The Decay Of Sportsmanship

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From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, April, 2014

By Brent Wright

Recently during a cluster-show weekend that featured a National Specialty, I received a phone call from the owner-handler of a BIS winning dog that I had bred.

After the breed judging that day, the judge asked this exhibitor to speak to him. He explained that a few days before his judging assignment he had received an 8 page letter maligning both the dog she was showing and her. He said he was forwarding the letter to the AKC. Later it was learned that a letter had been sent to each breed judge on the panel.

Curious about its content, the owner asked to see it. There were several malicious accusations and outright lies made about her as well as many uncomplimentary photos of her dog. The dog and owner were named with their pictures included.

Insinuating that the judges may be insecure in their assessment of this breed and could be persuaded to put up a dog based on its winning record, the author stated that they would outline what to look for when judging. Under the guise of teaching the judges the salient breed characteristics, the author attempted to persuade them not to put up the dog in question since, in their opinion, it had so many serious breed faults.

In the 8 page letter, several photos of her dog were used to illustrate the dog’s perceived faults which were listed under the photo. Next to each photo there was a picture of a different dog used to show the desired traits. In many cases, the dog used to illustrate the correct breed points was not exemplary in the areas described. The letter said the owner’s dog should not be doing all the winning it has and hopefully more judges would now be made aware of its shortcomings. Of course, the letter was not signed.

As the breeder of the dog in question, I was highly incensed. The dog has several attributes that the breed is currently lacking. Yes, there are a few things I would like to improve, but overall I consider this dog to be the best one I have bred in 35 years and he was ranked Number 1 in the breed while shown on a limited basis.

No doubt the author of the insidious letter was hoping to sway the judges from rewarding the dog in question and therefore increasing their dog’s chance to prevail. What was not taken into consideration is that judges assess virtues in relation to faults.

Too many exhibitors have an obsessive need to win at any cost, using their dog as an ego booster. They are totally devoid of any form of sportsmanship and will use any underhanded strategy to ensure their dog wins. Any competitive sport fosters rivalry, but sportsmanship and fair play should prevail. Although our breed club has a code of ethics, the author of the letter did not abide by them. A few of the statements in the Code include, “Refrain from false or malicious criticism (hurtful or mean-spirited comments) about a competitor’s dog, a breeder, an owner or a judge’s decision,” and “Display good sportsmanship at all times.”
Unsigned letters are an act of cowardice and insult not only the dog, the owner, and the breeder but also the various knowledgeable judges who have awarded this dog Best of Breed, Group and BIS awards. In one photo in the 8 page letter, a judge is clearly pictured going over the dog on a table. This same picture is used to comment on one of the dog’s perceived faults. The judge awarded the dog Best of Breed at this very prestigious show, so this would certainly be considered an indignity to a judge.

Already, there is a decrease in the number of exhibitors pursuing our hobby. Can you imagine the impact that this type of letter would have on a newer exhibitor who wanted to continue with the sport? They certainly would be intimidated by these bullying tactics.

Any person who creates and distributes a malicious letter vilifying a top quality dog and hides behind their cloak of anonymity is reprehensible.

“Sports do not build character, they define it.” – Heywood Hale Broun

From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, April, 2014

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=46311

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