Then I was about ten years old, my father bought me an Airedale puppy from a musician friend of his. This puppy was registered as Ric’s Lucky Boy. This was in early 1941 just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt made his famous speech on the radio, television was almost unheard of then, of the dastardly attack. The United States declared war on Japan and Germany who had been running amuck in Euope with Adolph Hitler as its leader. This was all out war. The United States entered World War II and I can remember these years distinctly. Everything seemed to be rationed, with families receiving ration cards to buy food – only so much per person. Gasoline was rationed; shoes were rationed. No cars or electrical things were being manufactured except for military use. The military draft was in full swing and the mood of the county was let’s go and win this war.

The atmosphere here in this country was so much different than that of today. Everyone was attuned to the task. Patriotism was at its highest peak from the time you entered kindergarten at school until you were of military age. I remember these years as if they were yesterday. Dog shows during these years, 1941 thru 1946, were pretty much closed down except for big cities where not much travel was required. You could not buy gasoline without a ration card and only enough to get you to work and back. In those years, I rode a bicycle everywhere I went. From when I was about eight years old right up through high school, I rode a bike. Even bicycles were hard to come by because new ones were not being manufactured. If you had a car and it broke down, you couldn’t find parts for it except maybe in a junk yard. As far as the economy was concerned, everyone seemed to be working. If you wanted to work, there was plenty of it. Defense plants, makers of airplanes, boats and everything that was mechanized, tire companies, etc... were hiring people to work in their plants. Military clothes makers, food, meat and bread companies were at full capacity to keep the United States war machine going.

The United States and its allies won that war, thank God, or things might have been a lot different in this country today. The United States was not ready for war when it came, but it didn’t take long to muster the greatest fighting force the world had ever seen. The United States remains that way today but patriotism is not as strong as it was in those days. It would probably take another jolt like that of 1941 to bring it back full strength. Throughout all this hectic time, dog shows preserved and became much like we see them today.

Before the second world war, entries were from one hundred and fifty to two hundred fifty dogs for the largest shows. After the war, things started to explode in the dog show world. These shows, for the most part, were judged by great dog people who had proven themselves in one way or another in the dog world. Then came a period in the late 1950s when entries started to explode and there weren’t enough really good dog people to go around, and judging became a little iffy.

Today really experienced dog people are not as easy to find to judge these shows.

In my early days, nobody dared to challenge or berate an experienced judge. There were no reps to run to and voice your unhappiness. You took care of things yourself. Today it is almost like a bunch of school kids running around tattling on each other.

I realize the growing pains that have to come with the popularity of the sport but some of this behavior has to stop for the good of the sport.

People who have proven themselves as very good dog people should be accepted and be respected not disrespected. Anyone who is a good dog person does not want to have their reputation ruined by being crooked or tainted in any way.

The sport of dogs is being tainted by disrespectful people who want to win at any cost instead of trying harder to produce better show dogs. I believe that a respectful, good dog person would be happy to explain their placings of a class if an exhibitor would respectfully ask. The key word is respectful, not being hostile. Losing a class at a dog show is not the end of the world and there is another show just around the corner. There are many dog judges that have no real talent for it but that does not make them bad people. They don’t have the talent but don’t realize it. I have known many dog judges (when I was handling dogs) that I did not respect their opinions that much but were really nice people and became good friends after I got to know them.


That’s it for now....Ric Chashoudian