Howard Atlee – Showman, Promoter And Passionate Dachshund Breeder

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116 – May, 2024

By Amy Fernandez

This sport attracts such a wealth of talent and energy that sometimes we take it for granted. In truth, we often don’t realize how lucky we are until it’s gone. That sums up the many contributions of Howard Atlee.

For decades, our local NYC shows received immense, consistently positive press coverage like a magnet. Westminster events, large and small, were all over the media; especially that post-show ritual at Sardi’s. Admittedly, it was a bit puzzling that a Broadway hangout would become a hallmark of Westminster. Howard was the connection that made that happen–as well as so many other cool things. Like most of the veteran people in this sport, after a while Howard Atlee just seemed to be there. He was always busy but most people no longer wondered about his back story or his role in what took place behind the scenes.

After decades of work and devotion, the sport lost Howard Atlee on March 15, 2024. He had essentially retired from the sport 20 years earlier, but at that point it seemed safe to think that everything was running just fine without him. Yes, it was fine until it wasn’t and at that point his extensive contributions gradually came into focus. But more on that later.

Howard was always around but it was hard to define his precise role. He didn’t fit into any box. Knickerbocker, Dog Fanciers, Penthouse Dachshunds, Broadway tickets…and much more. To explain how Howard managed to weave so many high intensity components into a single, cohesive identity, it’s crucial to understand it within the context of what he did in his off time. And it’s true that we rarely consider what dog people are up to when they are not dedicating themselves to the dog biz. In this case, it’s equally difficult to put a single label on his professional life.

Click here to read the complete article
116 – May, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 16 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.