From The Publisher

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10 – October, 2024

By Tom Grabe

The famous quote, “If you’re not cheating, you’re not trying,” was first uttered by WWE Hall of Fame wrestler Eddie Guerrero. NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Richard Petty added a little flair to it with his version, “If you ain’t trying to cheat a little, you ain’t likely to win much.”

Allegations of cheating in the Sport of Purebred Dogs probably started after the first dog, and they will surely continue as long as dog shows–and any other subjectively judged events– exist. Cheating and claims of cheating are ingrained in the fabric of competition, even those that are scored. And, as we all know, it’s easier for losers to believe something nefarious caused their loss than to be introspective and look at, in the case of dog shows, their dog’s quality, condition and performance.

Over the past 140 years of AKC’s existence, there have been numerous claims, and sometimes investigations, regarding payoffs, gifts, trades, and even sexual favors being exchanged for wins. In a few instances, those allegations have been proven true, and most of the people involved received severe punishments, i.e. lifetime bans from the sport and fines. Other times nothing happened; probably because there was not enough credible evidence to proceed with an investigation, or an investigation proved the claim to be false. There have been a few instances where, in my opinion, AKC couldn’t prove someone they didn’t favor violated a rule but suspended them using a vague regulation like, “A conflict of interest” or “the appearance of impropriety.” It’s kind of like, “Show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime.”

Click here to read the complete article
10 – October, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on Oct 4 2024. 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.