It’s that time of year again. Westminster is looming large. So let’s take a look at what’s waiting in the wings. In other words, who’s judging? The headlin- ers really don’t need much of an introduc- tion but here’s a brief rundown just to get us in the mood.
Let’s face it: As much as we want to promote purebred dogs because of their predictable tendencies and health, that’s not why the typical person chooses one.
When Bo, my young Chesapeake Bay Retriever, finished his junior hunter title last summer, the conservative cost figure for each of those ribbons, I thought, was probably about a thousand bucks apiece. However, when I took a look at my tax summaries for the past two years, it was clear that I underestimated the cost of each of those ribbons by about one-third!
I have had a lifelong obsession for German Shepherd Dogs and Sighthounds. Now, I would like to share my experiences living with each breed, and, sometimes, both at the same time!
November 4th – Finished two days of judging at a rare breed show. These are kind of like a match show – less formal, lots of people new to the sport, many who’ve been around for years, and a handful who are just after the ribbons, not the learning opportunity or the chance to have fun with their dog. A few observations from the center of the ring:
The 143rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show reached its conformation entry limit, for a total of 2,800 dogs among 203 breeds and varieties representing 2,916 entries which includes 102 junior showmanship qualifiers and 14 obedience teams competing in the 4th Annual Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019. There are also 330 agility teams entered in the 6th Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019, part of the Meet & Compete event featuring AKC Meet the Breeds®.
When I first started writing for (the now sadly defunct) Dog World UK I made a promise to the readers that I would do everything I could to defend the pedigree dog and the show scene. This was something that I felt just wasn’t being done effectively enough.
Since the creation of the German Shepherd Dog breed (GSD) at the turn of the twentieth century, it has become one of the most popular international breeds. Over the years, the function and phenotype of the breed has changed from that of a medium-size dog needed to meet its original farming and herding purposes to a variety of subsequent roles ranging from guarding, detection, police, herding, guide dog, show dog and companion.
It is easy, sometimes, I think, to focus on the bad things that, too often, happen at youth sporting events. Whether it is a focus on winning at the expense of learning good sportsmanship, coaches and parents trading insults (or even punches), and the verbal abuse of young players. Junior Showmanship provides the opportunity to bring a great many positive outcomes to the young people who choose to compete in the juniors’ ring.
Aennchen Antonelli, Anne Pendelton, Michael Woff, Joanne Hesse, Richard Donovan, it was quite the cast of characters in this Maltese dramarama. The fallout eventually led to the formation of two national clubs–which AKC approved of at the time. And things just escalated from there. But getting back to our story. Less than a decade into it nothing revealed Rena’s single- minded determination more than her remarkable ability to forge unlikely alliances in pursuit of bigger goals. Storming this Maltese citadel could be called her test of fire be- cause that’s when she really hit her stride.
