August… Been and Gone…

To read the complete article click here 108 – September, 2012

By Gay Dunlap

August is always a busy month, especially for those judges who decide to further their education. Seminars and full-scale institutes abound, the least of these not being the ADSJ Advanced Judges’ Institute so ably run by Jerry and June Penta. It was the subject of my column this time last year, discussing the general angst on the part of attendees over the fact that AKC had chosen to hold their Hound Institute just down the road in conjunction with the Harrisburg shows. It definitely had a negative effect on the ADSJ event. Enough said about this, especially considering that I got a tongue lashing from AKC for daring to issue negative comments about their decision to hold the event in the very same time frame and thus in direct conflict with ADSJ. A reminder here…the latter has a history of holding theirs on the same dates for many years.  More recently, just prior to this year’s Institute, another columnist, in a different publication took AKC to task for the same issue; once again AKC planned their Judge’s Institute in the same time slot, in the same location (Harrisburg, PA) negatively impacting attendance at ADSJ’s Sporting Dog seminars. While it was not my intention to deliberately rake AKC over the coals, I did feel somewhat robbed of the opportunity to attend both events last year.

And I feel there is every possibility that this sentiment is shared by judges hoping to apply for some of the Sporting breeds in the near future. It is hard to imagine that AKC can’t find another venue at a different time of year so as to not conflict with ADSJ’s Institute, the latter of which is held in such high esteem by so many of us for offering what we feel to be an incredible “bang for the buck.”

This year was no different in terms of ADSJ Institute’s value as a learning experience although many of us felt the additional paperwork required by AKC in order, we were told by some, to prove that we were there, was demeaning. It impeded the true objective of the actual seminars and afternoon “hands-on” sessions, to wit, an in-depth study of each breed presented. In the past, our individual judging assessments of the dogs in the field were done in order to put into practice what we had learned that morning, with the written critiques meant for our eyes only. All of these critiques must now be sent in to AKC, scribbled and illegible as they may be. This is painful for someone even the slightest bit perfectionistic!  And, quite frankly, instant recall of “breed specific” terminology is not so easy when the clock is running, either. Given the number of judges in attendance multiplied by the number of presentations, this would mean approximately 9,000 critiques crossing someone’s desk at AKC.  Now required at all breed seminars are AKC’s Open Book Breed Tests. Many attendees were taking the tests during the actual breed presentation in the morning, thus stealing their attention away from the presenters. The answer sheets to these tests are also sent in to AKC with the understanding that one will not be required to take them again upon submitting an application for the breed. I truly felt sorry for the presenters who were required to round up the reams of paperwork and were also responsible for seeing that it all got to AKC. This alone was an undertaking that I considered to be excessive and beyond to call of duty, given that none are paid to provide these presentations in the first place.  However, so be it…and, in truth, I heard no complaints from any of them; bless their hearts.

Dr. Penta, by way of keeping rising costs at bay, arranged for attendees to be housed in IUP’s dorms this year, all meals, as usual, provided for at the University’s cafeteria. We received our supplies upon check-in, which this year included a pillow, two sheets, a pillowcase, a lightweight coverlet, a washcloth, hand towel and bath towel, the latter rather flimsy. Many with knowledge of forethought brought their own bath linen while others hightailed it to Wal-Mart where they purchased inexpensive towels, designed to end up in a donation box at the end of the week. Some attendees determined, upon arrival, that they might be more comfortable at the old Holiday Inn headquarters and immediately dispatched themselves there. Others did a little switching of roommates, in an effort to pair themselves with someone of like interests, or what have you.  My roommate and I, who travel quite well together, were most happy with our accommodations, other than the beds that is…and the beds proved to be a bone of contention for most. They appeared to be little more than a thin innerspring covered with slippery blue plastic and felt rather much as if one were sleeping on a bumpy rock. In our case, we each had our own separate bedroom with bath, a nice great room with comfortable furniture and a kitchenette with full freezer/refrigerator.  So we became the meeting place for a few, bringing in food and libation each night for a bit of a party. We even provided music thanks to my laptop and Pandora. Certainly and, as is usually the case with our lot, the best was made of the situation with most of us making jokes about the beds! I believe that Dr. Penta has plans to alter the format somewhat for next year’s institute. At the same time, I think he will find most attendees willing to pay a bit extra for more comfortable accommodations. We shall see.

August also brought one of the highlights of our year, the Santa Barbara Kennel Club’s grand event, which included the recently established Breeder’s Showcase and, for the first time, a “Bullyganza.” The latter was a competition among the Best of Breed, Best of Winners and Best Opposite Sex winners from all breeds in which the word “Bull” is included as part of their name, all competed in a single class with Dr. Richard Meen officiating. So everything from the Bullmastiff to the Frenchie entered the ring with top honors going to the Frenchie.

The Breeder’s Showcase was held during the serving of an elegant and sumptuous dinner for exhibitors, on the verdant grounds of the arena. This year, The Canine Chronicle became one of the dinner’s major sponsors. Spectators sipped wine or more serious spirits while the competition wound on. It was heartwarming to find so many breeders taking part in this well-conceived event, which honors the very reason dog shows were established in the first place…to compare and evaluate breeding stock. Each entry consisted of two dogs, either sex, with both bred by the same person. This year the competition drew a total of 124 entries with the largest coming for the Hound Group with 28 entrants and the second largest from the Terrier Group with 22.  Double these numbers and you know how many dogs were in the ring together, all at the same time. It is a more difficult job to sort them out than one might think, given that breeders naturally enter the cream of their crop! An exciting event, for sure, with top honors going to the Border Terriers, bred by Karen Fitzpatrick. The final decision was that of Michael Gadsby (Great Britain) and Edd Bivin, with Richard Meen serving as tiebreaker. Judge Bruce Schwartz sent the Border pair to the finals. Santa Barbara’s entire show had been dedicated to the memory of Bruce’s mother, Lillian, a passionate terrier lover who was beloved and admired by all who knew her. “Lil” sadly left us earlier this year.

This is indeed a magical event, thanks to so many on its membership list, as I have said before, one that includes the “who’s who of dogdom.”  The worker bees include such notables as club president, Abbe Shaw and vice president, Barbara Johnson, not to mention the brains behind its Breeder Showcase and Bullyganza, Desi Murphy. Its show committee appeared to be everywhere at once, making certain all was running smoothly… Show Chairman Anita O’Berg, Judges Hospitality Chair, Jeanie Austin and so many others…the dapper Glen Lajeski making certain the arena appeared elegant for the dinner event, Connie Clark following up on the specialty and supported entry breeds, Charles Hamilton supervising the always spectacular grounds, Honey Reisman, responsible for the exquisite trophy table. There are indeed many others responsible for the smooth running of the weekend; mention must include stalwart member, David Powers, who served the club well, keeping it alive for years and who recently resigned his post as Show Chairman.

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