Putting aside from the occasional heart-palpitating, cold-sweat-inducing contact with the IRS, owning a dog is a major league drain on the budget. Not only are the dogs themselves a significant expense but the equipment needed to outfit them is at least as expensive as having two kids as youth hockey goalies.
Sometimes the best things that can happen to us in this world of dogs don’t directly involve a dog at all.
Situated in the farthest southwest corner of Europe, Portugal borders Spain, the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The country has eight national breeds; all of them were, or still are, used for work such as herding, guarding and driving cattle, and hauling in nets for the fishermen. Some of them are companion dogs as well. The names of these native breeds all derived from their geographical origin. It can be a chain of mountains (Estrela Mountain Dog), an island (Cão de Fila de São Miguel) or a village (Cão de Castro Laboreiro).
The Amateur Owner Handler class, put in place in January of 2009 by AKC, was implemented to increase interest in showing by those owner-handlers who have never been a professional handler, thus, the “amateur” nomenclature; nor can the entered dog be a finished champion. Who is entering in these classes? Was the effort and staff time to create and implement this concept worth it? It may be too soon to have answers to these questions. A cursory examination of show catalogs produces limited, if non-existent entries in the AOH class.
I have just attended three wonderful benched shows in a row, all with different characteristics –?Golden Gate, Westminster, and Chicago. However, they all had one feature in common, they all attracted the general public with what we call “great gates.” Detroit is coming up after I write this, and I anticipate that they will also have a fantastic gate.
Shepherd fanciers are a different breed of cat. We know we have the greatest breed of dog in the world and generally we prefer specialties to all-breed shows. Specialties are where we find the tough competition—where the rubber meets the road. German Shepherds certainly have made their mark at all-breed shows though.
Noise, movement, and stimulation are everywhere! However, those who focus are usually far ahead of the “game” in being prepared and responding correctly and promptly to any requests. Those who are lost in their own revelries usually are penalized in some form for their lack of attention, especially at a dog show. In my opinion, there is not enough attention being paid to what is happening in the ring, outside the ring, and just about anywhere on a show grounds.
After much observation over the course of my quarter century I can only describe what is happening as a transformation of our sport.
The Pekingese Club of America ended 2009 on a high note as we celebrated our 100th year with the Regional and National specialties in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Wyndham airport hotel. The PCA was formed in 1909 in New York City by a group of socialites who appointed JP Morgan as the first honorary President. We’ve come a long way from the days when our National was a posh society event in the ballroom of the Plaza Hotel on Central Park South in Manhattan, but this parent club still holds its privileged past in high regard.
The AKC reminds us that the principles of sportsmanship are the prime reasons why our sport has thrived for over one hundred years. I would hate to think that these years may be coming to an end.
