Did You know? It’s Okay To Be “Different” Most Of The Time!

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116 – September, 2023

By Michael Canalizo

Our dog sport is indeed a collection of many people from virtually every walk of life worldwide. You don’t believe me? Well, I met Prince Michael of Kent, a member of the Royal Family, at Crufts one year (and he has held positions within the Kennel Club). The Queen of Spain attended the World Dog Show in Madrid the year I was in the Best In Show ring. A “Rockefeller, a Belmont, and maybe an Astor (or two) have held important positions within the AKC, and many famous actors and actresses have been participants at dog shows here in the USA. Famed artists of music and stage showed their own dogs, yet success comes from the hobby breeder who carefully brought their winner into the world in their family room with the whole family taking part in the blessed event. The sport, by its own “genesis” is that of a “non-tactile competition” where “instant success” happens, well…instantly sometimes.

The sport of purebred dogs might be one of the most inclusive, unique, and diverse sports ever. If one had to make a comparison to another sport, ours is often aligned with ice skating–another competition hinged on personal style and interpretation. There isn’t anyone that isn’t welcome. People from every age, race, gender, sexual orientation, creed, and/or income level compete on the same playing field. How much each exhibitior achieves is the subject of a future article, but my point is they all start at the same initial place: the breed level. One visit to any dog show, anywhere, illustrates that the dogs aren’t the only ones in “Show Mode”…so says the guy (ME!) who had TV commentators and book authors bring attention to my wardrobe in the ring(s). Fortunately or unfortunately, the AKC has some restrictions on the level of “Branding” one can wear when they enter the ring; some of “us” could easily be mistaken for a NASCAR poster child if they had no limits.

Click here to read the complete article
116 – September, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 10 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.