It takes an innately elegant man to willingly play the fool, so I was not surprised when David Frei turned up to our Zoom meeting in a smart periwinkle shirt he says he bought for the occasion, and a Brittany-inscribed COVID mask.
Three little words can have a very big impact. For IMHO this month, that point is well demonstrated by three giants of judging from our community who share their opinions with our readers. Judges should have well developed personal philosophies which they take with them into the ring every time they judge. Read what these three believe.
Additionally, they share an honest self-examination. How do exhibitors perceive them in the ring? Is it a fair evaluation? Are you surprised by their look into the mirror and their hearts? Once again, IMHO takes you into the minds of members of the judging community.
The year is 1934, and America is in the midst of the Great Depression. While the middle and working classes struggle to survive, members of the American Leisure Class quietly downsize their companies, cut expenditures and focus instead on their personal sports and passions. Bread lines and soup kitchens are a reality for millions of people during this period, but in stark contrast golf, polo, and the sport of purebred dogs are still thriving when the gritty, optimistic FDR is chosen to guide the American nation.
Two prominent breeders offer their comments on Irish Setters today.
Cynthia Stanford, breeder of Roclyn Setters based in Los Gatos, California
Mary Merlo, breeder of Evergreen Irish Setters in Youngsville, North Carolina
When I was fourteen, my father suddenly announced that he was going to buy a ‘holiday property’ down on the bleak Essex coast, at a place called Maldon.
“I have never seen a Siberian this great,” said the judge, adding, “the ear didn’t bother me.” Old timers will know immediately that the Siberian in question was Ch. Innisfree’s Sierra Cinnar, and “the ear” referred to his show-side ear that was missing the top third. The judge was E. Irving Eldredge, and the win? Best In Show at the 1980 Westminster Kennel Club.
It seems the older I get, the more friends I lose. I am now in my mid-50s and many of the people I knew, loved and respected so much are gone.
While often misattributed to Mark Twain, it was Charles Dudley Warner who made the famous remark, “Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it”. Well, in our sport, everyone complains about the Judging Approval Process. Unlike the weather, however, much has been done about it over many years.
The Cocker Spaniel was the most popular breed in the United States in the middle of the 20th century. The breed’s popularity may well have been spurred by a dog named Ch. My Own Brucie winning Best in Show twice at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show, or possibly another named Checkers owned by Vice President Nixon, and another starring in the popular movie “Lady and the Tramp.” The most recent AKC list ranks Cockers as 28th overall, the fifth most popular sporting breed.
The majority of owners and exhibitors, including professional handlers, fail I think, to give any consideration to the many problems faced by judges today. Nor do they consider how judges strive to solve these problems. Moreover, many novice judges–having little experience with any of a hundred puzzling problems which might come up–do not know how to respond in certain situations or answer the questions when put to them.
