Editorial: June 27, 2025

Call it what you like, but believe it or not there is climate change, and it’s everywhere. Here we are on the first day of summer, and we spent it in London, where there was a record-breaking heatwave; on our return to New York, we were greeted with a temperature of 100 degrees. When Jane and Bob Forsyth handled dogs professionally, they always took the month of August off, so as not to fight the hot weather that was the norm in the Northeastern and New England states in that month. It also was a sigh of relief to owner-handlers like ourselves not to have to compete against the Forsyth machine for a whole month. (Weather be damned.) Now, you know August had to be uncomfortably hot if Janie took a month off, because next to her love of family and dogs, money came in third. To not bill a whole month of handling fees — believe me, it was hot. In those days, winter shows were held indoors, and summer shows were held outdoors. Sure, it rained, but you put on your rain gear, which, as luck would have it, the aforementioned Janie Forsyth sold in many colors for both men and women. I think there are still two sets of rain jackets and pants (navy and maroon) in a back closet, if anyone is interested. Shows were rarely cancelled, and if the weather was dangerously hot, exhibitors would just go home or the show was cancelled midday as the weather worsened. But now we fast-forward to today’s weather conditions, which affect us all from coast to coast: uncontrollable West Coast fires, unusually early heavy snowstorms in the mountains, tornados, thunderstorms and record-breaking heatwaves that sweep the country. We have learned a lot from those days, and air-conditioned buildings and rigs are now the norm. Dog shows that are cancelled because of weather are far greater in number than before. We respect a club’s decision to cancel an event due to weather. We know it’s not an easy decision to make, given the year of planning and the hard work and preparation for the day. But everyone’s safety preempts everything else. It’s a tough decision, but with today’s extended weather forecasts it does help to make a decision a little in advance of the event so as to not have people traveling. No one can second-guess Mother Nature, but safety should always come first. Maybe a hard and fast rule: When it hits 90 degrees and the show is outdoors, it should be cancelled. Until then, we have to rely of the sense and sensibility of those in charge. Stay cool and have a great summer.