My heart is full, my feet and legs are tired, and I have a big smile on my face after spending the last week/weekend in Louisville at the Kentuckiana Cluster of dog shows. A huge shout-out to David Johnson and all the volunteers for the hospitality and your hard work putting on yet another [...]
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will welcome spectators once again to see 210 of the 212 recognized breeds represented at this year’s show. The largest Westminster entries by breed are Golden Retrievers (51), Labrador Retrievers (43), Rhodesian Ridgebacks (41), French Bulldogs (38), and Whippets (35). Westminster will celebrate the newly eligible breed, Bracchi Italiani (10), as part of the 16.5 hours of FOX Sports television coverage culminating with Best in Show on Tuesday, May 9, on FS1.
Well, Crufts 2023 is in the rearview mirror, and I enjoyed watching all the show updates and excitement shared by all of our American friends at the show! The USA was well-represented, indeed! For many, showing a dog at Crufts is a dream, while others dream of attending as a spectator. It is certainly on my bucket list!
The International Kennel Club of Chicago (AKA The Great American Dog Show) today announced an international panel of judges for their premier August 2023 event. Complete judges’ bios can be found at Judges August 26, 2023 – International Kennel Club of Chicago (ikcchicago.com). The roster of Group and Best in Show judges is as follows: [...]
In this month’s From the Publisher column (http://caninechronicle.com/current-articles/from-the-publisher-39/), Tom Grabe talks about a 2012 interview in CC with one of my all-time favorite judges, Mr. Edd Bivin. In that discussion, Mr. Bivin encourages new exhibitors to look around the ring and enjoy the moment! Tom also chats about his first time at a show, hoping for [...]
The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is pleased to announce the judging panel for the 2023 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin to be held at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, December 16 and Sunday, December 17, 2023. The 2023 event will showcase the top canine athletes and will also include popular attractions [...]
I believe that there were six clusters around the country this past weekend. In keeping with the question of are there too many dog shows, I’d like to add this data for consideration: Of the six clusters held, only one show was under 1,000 on Saturday, and that was the show held in [...]
I am deeply saddened when we lose any member of our dog family, but this one is especially tough for me, and for others. I am going to miss you, “D”. Rest well my dear friend. Sincere condolences to his husband, Randy Garren, and his dear friend, Jackie Beaudoin, as well as all the others that had the opportunity to have him in their lives. The dog world is a sadder place without Dennis McCoy in its midst.
We received the very sad news that Mr. Dennis McCoy of Apex, North Carolina passed away on February 18. Dennis was a longtime fancier, AKC judge, breeder of Poodles, and professional handler. He was an icon of our sport; brilliant, funny, witty and incredibly talented. His accomplishments are far too many to mention. Dennis–with Randy’s [...]
Westminster is a tradition. Part of the charm and excitement was going to Manhattan, showing on the floor of Madison Square Garden (MSG), and being able to gather with friends I do not see often, in the city for fantastic dinners, Broadway shows, parties, etc. Will we ever get that opportunity again? That remains to be seen, but one can only hope, right? Some of the younger exhibitors have not had the opportunity to feel the electricity of Westminster at MSG. While there are many that appreciate the increased space and ring size by having the breed judging outdoors at Lyndhurst and limited seating in the tent for Group and Best In Show judging, there are also many who miss showing at the Garden. What is certain is that our sport has demonstrated great flexibility over the past few years, and many will attend Westminster regardless of its location. Hopefully the Westminster folks will be able to zero in on consistent date and a location in the not-too-distant future.