From The Publisher

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10 – October, 2023

By Tom Grabe

While enjoying dinner with some doggie friends recently, the topic of judging found its way into our conversation. (surprise, surprise!) However, this wasn’t the typical discussion about the merits, or lack thereof, of today’s judges. This conversation was about the reasons people choose to judge dogs. We wondered aloud why people want to become judges and why some attempt to gain approval for more breeds as soon as possible.

The six of us had well over 200 years of combined experience in the sport of purebred dogs. Every one had bred, owned or exhibited Best In Show and National Specialty winners. In short, they weren’t lacking experience when it came to discussing the sport. The opinions regarding the reasons people judge were assorted. However, the opinions about why most choose to attain approval to judge as many groups as possible–as quickly as they can–was nearly unanimous.

We all agreed there is a desire to travel the country judging dogs while seeing friends on a regular basis. Someone commented about the monetary aspect. There is money to be made by judging every weekend. Some judges depend on that income to pay the bills.?We all agreed that the social and financial aspects of judging on a regular basis far outweighed the more noble purpose of judging which is finding the best breeding stock and protecting the standard.

As the conversation progressed, one person mentioned it is very hard to get hired if you don’t have at least two, preferably three or more, groups. Show chairpersons need multiple group judges to cover the gaps and besides, it saves money, they claimed. They said if you have a few breeds or half a group, you may never get called unless you have a reputation within those breeds, and even then you’ll be lucky to get a few assignments per year.

Click here to read the complete article
10 – October, 2023

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