By Amy Fernandez Getting a dog has been one of the most popular ways to cope with quarantine and all the related stress that it entails. We’re still far from getting back to normal. Of course, the latest debate on this front is whether or not it will be safe to open schools in the [...]
Quite a few breeders have the resources to buy the best and do things on a grand scale. That approach typically ensures instant recognition and transitory success, but rarely translates into a lasting contribution. That requires an element that money can’t buy, an uncompromising focus on quality. Barbara Fallass and her daughter Susan Mason made historic contributions to the development of Smooth Fox Terriers, Greyhounds, and Welsh Pembroke Corgis.
It continues to be extremely important to not repeat fake news. Show information should be disseminated by the show-giving club. Only if an authorized show committee member asks to post information about their show should others post or repeat information about a cluster. At this point, I strongly recommend going directly to the show chair as opposed to looking up information on the AKC website. Information on the website has been confusing and has caused people to conclude that shows are cancelled when they are not. The Canine Chronicle show calendar is a great resource to refer to in these “fluid” times. We do our best to get our site updated as soon as official information is made available.
Therefore, it’s amazing to realize the AKC’s first skirmish on this front was quick and clear. Of course that was way, way back in 1924, and AKC had a unique advantage that time around. Its president, John Emmons de Mund M.D., had already been around the block with AKC and lawsuits.
What did I do this past week/weekend?? I went to a dog show!!!! I have to admit I was a bit edgy about going to my first show in a long time; one that turned out to be the largest cluster of the year thus far, and by a large margin! Anyone who has been to the Steel Valley Cluster in Canfield, Ohio, knows that one of the things it is known for is the “iffy” weather.
Quite often when one participates in, or overhears, a conversation concerning the pedigreed dog the word ‘correct’ is seemingly used with great abandon. It has now apparently become one of those elements in our language which we employ with considerable frequency but yet do we oftentimes really consider what we mean when we use it and, as a result, is it always applied in proper context? Are we always aware of how it should be defined? Do we ever qualify it with a follow-up; correct in what sense, for what purpose? Has it now, perhaps, become so loosely and cursorily thrown in so as to lose its potency and intended meaning? Are we compromising a certain connotation here when we use it too casually?
Within the judging community, knowing when to stop is for the most part related to either health or age. One’s inherent ability to pass judgment, given the subjective nature of the process, is seldom an issue unless, that is, a judge’s procedure is called into question and subsequently found to be flawed. At the same time,
Congratulations to the fancy as a whole for showing that we, as a community, can do what it takes to carry on and have dog shows safely.
First, let me dispose of a couple of things. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to win. It’s always fun and it provides a little ego boost to boot. But, there’s a fine line between being competitive and overly competitive, between winning when it counts and when no one’s counting.
So here we are midsummer and maybe the pandemic is winding down…or maybe it’s just revving up for real business. Very disconcerting. We definitely need to hang onto the stuff we know for sure. And for many of us–me included–it’s an absolute certainty that the past six months have made us fat, crazy and lazy. Even if your local gym is reopening, you’re probably debating the possible risks of returning.
