by Lisa Dubé Forman Originally published: February 2013 photo by Lisa Croft-Elliott In my brief five years of judging, I cannot count how many times I have communicated to exhibitors that I am not judging a statue. I offer this as relaxing encouragement to them while they attempt to correct their dog’s stance as it [...]
This may be old news to most of you but I believe the sport of purebred dogs, using media hype terminology, is in “critical condition.” I am neither the standard bearer of this message nor a professional writer.
If you have not yet read Will Alexander’s article titled Why Bother? in this month’s Canine Chronicle (http://www.onlinedigitalpubs.com/publication/?m=2330&i=760058&p=120&id=8717&ver=html) I urge you to do so. Will talks about a youngster who walked by as he was blow drying his Irish Setter in the rain and asked why bother? We have all been there: Spending hours line [...]
It’s been a crazy summer. Extreme heat, volatile storms, yet the dog shows go on.
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.
This article contains thirteen questions asked of three men who took the same dog to the Westminster Kennel Club Show three times and finally won Best In Show the third time with that dog.
Empathy is inseparable from our sport which defines our lives. Without that fierce love for another species, this whole game falls apart.
On that particular day, in the not-too-distant past, there were several good quality dogs in competition but it was perfectly obvious to any knowledgeable onlooker reasonably familiar with the breed being judged that there was one exhibit which stood out, head and shoulders, so to speak, above the rest. It was clearly the best in terms of make, shape, movement and ‘type’. But yet it failed to go Winners and its breeder-owner-handler had to settle for the Reserve position.
I’ll dispense with any explanations or excuses about gifts for dogs. That weird human habit devolved into a mainstream custom long ago. At this point, it ranks among predictable consumer expenditures long before Black Friday rolls around. That leaves us with the bigger question of what do you get for the dog who has everything. Before you start fretting about the perfect gift for that unconscious canine snoozing on your sofa, I need to tell you about Gunther.
Don’t bitch when a good one beats you. Try harder next time, or get a better dog. Do not show under judges you feel are incompetent.
