Our Cover Story – DUCATI
Multiple best in show winning · platinum grand champion
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“Author Archive”
Sporting Dogs In Art
Dogs in paintings run, play, follow the prey, take care of their puppies and look at us.
Such paintings are indispensable for unraveling the history of dogs.
Two Breeds Debut at Westminster 2015
Each year, breeds newly recognized by the AKC bring a special energy to Westminster. There are television appearances with David Frei, press interviews, and the chance to make breed history as the first to take Best of Breed honors at the Garden.
This year, the Non-Sporting and Sporting Groups each added a new breed to its roster. Though the Coton de Tulear and Wirehaired Vizsla couldn’t be more dissimilar, each generated excitement and interest in the benching area. It’s hard to resist the snowy white coat and onyx eyes of the Coton, or the Wirehaired Vizsla’s tousled coat and whiskers.
Tales from the Piers
“Blizzard warning! Prepare to end travel!” Flashing orange highway signs spurred drivers from the Midwest and Northeast racing to stay ahead of Winter Storm Neptune on their way to New York City. “Cancelled. Cancelled. Cancelled.” Airport departure boards all around the country lit up as Winter Storm Octavia, sweeping from the West across the South, added her efforts to Neptune’s. Westminster’s mid-February dates make snow, ice, wind, sub-zero temperatures, and travel challenges part of the show’s grand tradition. Veterans are as adept at rescheduling winter travel as they are at showing dogs. Westminster has never been for the faint of heart.
Still Winners!
What Happens After Westminster?
Being crowned Best In Show at Westminster is usually the pinnacle of a show dog’s career. It’s like winning an Oscar. You are an instant celebrity, and everyone wants a piece of you. You and your exhausted but exalted entourage make the round of morning talk shows; open the Stock Market on Wall Street; dine at Sardi’s. But after the Oscars, actors just go on to their next roles. What happens to their canine counterparts, many of whom are still quite young when they leave the limelight? As it turns out, they’re still winners.
Start with Why?
We all read with profound sadness articles recounting the loss of Jagger, the Irish Setter, after the Crufts Dog Show. It struck particularly close to home because I breed, own and love Irish Setters. My life has been shared with these beautiful dogs since eighth grade. Having bred and shown them since 1984 under the Rumraisin prefix they have won best in show, national specialties, obedience, field and performance titles. It is difficult to read about any dog getting poisoned. When you read about a dog of your beloved breed arriving home and dying after competing in a show as prestigious as Crufts, it gets personal.
The Future of Conformation Shows
A few weeks ago I stood by the ringside along with some of my friends and watched the judging in a Terrier breed, not my own Westies though. We watched several breeds, and I found out pretty quickly that my friend felt that the judge consistently put up the best known face in the ring. I couldn’t disagree with his opinion of this multiple group judge. Then we got ourselves a cup of coffee and the conversation became very wide ranging, from the decline in entries, to the aging of club members and exhibitors, the quality and cost of show facilities, individual dogs of various breeds – you surely have been in similar conversations yourself.
Looking Back With Lee
Just when one mega media occurrence in our little world ends…so begins another.
I refer to the waning of Westminster and the ascension of Crufts. (To be completely transparent) I personally have never been to the event across the pond, but via multiple sources (of the human variety) and my new found friend “online streaming”, I think I have a good handle on it.
What’s Next for your Sporting Dog?
So, your beautiful sporting dog has completed its conformation championship, perhaps two or three different championships from breed registries in the U.S. and Canada, maybe even owns a grand championship or two and a bunch of blue, red, yellow and white ribbons for group placements, possibly even a few Best In Show trophies. But, now the dog’s show career is coming to an end. It has either won every possible award you ever wanted or it has indicated that it simply has had enough of being a “foo-foo.”
