Sportsmanship. That elusive quality that is inherent in some fortunate individuals and sadly lacking in many others. There is more to being a good sport than congratulating a competitor after they’ve beaten you. No, being a good competitor and practicing good sportsmanship goes much, much deeper than that.
Most of you have either heard or read about the challenges the American Kennel Club is currently facing. Whether it’s plummeting registrations, declining participation at dog shows, internal conflict, or being sued by PETA, they have serious problems that would seem to require an all-hands-on-deck search for solutions. Yet, somehow they seem to dwell on minutiae that, in some cases, exacerbates these issues.
Remember the tongue twister that began with, “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?” Maybe we need a couple of variations on that old saw such as, “How many times can a judge judge shows if a judge could judge each day?” Or “How many shows can a show dog show at if shows are held numerous times throughout the day?” I know, not nearly as catchy, but you get the drift.
In the world of purebred dogs, we pride ourselves on precision, planning, and passion. Yet lately, the dog show calendar reads more like a cautionary tale from a business textbook than a roadmap to breed excellence. The hard truth? We are facing a classic economic imbalance: too much inventory, and not enough buyers.
On May 13, the CDC published new federal dog importation regulations that go into effect August 1st.
That was my first thought when I checked out Toco, the Japanese media sensation who reportedly has spent $14,000 to satisfy his lifelong dream of transforming himself into a Collie. His journey from human to Collie has already garnered an enormous social media fan club–32,000 YouTube subscribers according to a recent NY Post story. By way of explanation he said, “Do you remember your dreams from when you are little? You want to be a hero or a wizard…” Yeah well, I wanted to be a mermaid and I’m still waiting for that one.
The Yorkshire Terrier is the most popular toy breed in the United States based on AKC registration statistics for 2021, ranking thirteenth among two hundred recognized breeds. It was one of the first toy breeds (with the Pug) to be recognized by AKC, in 1885.
So often, when writing these pedigree dog histories, I can trace a breed’s origins back to the landed gentry or as pampered royal companions; however, this tiny toy dog has never been featured in the paintings of the Great Masters. He has never been the plaything of kings or (like so many other breeds) as far as I can tell, never been owned by Queen Victoria. His mummified remains have never been recovered from Egyptian tombs and his distinctive image is noticeably absent from Hieroglyphics.
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The longer a person is active in dog sports, the more likely it will be that they have accumulated a plentitude of “dog stuff” and a lot of it will be duplicates, triplicates and even greater “cates.” In fact, if you are the average “dog sport person,” paraphrasing King David’s words in Psalm 23, ‘your cup runneth over with dog stuff.’
