Anyway you spell “ridiculous” it conveys the same message. That had been the response that many breeders, handlers, judges, and local kennel club members have expressed concerning the recently imposed Judges Maintenance/Breed Fee.
Some business! But is it a business? Or a profession? Or is it a hobby? For many of us it is the latter although there are those who, by virtue of money earned and time spent, may consider it a business. Certainly it is business for AKC while the professional handler could easily call it a profession. Hobby breeders that consider their activity a business are generally hard pressed, however, to eak out a living, rarely making it out of the red. Then we have our judges, of which I am one. Exactly how are we defined?
Some years ago I served on a committee working to update our constitution and by-laws. The committee chair was a successful trial attorney who I simultaneously loved, respected and found tiresomely verbose. It was one of those jobs one worries will never end…especially bothersome considering the inordinate amount of time being devoted to it. But I walked away grateful for a single great line. “This club,” our chairman tersely remarked, “eats its own.” I have recently come to know exactly what he meant.
