About Cleo ParkerHi! I've owned Bull Terriers since 1970, when I bought my first pet Bullie, Hylo's Bounty of Melrose, aka "Laura" from Douglas Rose, then President of the Bull Terrier Club of America. I showed Laura in Junior Showmanship and in conformation and she ended her show career with a grand total of 3 points; I ended my Juniors career with my only class win the day before I aged out of the competition. It's not an easy breed for Juniors and I salute anyone dedicated enough to try it!
The Roses invited me to attend the Silverwood Competition for Best North American Bred Bull Terrier in Chicago in 1972, and I haven't missed one since. I've had the privilege of being co-chair of the Silverwood host club committee three times, in 1984, 1989, and 1998. I've also written a handbook for Silverwood host clubs. I served as the chairman of the Bull Terrier Club of America Special Awards Committee from 1999 through mid year 2007. It was a very interesting position where I learned a lot about dogs, pedigrees and the characteristics of shows all over the US and Canada. The amount of detail and reporting got to be more than I wanted to do every year, so I decided at the end of 2006 it was time for a break.
I live in Livonia, Michigan (a west-side suburb of Detroit) with my husband, Mike Briggs. We met in 2000 through one of my college friends who is married to Mike's sister Cindy. He had little interest in dogs when we met, but has has slowly but surely been won over by the Bully charm and is a great help with puppies and occasionally accompanies me to dog shows, including three Silverwood weekends. He loves to take pictures and is responsible for most of the puppy and other at-home photos on this site. In 2007 I decided to join Toastmasters during a period of unemployment, Mike decided to join too and we've been having a great time as part of the exceptional Dearborn Dynamic Toastmasters club. I have to say the skills I learned there made a big difference for my 2008 Detroit Kennel Club Meet the Breed - Detroit Kennel Club 2008 presentation. Mike has two sons, Travis and Dylan, who spend most weekends with us.
I've been very active in the Bull Terrier Club of Metro Detroit and its predecessor, the Bull Terrier Club of Southeastern Michigan. I've been secretary of the BTCMD since its inception, with a one year break in 2006. We are one of the few regional AKC licensed Bull Terrier clubs that has actually superintended most of their own independent specialty shows and we're very proud of the quality of the events we put on, especially in terms of our show sites, trophies, and hospitality, all of which contribute to consistently high entries. I also do all breed stewarding on a regular basis and belong to one local all breed club, the Progressive Dog Club of Wayne County.
My first show quality Bull Terrier was Am. Ch. Westbrook Walking Song, C.D., ROM, TT, aka "Rachel". That Companion Dog degree was one of my proudest (and most difficult) acheivments in dogs, right up there with handling her to a Group I and showing her grandson, Ch. Nuance Nominee, to Reserve White Dog at Silverwood in 1995. All those accomplishments were topped in 2008 when I won the ultimate award for North American Bred Bull Terriers, the Silverwood Trophy with Am/Can Ch Nuance Nonsense in 2008, which also resulted her winning the Irene Mann Trophy for Best Second Generation American Born Bull Terrier and my winning the Bramblemere Gay Carolynda Trophy for breeder of the Silverwood winner. I've bred seven litters and finished 11 American and 4 Canadian Champions and one American C.D. and one R.N. title since I brought "Rachel" home in 1982. Rachel passed away in fall, 1996. Currently, I live with her great-great granddaughter, Ada, Ada's daughter Anna Nicole and Anna's daughter Marley. Ada finished her Rally Novice title in 2005 at the age of seven, I'm currently training Anna Nicole for competitive obedience with Adele Yunck at Northfield Dog Training in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
While I don't have a burning desire to become a licensed judge of Bull Terriers soon. I do enjoy judging. I have judged sweepstakes for both the Bull Terrier Fanciers (May, 1995) and the Bull Terrier Club of Canada (November, 1997), the Miniature Bull Terrier Club of America (March, 1999 and October 2003) and the Bull Terrier Club of America (October, 1999), the Great Lakes All Terrier Club (August, 1999), and the Illiana Bull Terrier Fanciers (May, 2001). My last assignment was judging sweepstakes for the Miniature Bull Terrier Club of America again this fall at their specialty held in conjunction with the Silverwood Competition in Dallas in 2003. My first non-Bullie judging assignment was for the Scottish Terrier Club of Michigan in June, 1999.
In my professional life, I've worked in marketing communications in the area of research and strategic planning most of my career and recently left the position of Research Director at Jumpstart Automotive Media, which means I need to find a new position to fund my Bull Terrier activities, not to mention pay the mortgage! I have twenty years of agency experience, starting at Kenyon and Eckhardt which morphed into Bozell and FCB, then followed the DaimlerChrysler business to BBDO. I've worked on accounts in a number of industries including automotive, video gaming, services, utilities, outdoor furniture, and quick service restaurants. I maintain a professional site as well as this one which includes a project which combines my love of dogs and marketing, The Dog Marketing Blog.