first litter was in 1997 and I started breeding under the Whirlaway kennel name. Christine Kitsch later joined the kennel and we produced over 50 champions with quite a few ending up in the final lineup at our National Specialties. . My children have grown so I
have been able to explore more activities with my dogs such as Nose work and Lure coursing. I am an AKC licensed judge, regular status for Ridgebacks and permit for 6 other hounds. My goal is to be able to judge the entire Hound Group.
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I joined CBARRC a few years ago and was elected to the Board of Directors last year. CBARRC is a very special club. By welcoming and having activities for all Ridgeback owners, we encourage responsible dog ownership to further the goal of making wonderful ambassadors for the breed. I am also proud of the support CBARRC has provided to The RRCUS Rescue mission.
I was convinced that Ridgebacks were the breed for me since the end of high school. Growing up in south/central New Jersey, I started riding young and did equestrian sports through college. I was drawn to the grace, athleticism, and versatility of the Ridgeback. I majored in Animal Science at Cornell University and minored in Nutrition and in Global Health. My original plan to work in equine sports training and nutrition shifted to more people-related things, and after an initial stint in biopharmaceuticals, I went back to school to become a dentist. I guess you could say that makes me interested in all sorts of canines…!
It wasn’t until I married and moved to DC with my husband, Derek, that I pursued that decade-old dream of finding my Ridgeback. And he’s been an amazing emotional and physical (with strong male dogs) support despite not realizing the full extent of what I was actually getting into when I said we should get a puppy :) Showing and performance events were not the original intention, but after chats with Jen and Christine and bringing home a puppy, things quickly changed! Fast forward 5 years, and that puppy, Mac, is now CH Whirlaway’s Tides Of March SC CAA BCAT CGC TKA FITB. And, because having one makes you’re realize it’s not enough, his half brother, Murphy - CH Whirlaway’s Jersey Fresh To Death CA FITB - was added to the family in 2022. This year I have plans to try them both in nosework and barnhunt while I search for agility classes.
It’s been great meeting many Ridgeback people and I appreciate learning more each year in the breed. I joined the CBARRC Board to learn even more and help grow the Ridgeback community in our region. I hope to help new members/new owners realize the variety of fun activities to do with their dogs and how approachable some events and owners can be!