Ann Pegram Fox

Ann Pegram Fox, who grew up in Swarthmore, died at home in Bella Vista, Arkansas, on May 11, after a short illness. She was 66.

Ann was the daughter of the late William Pegram and Marjorie Rainey Pegram. She graduated from Swarthmore High School and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa. While there, she adopted the nickname “Obi.” She married a friend from Cornell College, J. Michael Fox, but they were later divorced.

Much of Ann’s life was devoted to the study of dog behavior. She taught obedience, conformation, agility, drug-detection, and herding, and advised with problems in tracking, field training, water rescue, barrel racing (equine), and most other performance events. Although she taught all breeds, her main focus was on two: Kuvasz (a Hungarian livestock-guarding breed) and border collies (a herding breed). She obtained many dog training certifications and trained a number of obedience champions of each breed. She personally obtained titles for a number of her own dogs.Before moving to Bella Vista in 2012, Ann lived in Colorado Springs, where she established The Dog House, a downtown pet supply and training business. Later, she designed, built, and operated Fox and Hounds, a large kennel and training facility in Peyton, Colorado. In Bella Vista, she continued her training business and research activities.

Ann wrote a multi-volume book, “The Book of Kuvasz Champions,” and created a Kuvasz database. These both traced blood lines (pedigrees), reflecting her interest in reducing genetic defects in the Kuvasz breed.

Having rejected music lessons in her youth, Ann took up the fiddle later in life and enjoyed playing folk tunes with friends.

She is survived by her brother, John Pegram of Brooklyn; her niece and nephew, Catherine Pegram of France and Stephen Pegram of Ohio, and their families; and her friends in the dog world across the country and in Europe.

Private services with the family will be held at a later date.