What’s A Permit Judge To Do?

by Dr. Bob G. Smith

Thank goodness the Judging Approval process is soon to be implemented (March 1). It reduces the number of Permits (Provisional) assignments from 5 to 3. This reduction in required assignments will certainly be beneficial to many of us who are applying for more breeds. However, if assignments do not come from clubs or are cancelled, this reduced requirement cannot be fulfilled in a timely fashion.

I believe it is incumbent on clubs to offer Permit/Provisional judges the opportunities to judge at their shows. Having a panel of judges who are approved for several groups or have all-breed status obviously is easier for a Show Chairperson to schedule, make housing arrangements, meals, etc. However, when a Show Chair is selecting a panel, I believe there should be major consideration given to choosing one or more Permit/Provisional judges and then building a panel around them. I understand that many Chairs reverse the panel building process and select their approved judges first. If that is the case the majority of the time, the future of dog shows will be somewhat threatened in my opinion. As more and more judges “mature” and accept fewer and fewer assignments, the pool of experienced judges becomes smaller because there have been fewer and fewer Permit judges receiving assignments.

Many Permit judges rarely charge a fee and expenses. Some Permits charge a fee and no expenses and some judge for expenses only….some of us have judged for no fee/expenses and absorbed all the costs. Some clubs offer Permit judges fees as low as $2 per entry. I am certainly not suggesting that, especially when a Permit judge is contracted to judge low-entry breeds. I recently judged on a panel where a Provisional judge flew across the country to judge a provisional assignment and had only 7 entries. He paid for his plane fare, his accommodations, and his meals. His expenses must have been out of sight! With that limited number of entries, that Permit judge will have a difficult time fulfilling his Permit requirements. As I accept any future assignments for Permit breeds, I will certainly look at the entry numbers from prior years to determine if I would be able to recoup some of my expenses.

I would suggest that AKC Judging Operations consider making some accommodations for the 200 mile limit for Permit judges, especially on limited entry breeds. Reducing the 200 mile distance between clubs for judging assignments could provide Permit judges of Limited Entry Breeds with more opportunities to judge those breeds, reduce travel time, and consequently, lower expenses. That suggestion or others still does not solve the problem of so few clubs using Permit/Provisional judges.

Having been a show chairman for several years, I understand the dilemma that a Show Chair faces when club finances are limited, and it is much easier to schedule a panel of Group Approved/All-Breed judges. However, I encourage show-giving clubs to include as many Permit judges as possible. Not only should shows be a training ground for puppies, Juniors, and Amateur Owner-Handlers, they should provide opportunities for judges to expand their repertoire of breeds to judge. If clubs do not provide Permit judges the opportunities to judge, from where will those opportunities come?

Here is the dilemma for many of us judges approved or otherwise: Cancelled assignments –?contracted ones, penciled in ones, or inquires about availability to judge. I encourage Show Chairs to release from a date a potential judge as soon as possible by notifying the judge that the panel is complete. On a personal note, this writer, within the month of January, had three potential assignments cancelled. One for which I had a contract, one that I had email confirmation of being on a panel this year, and one that I had been told that I would be on the panel for their first show this year. I have no hard feelings about losing those three assignments as I understood the reasoning behind a couple of them. However, two of those assignments were on weekends where I had turned down assignments because I had already committed to judge for those shows. Not only did I not get to judge at the shows for which I had been contacted/committed, but I also lost assignments with two other clubs. Even with the reduced number of Permit assignments, judges in similar situations will have difficulty completing the requirements for approval to new breeds when assignments are not forthcoming.
Should clubs be legally required to compensate judges for which they have a contract? Probably. However, if a judge brings suit for breach of contract, that judge’s name will probably be on the DNH (do not hire) list. What’s a judge in this situation to do? Permit or otherwise? Maybe a Judge who has been contacted, but received no contract, accept the first club’s offer that’s accompanied by a contract. Some judges may already have adopted this procedure.

I close this article with the plea that Show Chairmen give Permit judges first consideration and then build the show panel around them. This process will benefit the club, the exhibitors, and the Permit judges furthering this wonderful activity we love as a Sport!

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Posted by admin on Mar 19 2012. Filed under Breaking News, Current Articles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.