During the recent enforced lockdown–with shops, malls and attractions out of bounds–I suppose a lot of us spent the time cleaning and tidying up our homes and gardens. Well, that was my firm intention when I climbed up into our untidy loft space; however, I soon got distracted by heaps of dusty books and old photo albums.
On numerous occasions, I have wished that my dogs would show just half the animation and interest in the show ring as they do when I merely pick up a shotgun. For Bo, my current Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the shotgun isn’t even necessary. He starts barking, whining, “aarooing” and dancing when I take my hunting boots out of the closet. Oh, all my champions have liked the treats, the happy talk and Stan and Jane Flowers, their professional handlers in the show ring. They’ve been successful show dogs with group wins both north and south of the U.S./Canada border and one even owned a Canadian BIS.
Take a moment. Count the number of face masks you have. Are you surprised both by the amount, and variety, of masks you now possess? Over these past many months, like so many of us, I have purchased and acquired a wide array of facial masks. Honestly, it was something to which I had never given a single thought. Now, finding the correct size to fit my small face, to make it easy to wear for hours and, of course, to look good, has been a challenge. Just being able to find masks with comfortable ear loops took far more effort than I ever would have imagined. Too many of them hurt the back of my ears and caused my pierced earring backs to fall off. I’ve been told that I am not the only one who has lost a favorite earring that way! Fortunately, mine was recovered.
A comprehensive engagement with purebred dogs has always been the core concept of this sport. We want to show them off, admire them, study them, reward them and preach our devotion to the world. The perennial problem has been devising some realistic, contextual platform for this grand idea. I don’t think I’m overstating the case to say that this ongoing vision inspired the AKC National Championship. Likewise, there’s no denying the fact that it has endured a really bumpy road.
That old adage ‘it takes a village” has been demonstrated in large and small ways all across the country since the advent of COVID-19 early in 2020. The Canine Chronicle wanted to celebrate some of those who have acted to reimagine and reclaim the fancy so that it’s future is assured even as we continue in an uncertain world. In this third installment of a series, I spoke with two self-appointed movers and shakers.
In many professional fields, recertification, continuing education, and evaluations are part of the requirements for renewing licensure. Previously, American Kennel Club judges were required to take and pass a “Rules and Policies” test prior to attaining Permit Status. They have been subject to evaluations in the form “observations” and “Breed Commentary” with the American Kennel Club Executive Conformation Field Representative during the process of going from Permit Status to Regular Status.
Now that an additional recertification of a judge’s knowledge of procedures and policies will be required every five years, many in the judging community have varying opinions on the decision. They also have ideas on other ways judges can be more effective in the ring. Here is what a few of them want to share on the subject.
Get into a conversation with people who’ve been in the fancy for a long time and, in less than ten minutes, someone will remark that many exhibitors don’t seem to understand structure and movement. Even worse, a lot of people don’t seem to care to understand the importance of structure and movement – they just want to win.
Group and Best in Show Judges Talk About Their Choices in Their Own Words…
Fun matches and sanctioned A and B matches serve a number of useful purposes. Matches provide valuable ring experience for both exhibitor and the puppy or young dog. It seems the older I get, the more I understand and appreciate the value of being able to go to a match with a puppy or dog new to the ring. Seriously, we get to go through all of the motions of a point show without the pressure and expense.
As the old adage goes, hindsight is 20/20; it’s easier to see and analyze situations when we’re looking back on them. I guess we can say that for the first time in history, our vision of 2020 is actually, well, 20/20. So, what did we learn? We saw the bad, the good and the ugly. We saw failure and success. Our sport depends on learning all we can from 2020 and moving forward to ensure a solid future for many years to come. Most important, it depends on us as individuals to make a genuine effort to get back to talking about dogs instead of politics. It’s time to move on for the sake of the sport.
