“What’s All the Hubbub About?”

By Lisa Dube Forman

My goodness, it seems our dog society has been up in arms as of late about the Parent Club Reserve Winners receiving three point majors, if the number of dogs competing in the regular classes of the Reserve Winner’s sex totals at least twice the number required for a five point major, in the region in which the event is held. The supplementary caveat is the Parent Club has the option of not providing the additional major.

There was a great deal of hubbub surrounding this hotly debated topic, along with the actions of the AKC Delegates’ Parent Clubs Committee which came under fire preceding the September Delegates Meeting and vote. It seems one argument in opposition of the new amendment was that the Reserve Winners major would further lessen the meaning of an American champion, ergo the title of an AKC Championship. Though my following commentary in no way belittles their belief, it most certainly disagrees with this school of thought because of two reasons. First, I’ll be straightforward, our AKC Championships are already so cheap we could buy them in a supermarket. The adjective ‘cheap’ is defined as very poor quality and my statement should not be misread to mean the costs involved in obtaining a championship title are cheap. Because of the current, overall, poor quality of breed representation, there can be no active AKC Judge to argue against this reality. As a result of such quality, I cannot accept the premise of the argument that such Reserve Winner’s three point major awarded at one parent club breed national specialty, per year, will diminish the meaning of an American champion.

I am oddly amused at the very thought of the hubbub and aforementioned argument against awarding points since, as I said, the quality of all-breed show dogs is bordering on abysmal. Researching the Schedule of Points in all Divisions for all our breeds, it identifies the necessary number of dogs in competition to earn, in some cases a modest, three point major. Remember, the Reserve Winners sex in competition has to be at least double the number eligible for a five point major, for that sex, in that region or division. I’d rather see the dogs earn a three point major requiring double the number of dogs normally awarded for a five point major than earning a three point major at an all-breed show with a minimum number of dogs in competition. To illustrate, let us look at Division Six (6) that importantly includes Missouri, which I purposefully selected because Purina Farms is a popular dog show venue for national specialties. I reviewed the requirements for Labrador Retrievers, a random example, and their three point major requirements in this division. Their all-breed dog shows require 12 Labrador bitches in competition for a three point major, and a five point major requires 54 bitches. So, am I to understand correctly that those in opposition of the new amendment believe that it is more meaningful for a Labrador bitch to win Winners with a three point major over only 12 bitches in competition at an all-breed dog show, versus the achievement of Reserve Winners besting at least 108 bitches at the Labrador Retriever Club’s national specialty for a potential, modest three point (NOT FIVE POINT) major? If I am correct, then there is, in my opinion, a baffling breakdown in reasoning. Let us look at the other extreme being a low entry breed. I reviewed the requirements for the Australian Terrier, another random example in the same division, who require 5 bitches in competition for a three point major and 7 bitches for a five point major. In June 2012, the Australian Terrier Club of America held their 2012 national specialty at Purina Farms with 32 bitches competing in regular classes. The Reserve Winners bitch defeated 30 class bitches, and significantly, this number was more than four times the number necessary for a five point major in that division. For me, this is very meaningful as opposed to the same bitch winning three points over five bitches at an all-breed dog show in the same division. Besides, one can attend all-breed dog shows throughout the country and rarely see representations of many of our low entry breeds. In conclusion, if a dog is awarded Reserve Winners at their national specialty they have rightly earned memorable points, under the specific requirements of dogs competing, towards their championship title all the while they have not further lessened the meaning of an American Champion. That damage has already been done.

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Posted by admin on Oct 30 2012. Filed under Current Articles, Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.