Table Talk • September 9, 2026
There has been a great deal of discussion over the past couple of weeks about the situation in Doswell, Virginia involving the death of a Golden Retriever. Many fanciers have a bad taste in their mouths because the individuals allegedly involved with this poor dog’s demise continued to show dogs for the rest of the week.
The “Blue Book” – Dealing with Misconduct at AKC Events outlines the responsibility of the Show Giving Event Committee and the AKC Staff Committee. While the AKC Staff Committee has the ultimate authority to determine penalties, the Event Committee has the responsibility to deal with acts of alleged prejudicial conduct which occur during a club’s event. The Event Committee does not have authority to define the term of a sentence. The committee does, however, have the responsibility to determine if the three elements of the charges have been proven. If so, the accused is suspended, pending the AKC Staff Committee review. For detailed information regarding the responsibilities of the AKC Staff Committee and the Event Committee, consult the AKC Dealing with Misconduct “Blue Book”.
The AKC Staff Committee is supposed to review the Event Committee’s findings within 2 days. After a determination is made, the accused has five days to submit relevant information to the AKC Staff Committee. This process can take time. In this specific case, the Event Committee did not recommend suspension, so the parties involved were allowed to continue showing dogs, pending the AKC Staff Committee review.
In this month’s Publisher’s Comments, Tom suggests that AKC re-evaluate the current guidelines to address situations where a dog or person is seriously harmed or dies. He states that there should be an alternative disciplinary path which includes immediate suspension until a conclusion about guilt or innocence is rendered. It makes a lot of sense to me that tragedies such as the death or harm of a dog are treated differently than other less serious offenses. As Tom so eloquently stated in his Publishers Comments: The dogs who lost their lives deserve it, and so does the sport we love so much.
Larry Abbott and his team with the Lone Star State Classic have found an alternate venue for their shows in July. The 2027 shows will be held on the same dates–July 8-11, 2027–at the Will Rogers Memorial Complex in Fort Worth. Kudos to the team for your perseverance. The plans for the format of the 2027 shows will be the same as this year. There will be four all-breed shows, with the specialties and group shows held in conjunction with the all-breed show weekend.
The Blue Grass Classic Cluster in Lexington, Kentucky is already hard at work preparing for their 2027 shows which will be held over Labor Day weekend, Thursday September 2nd - Monday, September 6th, 2026. Breed clubs interested in holding specialties in conjunction with this cluster should reach out to Kathy Garcia at Kathygphotos@aol.com. The cluster is held at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park in the air-conditioned building. They do a wonderful job accommodating specialties.
The Border Collies rescued from the residence of Paige O’Donnell are now available for adoption. Some of the dogs will require experienced homes to rehabilitate them, but they are doing very well! If you or someone you know is interested in giving one of these dogs a second chance, please contact the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast at https://hstc1.org .
Please join me in wishing this week’s lovebirds a very happy anniversary! Debbie and Steve Melgreen and Jeff and Becky Arch are celebrating another wonderful year together. Wishing both couples continued happiness and many more fantastic years of wedded bliss!
Fanciers celebrating birthdays this week include Bonny Datema, Alisa Syar, Lisa Thomas, Lorraine Rainwater, Janet Woodrich, Diane Baker, Jessica Sanchez, and Eric Glofka. May the next year bring you great joy, health and happiness!
In closing, I would like to challenge all fanciers to do your part. Be accountable, protect the dogs, and protect the sport we all love so much.
Wherever your travels take you, be safe out there. I look forward to seeing you soon down the road. Until next time…
Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=369383
Posted by Comments are closed
