Conversation Or Confrontation – Can We Talk?

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256 – The Annual, 2023-24

By Will Alexander

I often say to myself, “Will, you are one lucky guy”. There are many reasons I say this to myself. Sometimes it’s because I’m the only one who will listen to me. I am a lucky guy, though. This time I’m lucky because of the era in which I grew up. No cell phones, no social media. When I went to a dog show, I was consumed with the great dogs, great handlers, great judges­–and dog shows that were events. I counted down the days until it was time to go to the dog show.

In the mid- to early 1970s, I was just a kid, but I soaked in everything, and can remember how starstruck I was by the famous handlers, the great dogs, and the distinguished judges. The interaction between judges and exhibitors was more acceptable, and often became heated. Oh, there were good conversations as well but as we all know, in the heat of the moment, things escalate. I was a kid, so I wouldn’t dream of ever questioning a judge, at least not in person. There were times when I would get caught in the crossfire and had to witness such outbursts. My dad was a bit of a hothead, and when things didn’t go his way he was known to query judges. LOL…query? More like trying to explain to them how wrong they were. Then, when I was an assistant to a prominent handler who was also known to have such moments with judges–trying to educate them or at least trying to sway them to his side…but sometimes he did it with too much enthusiasm. This ended with a “holiday” and leaving the young assistant to show the charges. So, you see, I had an upbringing that could have laid a pathway for me to be a little more demonstrative with my in-ring frustrations. I do my best to learn lessons from mistakes, be them mine or someone else’s. It was still a learning experience, if I chose. I didn’t always choose to learn, but I did try. Honest.

Click here to read the complete article
256 – The Annual, 2023-24

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jan 17 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.