Dog show moms are truly the unsung heroines of our sport. They are the greatest moms and the sport of purebred dogs just would not be the same without them. Marlene Groves, a colleague of mine, asked, “What about grandmas?” “Grand-mothers, count too,” I told her.
In the Lessig household, the past six weeks have been fraught with domestic decisions. With unusual frequency, smaller appliances, larger ones, newer ones, and older ones all broke. The electronic gates at the bottom of the driveway ceased to function when a Fedex delivery truck hit the left one while executing a “K” turn which went awry.
It started with a simple phone call from my son who seemed a bit distracted during our usual chat…He tells me he’s busy watching the Irish Setter National on AKC.TV. It was being streamed live from Charlotte, NC.
“Acontract is only as good as the paper it’s written on.” It’s something I’ve heard countless times from friends or in discussions of contracts on social media. There seems to be a consensus among the dog community that, absent some blood contract or ancient ritual, contracts are completely worthless. I understand where a lot of the disappointment comes from.
The Afghan Hound is a sighthound breed developed in remote areas of what are now the countries of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and parts of India. They were not discovered by the west until some English army officers brought them home to England in the late 1800s.
You might think that the dog biz is a thrill a minute, another shocking surprise around every corner. Let me set you straight. I recently discovered a captivating little book, Dog Show Maxims authored by William L. McCandlish back in 1925, that’s almost a century ago. At first glance I anticipated a quaint dip into nostalgia; possibly a few genuine insights considering his once preeminent position in this sport.
This topic usually gets top airplay around Christmastime when cats are industriously gobbling up tinsel and dogs; well they’re having a total food orgy with everything else. The thing is we all know better, even without those detailed, annoying holiday lists of unsafe food items.
So, you are sitting at ringside with your special watching the class dogs compete. As they trot around the ring, you are thinking about the rapidly approaching retirement from life in the conformation ring for the great show dog sitting beside you or snoozing at your feet. You hate the thought of consigning him/her to the boredom of being a couch potato whose days are only occasionally enlivened by some lady dog seeking a tryst, or by motherhood. But, there are so many different dog sports to choose from that it’s difficult to make a decision for a possible “second career.”
We asked experienced AKC judges two questions about current issues affecting our sport. Here’s what they had to say…What positive suggestions can you offer to show chairs from your perspective as a judge?
Sometimes we need multiple life lessons to teach us a valuable skill. In Dogdom, this is particularly true. I do not mean the best way to trim a Pomeranian, to use a Dremel for toenails, or to keep self-rinse in your grooming box. Nor, am I referencing which lead to use in the ring, where to make entries, or how to find a professional handler. What I am addressing is the etiquette that will take each of us so much further in our world than you could ever imagine. I have learned that it is easier to be kind.
