When the Westminster Kennel Club was established in 1877, it was the outgrowth of competition among privileged men and their dogs—good breeding celebrated on both sides. It was a colorful notion born of an optimistic and prosperous time: why not have a great show in a great city?
Some in our sport, when it comes to breeding and exhibiting dogs, tend to gravitate to the extreme. It seems as if they feel that more is always better. If a big winning dog has extreme characteristics or a certain ourtrageous style, then many will go out and try to emulate it. If a top winner is too big or too small, is groomed in a certain way, etc.–even if it is wrong for the breed–then the next step is to produce one with more of that trait. If a breed that moves the wrong way wins all over, then lets find more dogs of that breed that move the same way. There is nothing wrong with a dog that has extreme quality as long as those traits adhere to the standard. But having one or two exceptional parts while having numerous serious problems never should be rewarded. Our standards for conformation were written for a reason, so maybe it’s time we got back to basics. This month’s offering is a fable. It is fictitious but may serve as a cautionary tale for our sport, our breeding programs, and our livelihood. Read on.
I recently watched a TV production on dogs dedicated to molding, dying, cutting, and in some cases changing the species altogether. It was not to my liking, but this program started me thinking about the dying, cutting, and molding we have gotten used to seeing in our dog show world!
In the canine world there are four main colors: black, brown, white, and red, and they come in many variations and shades. Some become so popular they are given their own special names such as gold, yellow, cream, blue, black and tan, grey, etc. With so many colors to choose from, it is not surprising that a preference for or against a certain color was destined to develop.
As Take The Lead enters its 28th year of operation, we find that in spite of everything, there are still many involved in our sport that don’t know who we are or what we do!
Who can forget being a kid sitting in the backseat of the family vehicle–heading to a vacation, special event, or holiday celebra-tion–when the trip seemed interminable? Remember the words that came from your mouth with a pout? “Are we there yet?” was the usual whine every parent heard at some time during our childhood travels. We were simply too eager for the journey to be over and to get on with the good stuff ahead. It didn’t matter that there were coloring books, cards, electronic games, and lots of snacks. Even the reassurance that we were getting close now was not comforting. Eventually, enough was enough.
The appearance of COVID and the resulting world-wide pandemic has turned our lives upside down. The human toll is beyond measure. Yes, we can count cases of infection, hospitalizations and deaths. What we really cannot measure is the trauma. Deaths in the United States have surpassed 400,000 and 35% of people who survived the illness are facing on-going debilitating symptoms. Families and friends are mourning. Healthcare workers, first responders and others in direct contact with the sick and dying are beyond tapped out; physically, mentally and emotionally. The self-employed in a variety of fields are watching their business and financial resources drain away. In the best of situations, we are sorely missing our friends and activities.
