Sociologic Ruminations
70 – August, 2010
By Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones
Over fourteen years ago, in late February of 1996 to be exact, the then-publisher of this magazine, The Canine Chronicle, Elizabeth Anne Lockman received a letter, dated the 19th of that month, from one Thomas Carleton Conway. Yes, from the man himself! A treasured copy of it is in my possession still. It contained the reaction of said individual to an article which I had written several weeks earlier concerning some aspects of the sociology of the sport of pedigreed dogs. It had evidently struck a harmonious chord in his mind, had touched a mental (perhaps even sentimental) nerve, and evidently brought much satisfaction when read. Here is the meat of his communication, and I quote: “Just wanted to take the time to tell you that we consider the Gareth Morgan-Jones article ‘Sociologically Speaking’ to be one the the best presentations ever to be published in the dog press! We have read his material in your magazine with reverence, but the above-mentioned piece is something special! I consider it so good that I tore it out in order to save for re-reading and sharing.” Well, what can I say? Since it was coming from someone of the exalted stature of the late Tom Conway within the sport, and the fact that he was an erudite and eloquent writer himself, I was, of course suitably flattered. (Okay, making the content of his letter known, although this many years later, may look like self-promotion but I have another, more honorable purpose in mind here.) Here was a man who truly belonged at the very heart of connoisseurship of the purebred dog and the sport which emanates from it. He always had a problem with the word ‘sport’, as he had with those among us whom he often called the ribbon purveyors, but he was a participant who had a feel for the essence, the lore, the tradition, the central ethos which provides the very foundation and guiding principles for our activity. He had his finger constantly on the pulse of our indulgences and idiosyncracies. Moreover, he always had the courage of his convictions and never hestitated to tell it as he saw it. One often wonders what he might think of some of the goings on these days. He was surely a prince among men and a peerless member of the Fancy. So what had touched the core of his dog-related being in my article? I was aware of what might have, right away. Of this, more later.
The structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized (however loosely), or otherwise, groups of human beings is always a perfectly fascinating subject. A look at the way, or ways, folks approach whatever activity they are involved with is always an interesting exercise and what goes on in the firmament of the purebred dog is definitely no exception. It is surely not a bad thing to give over such matters to the mind extendedly, reflectively, and thoughtfully from time to time; in others words to mentally ruminate and chew over matters great and small in our sphere of interest. Hence this revisit to the themes and variations of how we interact with each other and how we relate to the sport and to the dogs themselves. This subject is, of course, multidimensional and no attempt is made herein at comprehensively examining behavioral patterns or exhaustively exploring motives. An extremely wide diversity of people enter the world of the purebred dog fancy for a multitude of reasons, many righteous, morally excellent and exhibiting true virtue, others not quite so admirable or altruistic or well-thought out. And so the fabric of our sport is oftentimes rather complicated; made up as it is of a kaleidoscope of human interests, shifting values, changing phases, levels of involvement, et cetera, all intertwined and somewhat unstable. Those who participate come from different walks of life, with widely different socio-economic and educational backgrounds, which is reflected in varying levels or degree and intensity of participation. We have the professionals and the amateurs and, as a result, the playing field isn’t always exactly level, inevitably. For some it is merely an avocation, a subordinate occupation or hobby, albeit often a complusive one; for others it is a livelihood, a means of at least putting food on the table or, more often than not, earning a substantial income. Hence we have, in essence, a veritable melting pot, a kind of potporri, a miscellaneous collection of individuals, all trying to get along and meet their various ambitions, aspirations and desires. When you think about it, isn’t it rather remarkable that, by and large, things hang together as well as they do? On occasion it might appear that the so-called sport might come apart at the seams because of the participation diversity but yet common interest and our collective, mutual love of the pedigreed dog, so it seems, is sufficiently strong of a glue to keep the frayed fabric from unravelling.
Most people come to the sport, presumably and primarily, because of their intrinsically abiding attraction to pure-bred dogs but they arrive, at various ages and with uneven degrees of preparedness, with different levels of familiarity and, hence, understanding, different expectations (enjoyment and personal satisfaction being two among them), different aspirations, varying goals, and oftentimes a strong desire to achieve something meaningful and significant in their lives. Of all the sports in which man indulges there is as broad a range of participation in this as in many, perhaps moreso than in most. Involvement now, unlike earlier times during the formative years when this was largely the purview and turf of the well-to-do, cuts across social boundaries. The general populace has open access even though there still remains some significant stratification dependent upon fiscal means or lack thereof and everything in between. The world of the pedigreed dog attracts and absorbs, to varying extents, a range of personalities possessing differing values and diverse beliefs. Many successfully and smoothly blend into the mix whilst others have a hard time adapting and seemingly forever remain dissatisfied for one reason or another. Some individuals, regrettably, expect to discover what the sport can do for them without ever giving serious consideration to what they need to put in and give back ethically and otherwise. To paraphrase JFK, it might not be inappropriate to offer the following sentiment: ask not what the sport can do for you but rather what you can do for the sport. Inability to adapt and a disinclination to subscribe to the spirit of altruism, where unselfish regard for the common good should be a motive force and virtue, does not a satisfactory participant make. Satisfying one’s ego surely comes at a price.
As a result of the signficant disparity in the backgrounds of those participating, the purebred dog fraternity is, as noted above, inevitably divided into a number of graded statuses. The resources brought to bear in terms of commitment (both emotional and rational), knowledge, as well as material, is reflected in the level, depth, nature and permanence of involvement. All of this translates into varying scenarios from the transient and ephemeral to the durable and long-term. You have the here today, gone tomorrow-type phenomenon and then you have the I’m here to stay, come what may, irrespective of what might occur situation. When people nurture unrealistic expectations, which appears to be all too common, problems arise and the fallout is often not particularly pretty. Frustration leads to discontent and overt dissatisfaction. Folks get disgusted and disillusioned for reasons largely of their own making, sometimes as a direct result of setting the bar too high for themselves. Then the desperation, not always of the quiet sort, inevitably kicks in. Some people have a hard time accepting the fact that showing dogs in conformation competition is a roller-coaster type activity, full of pleasant surprises and, on occasion, not-so-satisfying experiences. If a fundamental love of the sport is not in place, such individuals can readily become unhinged and we all know what can happen next. Perhaps this is one of the greatest challenges which a participant in the sport has to deal with; effectively insulating oneself from the sometimes unpalatable vicissitudes that are an inherent part of this activity. Awareness and understanding of the context is the key to equanimity, to evenness of disposition under stress. Then one successfully avoids being suspended and fined for foul language/verbal altercation or worse!
From time to time judges are, of course, exposed to irate exhibitors who choose to openly display their anger. Oftentimes this results from individuals succumbing to self-inflicted pressures in their quest for possibly unattainable goals. Some come to the sport with emotional baggage and insecurities, resulting in a lack of ability to be rational. The winning-is-everything notion takes hold and perspective is lost. Motivation and determination to achieve have to be placed in proper context, otherwise things can get mighty messy. When expectations become unrealistic, problems are generated. To be a good citizen in the sport of exhibiting purebred dogs one has to learn how to roll with the punches. Everyone, after all, win some which they should lose and lose some which they should win, for a variety of reasons. This comes with the territory. We may not like it and believe things could and should be better but this is how the cookie crumbles, so to speak. For a start there is this subjectivity factor always at play. The wise attempt to heal their battered egos and bruised pride privately at home in the light of reflection, in a contemplative atmosphere. Of course, not all judges are paragons of virtue either and there may well be, on occasion, justification for dissatisfaction. The matter of ethical integrity is always a subject for concern. A tainted opinion amounts to a disservice, a harmful act which damages the sport.
In spite of all the less-than-ideal behavioral patterns and personal shortcomings which are occasionally encountered, the majority of the Fancy thankfully goes about the business of loving, breeding, and exhibiting the pedigreed dog unaffected by it all. Thank goodness for this one might well say! They interact harmoniously and respectfully within our fraternity. They do not allow the habitual, complaining malcontents, oftentime with thwarted ambitions, or the ruthlessly self-indulgent, who are in it for unrestrained gratification, to spoil things for others. It has to be said that, by and large, the sport remains in good hands. In every generation there are what one might call the sustaining members, those individuals who collectively form the core of our conformation-dog-show-related society. There is, fortunately, an abundance of such people who participate for all the right reasons and whose ethics and moral standing are beyond reproach. Not to satisfy the ego, or for purposes of self-aggrandizement, but out of a genuine interest in and abiding identification with the guiding beliefs that are at the heart of our connoisseurship of the pedigreed dog. Over the many years of writing monthly essays for this magazine I’ve very rarely mentioned names in any connection, unless it was a tribute or eulogy and I’ve only contributed one or two of those. Now I’ll break my own rule and mention someone who exemplified, for me, a true dog person and was for many years a ‘fixture’ at the dogs shows in my area of the country: the late Charlene Hallenbeck. She belonged and she paid her dues. She could be tough but she was fair. I didn’t know her real well but she was always there, her friendly countenance invariably refreshing, the seriousness of her participation and intent something to be admired. We talked from time to time and I, among many others I’m sure, miss her. A dyed-in-the-wool member of the Fancy; it was what she did, it was her passion, it was in her blood, it was her life. The basic, essential, enduring, indelible central part of our fraternity, our core, is surely composed of people like her.
Now let me finish this essay up by repeating a story which must surely have touched Tom Conway’s heart and perhaps induced him to write the letter quoted from in the first paragraph of this story. I’m not absolutely sure but I had a feeling about it back then and still do. I never did get around to asking him. It was based on an overheard conversation at a dog show. There were two women talking; one was assiduously grooming her prospective exhibit, brushing away with seemingly total abandon and self-assurance, a normally hand-held hair dryer firmly lodged under her chin, the other onlooking the proceedings. The groomer appeared very professional, with a seemingly firm grasp on what she was doing. Here was a picture of meticulous coordination and efficiency. It was quite a production. She clearly took great pride in what was being achieved and was obviously rather good at it. As this was happening the onlooker fired off a series of questions. How long had she shown this dog? Did she intend to continue doing so into the forseeable future? As the conversation proceeded it became apparent that the dog had rarely done any significant winning, had been out for quite a while but not finished. It was an exhibit of a popular breed where there was tough competition at that time on account of the quality and size of entries. The line of the questioning was clearly aimed at determining why the dog was still being shown. The owner informed the questioner that this was her only dog, the only one her husband allowed her to keep, she enjoyed coming to the shows and sharing in the camaraderie. She enjoyed exhibiting him even though she knew perfectly well that making him up would be tough. She felt that she belonged and so she did. The dog was trained and shown to perfection. To be a part of it all meant a lot to this individual and winning wasn’t everything. How healthy and refreshing was that? It did not matter terribly if her dog was not going to be a big winner and she could not have loved him more if he were a multiple all breed Best in Show winner. Perhaps the dog was, in fact, loved and cared for more genuinely than some of those that have. Here was a modest person whose priorities were in the right place and in line with the true spirit of the Fancy. Those wonderful human values are still out there.
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