A Mix Too Far?
Click here to read the complete article
By Caroline Coile
Mutts in Junior Showmanship? That’s what the AKC 18-month pilot program is allowing come this summer. And a lot of people are not happy. “We’re supposed to be ambassadors for promoting purebred dogs,” says one exhibitor. “Showing in AKC should be a goal not a given,” says another, and “Preserving purebred dogs is what separates the AKC from 4-H and other registries.” Many question why no survey of JS exhibitors or judges was ever distributed. Some even see it as a money-grab by the AKC, basically soaking mutt owners for what entry fees they can get before the hapless exhibitors, likely at a disadvantage, give up and go home.
Many worry about the PR implications. We all just heard about how a mix-breed is “the fastest dog in America!” because a lurcher won the inaugural invitational FastCAT competition in Orlando. And remember the mix that got more publicity for winning its class at the Westminster agility trial than the actual Best in Show winner got? In fact, I was surprised (or maybe should not have been) to read an entire article on the AKC website about all the mixes that placed in the Invitational agility, rally and obedience trials in Orlando this year—yet no coverage of who was best in their respective pure breeds. It’s like once mixes come on the scene, purebreds are second-class citizens. What’s going to happen when a mix takes Best Junior at Westminster?
That said, many people are enthusiastic about the opportunity for mixes in the Juniors ring. In some heated online arguments, they accused those who are against it of fulfilling the public’s view of dog show fanciers as elitist snobs, gatekeepers to the sport, and hastening the sport’s demise by their unwelcoming attitude. They contend so many aspiring Juniors are denied the ability to participate because their parents can’t afford a purebred, or won’t add another dog to their one-mix household. “The dog fancy has proven to care more about dogs than people time and time again,” concludes one such advocate, adding that those against the inclusion of mixes prove they “don’t care about children or truly the future of the sport either.”
Click here to read the complete article
Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=197075
Posted by AnthonyA
on Feb 6 2021. Filed under Current Articles, Featured.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Comments are closed
