The first time I put on my pantyhose at nine years-old for a dog show, I wanted to take them right off. However, my mom made me continue to wear them so I would look professional in the ring. As time went on, I grew more comfortable in my pantyhose, just as I grew more comfortable in the dog show ring.
Westminster is now firmly established as a dual-venue show. Occasionally, a nostalgic exhibitor asks, “when do you think they’ll go back to the Garden for the breeds?” However, the size of the show and the renovations at Madison Square Garden have determined the answer—“never.” While the Piers have distinct advantages over Madison Square Garden for the daytime breed competition, nothing can compare with the impact of seeing the dogs gait into the enormous Garden group ring. So, it’s back to the refurbished Garden for the evening competition, which begins with the a capella singing of the national anthem by talented youngsters from the cast of Broadway’s “Matilda.” There’s no doubt—it’s Westminster, and there’s “only one.”
Income tax time has come again. To a good many breeders this means the drudgery of wading through the shoe box filled with last year’s receipts to see just how much was spent and through the bank statements to find out just how little revenue was realized. Time is then spent compiling some kind of list containing both income and expenses. This list is then taken to the accountant so he or she might work some kind of magic during the tax return preparation.
It is my opinion that some of today’s exhibitors are confused about what it takes to win at dog shows. A good number of those involved in the sport of purebred dogs, some more seasoned than you think, believe the secret to success at dog shows is more about who you know than what you have. Frankly, I think that premise is flawed.
Since the founding in 1967 by Delores Streng, an icon in the sport, Telltale is a kennel name synonymous with English Springer Spaniels.
Check out more Around the Ring Galleries in The April Issue of The Canine Chronicle. Follow us on Facebook @The Canine Chronicle…
The ancestral Hungarian herding dog appears to have migrated with the Magyars and their livestock from the Ural-Altay region, between China and the Caspian Sea, to the Carpathian Basin around 800 AD. This dog most likely can be traced back to the herding/guard dogs (Tsang Apso, mistakenly called Tibetan Terriers by Europeans) originating from China and Tibet and were widespread in that region. This ancestral Puli mixed with French and German herding dogs around 300 years ago, as a result of livestock trading between Hungary with France and Germany. Livestock was driven on hoof to their destination and the dogs went with them. Some accidental or perhaps even intended breedings between the respective parties’ dogs took place as the Hungarian Gray cattle provided much of the beef eaten in France and Germany. From the German side, the contributors to the creation of the Pumi were the Pomeranian Schafspudel (Sheep Poodle, still in existence today in small numbers) and the Hütespitz (Herding Spitz) which was considered extinct as of 1935. Both these ancient breeds had been recognized since the Middle Ages.
It’s a decades-old question: Has the chase for the top dog, at the breed level, group level, or number 1 dog amongst all breeds, hurt the sport? Is this really the reason entries are declining? Is it even a contributing factor or just another excuse for the lack of participation at dog shows we are witnessing today?
One of the most oft-quoted descriptions of the varieties of Belgian Shepherd Dog is that of Mme. Jacqueline Aubry in her book Le Berger Belge. It reads as translated “Casual outfit, plain and sober, but full of class for the Malinois with his short, smooth coat of warm red with black mask and overlay so characteristic and so expressive of the variety. Classic afternoon attire for the Groenendael, enveloped in his splendid mane, so long and dense. Splendor of evening clothes for the Tervuren, who, in addition to the beauty of his long coat, has magnificent warm color with shades of fire, or the delicacy of grey with its clever shadows.” Whether Mme. Aubry actually omitted a description of the Laekenois or those who translated her work felt it unimportant, I cannot say. Perhaps the omission of the Laeken from Mme. Aubry’s description of Belgian Shepherd Dogs did not reflect the lack of numbers, but simply that the “description” did not fit with the elegant verbiage used to describe the other varieties. The standards of Belgians all over the world, whether in countries where they remain varieties of one breed (the vast majority) or they are separated into individual breeds, bear remarkable similarities except, of course, in the descriptions of coat and color. The American Belgian Laekenois Association standard says, “The coat must have a texture which is rough and coarse giving a disorderly, tousled look” while the FCI standard says, “What especially characterises the rough hair variety is the roughness and dryness of the hair, which, moreover, is rasping and tousled.”
Over the past several years, the AKC has added a number of programs to encourage participation in dog shows. Many of these involve providing more incentives and awards for exhibitors. Since more than 80% of show dogs are owner-handled, it is not surprising that some of these changes are designed to encourage and support owner-handlers. The addition of the Amateur-Owner-Handler class was a great idea! The rules for exhibiting in this class are pretty restrictive; no professional handlers (or their household members or assistants), no judges and the handler must be a registered owner of the dog. This gives true amateurs an opportunity to enter the ring and compete against each other without the pressure of going head-to-head with professionals from the very beginning. One could also hope that it reminds judges that exhibitors in this class may be very novice, so a little patience and attention to giving clear, precise instructions are appreciated.
