History

Kathie Comerford sat in the home of an elderly man in southern Florida, listening to story after story of his life experiences with Samoyed dogs. Since his early childhood, George Cornell had seldom been without one of these favored companions. Their names denoted a pattern of Russian influence: Sergei, Ivan, Prince, and so on. When they spoke he was recently widowed, the gentleman’s Ivan III and Posie sustain and amused him. He not only planned every detail of their dietary needs and veterinary care, but he also prepared them for conformation and obedience showing. Though he had never had a litter of puppies before, he bred Posie and witnessed the creation of life

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His devotion to family, friends, and philanthropy is matched only by his love for his beautiful Samoyeds -- dogs with thick white coats originally bred in Eurasia and known as the "smiling dogs" because of their perennial grin. Cornell's parents had owned Samoyeds from shortly after the breed was first introduced in this country in 1912. Posey and her big brother, Ivan, werd Cornell's "babies" -- his absolute pride and joy. Cornell would sit in his backyard for hours and watched them play. He showed Ivan at dog shows and enjoyed at­tending the events. He also thoroughly enjoyed the film Best in Show -- ­the only movie he had seen in decades. "George got a Blockbuster membership specifically to rent the movie," Gordon said, "and he didn't utter a word through the entire film.