Although the modern media does its best to distort the fact, purebred dogs stem from a long tradition of the form follows function concept. And that concept had ironclad credibility by 1492 when legions of them began landing on these shores to reunite members of a species that had gone separate ways at least 15,000 years earlier. Like every other aspect of this invasion, European breeds came out on top. However, in many cases, it wasn’t exactly a conquest.
America is the land of opportunity and it’s never been limited to humans. A surprising number of obsolete Old World breeds regained their momentum on these shores. Primarily, this occurred within the context of the East Coast show scene that dominated America’s purebred paradigm for over a century.
This is possibly not the best time to focus on government ability to handle complicated issues. But that’s never stopped them from trying. Getting to the point, a couple of weeks back the Raad van Beheer (Dutch Kennel Club), issued a somewhat militant statement reiterating their stance on dog breeding health and welfare. This is not new. Many European breeders face restrictions and scrutiny that would be unimaginable here. (Think about that the next time you wanna slam AKC). Simply owning a dog requires some scrupulous vetting, never mind breeding or exhibiting.
In the dog show world, we can all recall many mistakes of our own, and of others. Luckily, only a few on live television (bloopers). We are fortunate that we are not running for high office and many of our personal “oops” moments are secreted in our memory. The other more visible ones still cause amusement, ridicule, or shock in our small doggy world. It does, however, give me the opportunity to recite just a few of the minor “oops” of which I have heard about, witnessed, or been involved.
It’s no secret that Terrier popularity has taken a nosedive in recent years. In truth, this downward trend has gone on for decades. As expected, there’s a gazillion theories to explain it. Here’s what I think. First off, I’m looking at this from the perspective of a diehard purebred lover, and therefore discount those “adopted” pseudo- terriers paraded around by “woke” dog lovers every weekend. I am referring strictly to the genuine article, the kind of Terrier that’s built for business, so you better enjoy that. And there was a time when breeds like that ruled America. Airedales, Wires, Scotties, Irish, those were THE most popular breeds for decades.
There’s a saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. It’s a common phrase that means it is challenging to teach something or someone something new if that person or animal has been doing things a certain way for so long that they’re too stubborn to learn how to do it differently. While that’s not exactly true of old dogs, it can be a bit more difficult and take more patience to teach an old dog something new. But it’s even more difficult and time consuming when the “old dog” is actually the dog’s owner or his professional trainer, Craig Klein, who isn’t old but like me is accustomed to training dogs a certain way, and the result was that both of us have had to learn a bunch of “new tricks.”
AKC policymaking has always been a mysterious process. The decisions emanating from that boardroom often stray far outside the boundaries of the organization’s official stance.
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes,” said Benjamin Franklin, in a letter he penned to Jean-Baptist Leroy in 1789. It has been my experience, more often than not, that when the “Grim Reaper” comes calling, we see that the tax man follows. It should be remembered that on the federal level and in the vast majority of states, dogs are considered livestock and may be taxed as such.
Late that hot, humid, Wisconsin July afternoon, the massive, powerful, Alaskan Malamute in full coat, was on the start line of the Fast CAT track. On signal, with his handler still dressed in glimmering show finery, those first few steps responded to the moving lure with the muscle, bone, and impressive working function required of a sled dog, transitioning rapidly into speed. Earlier that day, at the specialty, he was select dog from the Veterans class, with many exhibitors and spectators watching in a central location on the grounds. The show catalog carefully noted his full AKC name, titles and proud owners’ names. When he responded to the lure, there was no means to communicate to other exhibitors and spectators that this strong example of his breed could do more than look pretty. At the Fast CAT track, hidden on the back far edge of the show grounds, with no spectators, his name and titles were anonymous. His magnificent run went otherwise unnoticed.
By Amy Fernandez Getting a dog has been one of the most popular ways to cope with quarantine and all the related stress that it entails. We’re still far from getting back to normal. Of course, the latest debate on this front is whether or not it will be safe to open schools in the […]
