Townsend Scudder – A True Champion Of Purebred Dogs

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138 – March, 2024

By Amy Fernandez

This sport demands narrow focus. “Keep your eye on the prize” is equally tried and true. It certainly maintains momentum, but it also creates the risk of missing interesting stuff in our midst. As we know, this is an “amateur sport” and yes that definition is debatable but that open launchpoint brings a tremendously diverse and fascinating group of people together.

In fact, when dog shows kicked off in the mid-1800s those blurry boundaries of competition truly were a shockwave through Britain’s traditionally rigid class hierarchy. Most of the genuine talent came from the lower echelons of society. That was disconcerting, but it paled in comparison to the reality of women competing on equal terms. Equality was a long way off but dog shows definitely revised the status quo in that arena.

Then and now, the single reason to be here is canine quality. We judge everyone by that metric. And that’s exactly how it should be. But it also leads us to overlook the fact that–aside from handlers–everybody else here has a day job (which is something AKC tends to forget). My point is that our sport draws an incredible mix of professions.

Here’s a fine example. Townsend Scudder–if he is remembered at all these days–was a major player in Cockers a century ago. Maybe also the fact that he judged Westminster 1932, awarding BIS to Ch. Nancolleth Markable, the celebrated Pointer imported and campaigned by Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. It was a popular win; and as we know, Westminster is a tough place to win with a Pointer.

Click here to read the complete article
138 – March, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on Mar 13 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.