The words of one breeder/exhibitor sum up the Barbet’s entrance into the AKC Sporting Group in January 2020: “I’ve dreamed of showing my Barbet in regular AKC competition for 10 years but I don’t think I allowed myself to think of how I would feel when that day actually came.”
Recently a show chairman was overheard to say, “I wish we’d just cancelled the show.” Wow! Can COVID-19 be causing that much grief? The answer is a resounding “yes.”
While the Berger Picard began competing in AKC’s herding group in July, 2015, it is one of the oldest of the French sheepdogs, tracing back perhaps over 2,000 years. It is related to other breeds from the area, including the Briard and Beauceron whose tails also end in a “J” hook, and possibly also to the Bouvier des Flandres and Belgian Laekenois. The World Wars were hard on northern France, and the Picard nearly died out. It was rebuilt after WWII using the most typical dogs that could be found.
North America’s largest dog show to air on ABC through 2023
AKC National Championship Will Stream Live on ESPN App, Air on ABC
The things we do for dog shows! Like scores of other kids in dog show families, at 4AM, on government assigned mornings, I waited in very long lines…
February heralds only one thing for most dog lovers…the Westminster Show. And if there is one breed of dog that completely encapsulates the beauty, elegance, showmanship and sheer glamour that is required in a show dog, it surely has to be the Afghan Hound.
We have all heard this admonition, “You can’t have all your eggs in one basket.” No, you truly cannot. Life in the 21st Century has far too many demands for that to ever happen. I see the baskets lined up row by row in my own life. You must be seeing the same in yours. There are too many chores to do. The list of never-ending cleaning tasks competes with the attention needed for the financial details of our households. Meals necessitate planning, shopping, and cooking. Our families of humans and canines fill our days with obligations, organization, fun, and joy. It is all a balancing act. Yet, who can forget good old Humpty Dumpty? Eggs break.
This week, here in Florida, I was busy being an armchair quarterback, as the dog shows were being held roughly 25 miles away from my home. Due to an abundance of caution concerning the COVID-19 virus, I did not attend the shows. Thanks to The Canine Chronicle show results on caninechronicle.com, personal reports, etc. I had a pretty good idea of who the players were and how the new health rules were applied to all attendees.
Although Leon Whitney was 15 years older than Ernie Hart their lifetime friendship ultimately produced two generations of innovative contributions to the dog world.
When Whitney moved his family to Orange, Connecticut in 1930 it was all about location. Then a tiny rural farming community, Orange was conveniently close to New Haven and Yale. It offered access to cutting edge research and space for his growing kennel. In his 2007 blog, son George describes one of his father’s most ambitious projects, which commenced soon after their arrival. “With the ever-growing numbers of dogs came the expense of feeding so many.
