Ringside Thoughts

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136 – The Annual, 2023-24

By Kerrin Winter-Churchill

“Love Has No Pedigree,” was the clever tagline of an award-winning campaign produced for the American Humane Society back in the 1990s. While I understood its message it always rankled my sensibilities because while it drove pet buyers to adopt homeless shelter dogs, it also was a negative message directed at all who have dedicated their lives to producing healthy, reliable, purebred dogs. If you’re reading this then chances are good you agree that there’s no better kind of dog than a well-bred, purebred, and yet, I wonder. Do we really know our dogs’ pedigrees?

Few things about dog shows are more exciting to me than watching a large entry of dogs as they first trot into the ring. Years ago I learned from the late AKC judges Anne Rogers Clark and Jane Forsyth that from the moment the dogs enter the ring, the eye is drawn to type and soundness; and one can make mental notes of the dogs that excite the senses as they first whisk past on the fly. Both great judges attributed this technique to the iconic handler and judge of nearly a century ago–the great Percy Roberts–and I like to think he is with me in spirit as I sit ringside and watch. Of course, ringside judging is not the same as hands-on judging but it is deeply entertaining and, to me, extremely educational.

Click here to read the complete article
136 – The Annual, 2023-24

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jan 7 2024. 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.