The Bichon Frise is one member of the Bichon family of dogs that also includes the Bolognese, Coton de Tulear, Havanese, Mal-tese, Löwchen, and Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka. All are small and friendly, with long hair that mostly doesn’t shed, drop ears, short muzzles, and with tails carried over their backs when moving. The Bichon Frise is unique in the family with the curly coat.
There are actually people in this country who don’t hunt birds with a dog. I have to confess that I’ll never understand those folks.
Let us pay tribute to our foreign and American breeders of the past. The men whose painstaking work for generations helped to create our breeds of today.
Today we find ourselves in a catch 22 situation. AKC guidelines say we judges should not speak to exhibitors except for the usual pleasantries – good day, yes, it is a hot one, etc…This makes it kind of difficult to sneak messages under the table to inform the exhibitor of our honest opinion of their stock. I believe we need to inform the exhibitors better, or we will continue to see a decline in show entries and breeding stock.
The station manager, hearing suspicious sounds emanating from the supposedly vacant restroom, summoned the police to report a burglary in progress. Well, they barged in, weapons drawn, to find Butch zonked out and snoring away as only a Saint can, completely oblivious to the mayhem.
The dog walking routine has cycled through countless fads and stages. And I’ve done it long enough to observe plenty of this unfolding drama. Back in prehistoric times, I was the lone dog walker pounding the pavement.
Gaining real breed knowledge means going beyond the typical requirements. We must find ways to ask ourselves questions, even questions without answers, to create our own set of master tools instead of relying on the beginner’s set. It’s necessary to learn from the knowledge of others, but without finding other ways to seek our own answers, we won’t be able to see the standards come alive on the page and in the ring.mn
One question that is regularly asked in Dogdom is ‘How can we attract more people to our ranks?’ and it is a very important question for any hobby. In fact, for the health and continuation of our sport it is vital that we continue to attract new blood and it appears to be a problem that is facing most of the world’s kennel clubs.
The next breed we tackle in my ongoing series of interviews with breed experts is the Bulldog. Anyone who has interacted with a Bulldog understands the popularity of the breed. They are wonderful companions with and outstanding personality. There have been great Bulldogs that have won at the highest levels of the sport and the breed continues to be a contender in the Non-Sporting group. I reached out to longtime breeders of Bulldogs to discuss the breed and get their perspective about changes they have seen in the Bulldog over the past half-century.
The Irish Terrier carries the nickname “Daredevil” for his spirited and game character, showing fire and animation. The standard is clear on this and other points, and the parent club has an excellent guide to judging the breed available for download on their website. I was looking forward to consistency in Irish Terrier survey results.
