Crains New York - February 4, 2013 - (Page 26)

Dog days in NY swimming lessons for his beloved pet. make room for more dogs. For many “If someone had told me I’d be doyears, no more than 2,500 were al- ing this five years ago,I would say they lowed; this year, 2,721 entries repre- are crazy,” said Mr. Moskowitz, senting 187 breeds will prance whose Manhattan apartment and ofaround the ring before the judges. fice are filled with Oscar’s photos and The event will be shown live on medals.“But I took him once, and he the kennel club’s website and on won. When you win, you like going.” CNBC Feb. 11 and USA Network Mr. Moskowitz hires handlers to Feb.12 at 8 p.m.each night. take Oscar into the ring at “We are more excited the shows because the dog than ever to share our show listens to them better. In with exhibitors, spectators fact, in January, Oscar was at the Piers and at the Gardown in Florida with a den, and people from all WINNING LOOK: handler getting ready for over the world who will be Malachy, a Westminster. Oscar is too watching on television and Pekingese, was big to fly, so Mr. online,” said Sean Mc- last year’s Best in Moskowitz drives him Show. Carthy, president of the down to Florida and back Westminster Kennel Club. for training or pays a handler to do it. Dog shows have sometimes been A mini-celebrity, Oscar has his thought of as a pastime for wealthy own website and 75,000 fans on and eccentric people—an impres- Facebook—the most of any canine, sion depicted in the hilarious 2000 according to Mr. Moskowitz. Peofilm Best in Show, where the charac- ple ask for Oscar at shows, and Mr. ters tended to look like their pets Moskowitz is hoping he gets a modand cared more about winning a eling contract. He also is looking to blue ribbon than about life itself. breed Oscar, keep the pick of the litter, and start showing Oscar’s son. Celebrity status “I live in midtown Manhattan, so But the hobby’s appeal has be- I could only probably have two large come broader. David Moskowitz, a dogs,”he said.“After that,you become 30-year-old executive at AIG Asset the strange guy with three dogs.” Management, got his Greater Swiss New Yorkers’ passion for dogs is mountain dog, Oscar the Grouch, in nothing new, despite small apartMay 2010. Having never owned a ments and lack of yard space. But dog, he told the breeder he wanted a the interest is growing. For the third show dog, figuring it would be the straight year, New York represents cutest. Soon he found himself at dog the greatest number of entries at shows nearly every weekend, spend- Westminster, with 287 dogs. Caliing thousands of dollars a year on fornia is second, with 228 entries. everything from travel to weekly Margaret Noble, a former pro- Continued from Page 25 fessional musician, started showing dogs in 2009 as a hobby after owning her first dog for six years. In 2011, Ms. Noble and her husband brought their Boston terrier, Will, to compete at Westminster. He placed third out of 21 Boston terriers. It so electrified Ms. Noble that she said she would never show him at Westminster again because a lesser result could erase that high. Promoting pooches “It was such an outstanding moment in our life, and I didn’t want to have that memory of triumph taken away,” said Ms. Noble, who is showing a friend’s Boston terrier, Spritzer, at Westminster this year. The world of dog shows isn’t for the faint of heart. “I’m a very positive person, but it’s hard if you go week after week after week and your dog isn’t getting the recognition they deserve,” said Ms. Noble, who attends about 100 shows a year. “I love showing my dog to other people and bonding with my dog, but sometimes it’s hard to stay positive. The competition can wear on you.” It also isn’t cheap. Entering Westminster costs just $75, but most participants advertise heavily in dog magazines to increase their pooches’ chances of winning. Ms. Schwartz spent $150 for an ad in a Ridgebacks magazine, but said others spend up to $200,000 a year to “campaign their dogs.” Ms. Noble said she has advertised her dog in numerous publications. Last year, she put an ad in Dogs Review every single month. “Any hobby costs money,” Ms. Noble said. “We don’t go to the theater, don’t go to concerts.This is our recreation.” Ⅲ CONGRATULATIONS TO SAUL N. FRIEDMAN OHEL Vice President and our 2013 Corporate Guest of Honor ON THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF HIS ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM &COMPANY SAUL N. FRIEDMAN C E R T I F I E D P U B L I C A C C O U N TA N T S RUTH MESSINGER by Theresa Agovino Jewish org shrinks for bigger impact F ormer Manhattan Bor- tice. We need to be sure that the ough President and City young people we take aren’t going to Council member Ruth just change themselves but will have Messinger spent 20 years an impact on the world. We will trying to improve the continue to take rabbis for obvious lives of New Yorkers. Her mission reasons. They have an audience and has expanded since she left the gov- they can tell people what they have ernment after losing her mayoral bid seen. They have been effective in in 1997. moving our agenda. The 72-year-old is the head of the American Jewish World Serv- With so many international aid groups, ice, an international development why do you need to increase your lobbyorganization that strives to end ing presence? poverty and support human rights. Think about the impact on ConUnder her leadership, its budget has gressman X if two rabbis say to him ballooned more than tenfold to $56 that it is a Jewish commandment to million as it funds local grassroots heal the world, and that motivates organizations to work on causes my congregation to make sure you support this bill. We want from ending genocide in to add an additional level Sudan to rebuilding of clout. I was in politics. Haiti. Now the nonprofit You need to throw clout is implementing a new behind [the lobbying]. strategic plan to bolster its lobbying efforts, reBARBES RESTAURANT Are all of your donors Jewish? duce the number of coun19-21 E. 36th St. No.We are quite attractive tries where it works to 19 (212) 684-0215 to mixed relationships. It from 32 and cut back on www.barbes is a Jewish organization the number of trips it restaurantnyc.com that works on non-Jewish sponsors for volunteers to AMBIENCE: issues in the developing work in developing counWarm sienna world. I know, at the hightries. walls, subdued er level, donors are comlighting and Give me a pitch about why I mitted to the way we work brown-leather banquettes should donate to you. overseas. We work with create a cozy If it’s a cold call,I’d ask you local groups.We don’t emenvironment for to tell me some more ploy an expensive Western the Moroccan about you.I’d say we are an staff overseas. We fund fare. organization that works work that a grantee has WHAT THEY ATE: on long-term developdecided to do. Ⅲ Shared ment for marginalized hummus Why are you reducing the people in the world. We appetizer countries you work in? believe in long-term inⅢ Goat cheese We were too spread out. vestment. People say to omelet, two Diet Cokes We are not staying in me it’s like: Give a man a Ⅲ Lamb countries where it’s too fish and he eats for a day, couscous, two dangerous, like Afghanibut teach him to fish and iced teas, one stan. It is one of the few he can eat for life. We coffee countries I’ve never been teach them to fish and TAB: $75.60, to. We are not staying in then to make sure that no including tip Pakistan or Zimbabwe. one comes along to dam Some of it was just up the river. I will tell them stories.One of my favorite sto- thoughtful consolidation. We had ries is about Leymah Gbowee [who slowly begun to expand in South won the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize for America and decided not to expand helping end Liberia’s second civil there because it would be just anothwar]. We were the only people who er huge area. funded her for her first two years. WHERE THEY DINED 1973-2013 We wish him continued success and thank him for his 20 years of service and support for OHEL’s children and families. David Mandel, OHEL CEO Moshe Hellman, OHEL President Mel Zachter, OHEL Co-President To make a reservation or donation please visit www.ohelfamily.org/gala 26 | Crain’s New York Business | February 4, 2013 SOURCE LUNCH: Why are you cutting back on the service trips that are closely associated with your organization? You did a lot of work in Haiti. Obviously, we are a rich country, but are there lessons we can apply from there as New York rebuilds after Sandy? If we do fewer and pay more attention to who we take and what we do with them when they return, we have reason to believe [the volunteers] will be activists for global jus- We have to realize this is going to take a long time. We have to ask the difficult questions. How do we prepare better for disasters in the future? What should we be building? Ⅲ INSIDE TIP: The restaurant is small, so when it’s crowded the noise level is extraordinarily loud. http://www.barbesrestaurantnyc.com http://www.ohelfamily.org/gala http://www.ohelfamily.org/gala

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - February 4, 2013

THE INSIDER
ALAIR TOWNSEND
IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
GREG DAVID
DIGITAL NY
SMALL BUSINESS
REPORT: HEALTH CARE
THE LIST
CLASSIFIEDS
REAL ESTATE DEALS
SOURCE LUNCH
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - February 4, 2013