Broadening Bases
By Gay Dunlap
It has been four years since I last set foot in the ring as an exhibitor. I remember the occasion well…it was Great Western and I showed a lovely bitch in Sweepstakes that went on to win Best. I then turned her over to a handler for the regular classes, which I immediately realized was a mistake…Wheatens do not hand off easily…and she did not show for her. All that aside, since that time everything that I have bred has been shown by someone else. The forty-some-odd years of bathing and brushing, combing and scissoring had taken its toll on my wrists and hands; carrying a 30 to 40 pound dog hither and thither had started to wreak havoc with my back as well. So, upon the death of my beloved16 year-old Wheaten Terrier, Mikaela, I began to deliberate over the addition of another breed…something easier to care for. Something that I could once again show myself. So many charming breeds that easily stole my heart, the Lakeland Terrier for quite a while at the top of my list, but feelings arose that something from another group might be more challenging. I briefly considered a Havanese…coated yes, but size-wise the obligate coat care would be far less taxing. Then I fell in love with the look of the Tibetan Spaniel…such a face! I quickly changed my mind when I spotted a handler covered with the hair from his “Tibbie,” realizing that living all those years with a non-shedding breed did not exactly prepare me for all that hair and that I would probably end up tortured by it!! I love the Whippet but quickly acknowledged that the size factor was not realistic for the size of my new home and grounds, never mind that it could not possibly fit through the doggie door. I had become rather captivated by Mini Wire Dachshunds but then, there was the Brussels Griffon…another breed so easy to adore and I even went so far as to put out some feelers, looking for a pup. Then, I felt pulled back to terriers…it is not difficult to be taken in by the charm of the Border Terrier and its easy-to-live-with temperament. Suddenly, the Russell Terrier came on the scene and I fell in love with them…I must sound terribly fickle but how can one so deeply immersed in the world of purebred dogs not fall in love, over and over again with one breed after another. I came ever so close to owning an adorable Russell puppy when fate stepped in.
A 12 week-old Mini Bull Terrier stole my heart at the Palm Springs shows the first weekend in January and my search was over. Thinking about it now, I suppose if any 12 week-old pup of the above named breeds fell into my arms, I would have been a goner! Be that as it may, a brindle Mini Bull Terrier named Foxy Roxy Brown now shares home and hearth with my last Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, Tilly, a quite small bitch soon to be 12 years-old. Tilly assumes a pathetic “long-suffering” posture with corresponding eye roll when Roxy invades her space and begins to chow down on her beard or leg furnishings. But she refuses to tell Roxy off. I had hoped that introducing a youngster into our lives might encourage Tilly to partake of some healthy playtime or at least spark a smidge of activity. Alas, I find she continues to prefer life snoozing in her crate, the door of which is never closed.
Although I have owned, bred and exhibited Wheaten Terriers for half my life, they are not the only breed with which I have lived…there was a Cocker Spaniel when I was growing up; early in my marriage we shared space with a Standard Poodle followed by a Miniature Poodle and later I bred and showed Yorkshire Terriers before Wheaten Terriers came on the scene. More recently, I have been in a close relationship with Miniature Dachshunds, figuring prominently in the whelping of several litters. Most certainly, living with my first “Bully’ is affording me a greater understanding of the finer nuances of this canine sub-species.
First hand experiences with breeds other than those with which we live is part our responsibility if and when we choose to apply to judge them. Indeed, some feel it is imperative that, in order to function as a first-rate judge, one must live with at least several breeds, preferably from various groups. In the real world and as good an idea as this may be, most of us are not in a position to do so. The best readily available alternative to this is to spend quality time with highly respected breeders and their dogs, either in their homes, at their kennels if they have such or, if this is not possible, visiting with them and their dogs after hours at dog shows, preferably specialties.
None of us doubt the value of keen familiarity with the breeds for which we are applying. This, I believe, is the primary motivation behind AKC’s proclivity to give former handlers a leg up when they apply for permit status to judge. It makes sense…deservedly so…considering the degree to which many of them have lived, slept and trained, bred, whelped, groomed, fed, trimmed and otherwise cared for vastly more breeds than most breeders could ever aspire to. The fly in the ointment here, however, is that not all handlers play the same game at the same level. The handler that falls into the category of “breed specialist” might be little different from the master breeder of any given breed and no more qualified to judge than they. It is for this reason that I hope AKC will reevaluate their methodology and the process by which they approve (or disapprove) those that have never been a handler but have spent years within the sport and, further, have developed a reputation for having that elusive gift, an eye for a dog.
A recent experience brought home to me the inequity of the process as it now stands. Roxy’s six-month birthday coincided with the Northern California Terrier Association show, followed by Sacramento Kennel Club’s shows, and since it was a Bull Terrier specialty it was suggested by her breeder that I attend. Actually, it did not take much convincing since I have always enjoyed this circuit. The weekend was far less labor intensive for me with Roxy being what we often refer to as a “wash and wear” dog with little more to do than take her out of her crate, walk her into the ring and walk her out again. As a result, I found myself with lots of time to sit ringside and observe judges working though their various breeds.
Juxtaposing the experience I had in the Bull Terrier ring with what I witnessed in another ring later in the day provided an interesting contrast. I showed to a breeder-judge that I have known for more years than I care to admit but had not seen for quite some time. And because we have been out of touch, the judge had no idea that I had a “new” breed. I deliberately stayed out of sight until entering the ring and it was not until I put my pup on the table to be examined that she glanced up and did a double take. In other words, she only had eyes for the dogs and never looked at who was on the other end of the lead as we went around the ring. Later in the day I watched a judge, with permit (provisional) status, take class after class of dogs around the ring, eyes focused on the faces of the handlers, never once looking down at the dogs. I might not have noticed this had I been in the ring myself, but there it was. I suffered through a range of emotions as I sat there, from stunned to annoyed and, finally, to feeling embarrassed for the judge.
I understand that AKC is reevaluating those decisions that have created a lack of field reps at shows where permit judges need to be observed. I most certainly hope this is the case.
Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=21968
Posted by subschron
on May 17 2013. Filed under Current Articles, Uncategorized.
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