It’s been a long time comin’ but if last week is any indication, those long bleak years of anti-purebred propaganda are over. Mind you, none of it was fair–or true, nonetheless, it grabbed media attention and the dog-loving public bought into it for decades. But it’s a new day dawning judging by the incredible reaction to a recent New York Times interview with Wally Conron who, you may or may not know, invented the infamous Labradoodle back in 1988.
I admit to feeling a source of great pride when I attend the AKC Canine Health Foundation National Parent Club Canine Health Conference. When the AKC first announced 24 years ago it was forming the Canine Health Foundation, I recall thinking it was just going to be window dressing. I didn’t even go to the first Parent Club Conference. I could not have been more wrong. And I’m proud to say I’ve attended every one since.
Although dogs have been our companions for millennia, we have to guess at what prehistoric dogs looked like exactly. One thing we do know for sure, though, is the work they did. They followed the prey, drove the flocks and herds, guarded livestock and defended their owners’ property.
Having been in the dog show world for a number of years now, the biggest lesson I have learned is to be grateful. This sport, like most others, is dependent on good people of goodwill participating. With success should come an awareness of how much we owe other people. Here is a little overview, to give you some perspective, on the debt all show dog owners owe to their fellow competitors.
The Modified Continental (ModCon) – the trim is also known as the Historically Correct Continental, Hunting Class Clip, Heritage trim, and the HCC.
This trim has ALWAYS been accepted in the AKC breed standard for Poodles as long as the trim presents a smooth unbroken outline on the dog. The breed standard for Poodles does not mention how long the coat on the dog must be, just some modifying phrases such as “ear fringe should not be of excessive length.” Shaping of the coat to ensure balance is permissible in all trims per the standard.
In a country with more than 80 million dog owners, why is there still a shortage of dogs that are needed to protect the borders, airports, cities, schools, malls, entertainment events and nuclear plants. Most Americans are unaware of this shortage even though it is not new. The problem significantly increased following the events of 9/11, Brussels, Boston, Las Vegas, New York and London. As other terrorist events and natural disasters began to occur, most countries began to buy up the supply of working dogs for their own protection. According to the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, about 90 percent of the detection and patrol dogs in the US come from overseas breeders. The dependence on European breeders to supply a needed resource was not acceptable to the Federal Government, and during the past 50 years, four separate Federal breeding programs were established only to close each of them because of a budget cut or a lack of funding. The last closing in 2012 demonstrated that this problem needed the involvement of the private sector.
It’s hard to get your head around it, the idea that the ultimate flower power symbol of peace, love, and happiness has become the focal point of the war between ….well, basically every state and federal agency, and myriad health and social welfare organizations nationwide. Yes, whatever you call it–420, weed, ganja, skunk–this traditional bedrock of American counterculture has suddenly taken center stage as a miracle drug and a corporate goldmine. As expected, the petcare industry hasn’t been asleep at the wheel. In a fittingly psychedelic partnership, Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg have teamed up to launch a massive pet-friendly product line. Obviously, FDA doesn’t watch TMZ. To quote former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb at the recent hearing on CBD regulation, “putting CBD in pet food is absurd.” I got news for the FDA, pet food is the tip of that marketing iceberg. Better start at the beginning.
Show win photos are important for many reasons and the reasons will vary from one exhibitor to another. Chief among the reasons is the fact that they preserve history while it is being made. How many owners want the photos of the first point, the majors and when their dog becomes a new champion? It is an educated guess, but I guess many, and you can count me among them.
A few weeks ago we noticed that Maxine, our sixteen year-old ruby Cavalier known as Max, started slowing down. She was sleeping longer and deeper, requiring greater effort going up the two steps leading to the dog suite, and eating her food without the usual delight. If she needed to go outside, her strident plea required a fast response. Once she was in the courtyard, she speedily attended to her needs and demanded to come in “now!” A big change was that she came in with wet skirts. A recent difficulty supporting her back legs was becoming obvious. Her sixteen happy, healthy years was truly starting to show.
I was sitting around a few days ago with some non-hunting pals of mine and one asked me what I found most dangerous or annoying when I was hunting or training the dog. Bears, he suggested? Nope. Haven’t seen a bear since I quit hunting ruffed grouse in the northwoods 30 years ago. Snakes, maybe? Not in my part of the country. All the snakes here are benign. Mud? Nah, that’s just something you deal with. “Well, what then,” he asked? The answer is simple. Bugs! There are things out there whose thirst for human blood transcends mine for fine wine and medium rare Chateaubriand or Maine lobster.
