The Non-Sporting Group – A Marvelous Menagerie

BY AMY FERNANDEZ

Everyone’s been there. Ringside with a bewildered novice patiently explaining the basics of competition as they frantically scan from ring to catalog desperately trying to grasp the obviously significant events unfolding before their eyes. To insiders, the mechanics of this game are second nature. Confor- mation judging is a straightforward process of elimination. The contenders enter the fray. Dismal, fabulous, and everything in be- tween, through a tightly structured series of objective evaluations, each one is sized up according to its standard. The action moves along at a brisk pace of two minutes per dog, and class after class, the field is systematically pared down to the last dog standing. Voila …BIS! What’s so hard about that?

Actually, everything. For someone encountering this strange ritual for the first time, very little seems logical or straightforward. Why does the numbering system start at five? Why do some losers go back in the ring? (Non-regular competition doesn’t even enter the conversation at that point.) Why is this breed stacked on a table, that one is stacked on the ground, and some get ramps? Sometimes, apparently some collective consen- sus decrees hands-off presentation for other breeds. Why does this breed get a full-on dental exam and it’s a mere formality for that one? For that matter, why is hairspray, chalk, etc. officially verboten but okay sometimes? Why are some breeds strung up like marionettes while others gallop around on long floppy leads? For that matter, what’s the deal with 90 million different leads?

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Posted by Alex on Feb 18 2017. 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.