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A few weeks ago I stood by the ringside along with some of my friends and watched the judging in a Terrier breed, not my own Westies though. We watched several breeds, and I found out pretty quickly that my friend felt that the judge consistently put up the best known face in the ring. I couldn’t disagree with his opinion of this multiple group judge. Then we got ourselves a cup of coffee and the conversation became very wide ranging, from the decline in entries, to the aging of club members and exhibitors, the quality and cost of show facilities, individual dogs of various breeds – you surely have been in similar conversations yourself.
April 17th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Just when one mega media occurrence in our little world ends…so begins another.
I refer to the waning of Westminster and the ascension of Crufts. (To be completely transparent) I personally have never been to the event across the pond, but via multiple sources (of the human variety) and my new found friend “online streaming”, I think I have a good handle on it.
April 16th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
So, your beautiful sporting dog has completed its conformation championship, perhaps two or three different championships from breed registries in the U.S. and Canada, maybe even owns a grand championship or two and a bunch of blue, red, yellow and white ribbons for group placements, possibly even a few Best In Show trophies. But, now the dog’s show career is coming to an end. It has either won every possible award you ever wanted or it has indicated that it simply has had enough of being a “foo-foo.”
April 15th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
The first time I put on my pantyhose at nine years-old for a dog show, I wanted to take them right off. However, my mom made me continue to wear them so I would look professional in the ring. As time went on, I grew more comfortable in my pantyhose, just as I grew more comfortable in the dog show ring.
April 14th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Westminster is now firmly established as a dual-venue show. Occasionally, a nostalgic exhibitor asks, “when do you think they’ll go back to the Garden for the breeds?” However, the size of the show and the renovations at Madison Square Garden have determined the answer—“never.” While the Piers have distinct advantages over Madison Square Garden for the daytime breed competition, nothing can compare with the impact of seeing the dogs gait into the enormous Garden group ring. So, it’s back to the refurbished Garden for the evening competition, which begins with the a capella singing of the national anthem by talented youngsters from the cast of Broadway’s “Matilda.” There’s no doubt—it’s Westminster, and there’s “only one.”
April 13th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Income tax time has come again. To a good many breeders this means the drudgery of wading through the shoe box filled with last year’s receipts to see just how much was spent and through the bank statements to find out just how little revenue was realized. Time is then spent compiling some kind of list containing both income and expenses. This list is then taken to the accountant so he or she might work some kind of magic during the tax return preparation.
April 12th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
It is my opinion that some of today’s exhibitors are confused about what it takes to win at dog shows. A good number of those involved in the sport of purebred dogs, some more seasoned than you think, believe the secret to success at dog shows is more about who you know than what you have. Frankly, I think that premise is flawed.
April 11th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
Since the founding in 1967 by Delores Streng, an icon in the sport, Telltale is a kennel name synonymous with English Springer Spaniels.
April 10th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
The ancestral Hungarian herding dog appears to have migrated with the Magyars and their livestock from the Ural-Altay region, between China and the Caspian Sea, to the Carpathian Basin around 800 AD. This dog most likely can be traced back to the herding/guard dogs (Tsang Apso, mistakenly called Tibetan Terriers by Europeans) originating from China and Tibet and were widespread in that region. This ancestral Puli mixed with French and German herding dogs around 300 years ago, as a result of livestock trading between Hungary with France and Germany. Livestock was driven on hoof to their destination and the dogs went with them. Some accidental or perhaps even intended breedings between the respective parties’ dogs took place as the Hungarian Gray cattle provided much of the beef eaten in France and Germany. From the German side, the contributors to the creation of the Pumi were the Pomeranian Schafspudel (Sheep Poodle, still in existence today in small numbers) and the Hütespitz (Herding Spitz) which was considered extinct as of 1935. Both these ancient breeds had been recognized since the Middle Ages.
March 23rd, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured,Uncategorized | Read More »
It’s a decades-old question: Has the chase for the top dog, at the breed level, group level, or number 1 dog amongst all breeds, hurt the sport? Is this really the reason entries are declining? Is it even a contributing factor or just another excuse for the lack of participation at dog shows we are witnessing today?
March 20th, 2015 | Posted in Current Articles,Editorial,Featured | Read More »
