First of all, in my effort to meet last week's deadline, I mistakenly wrote that only three exhibits had won the breed all four days of Hatboro Devon and Montgomery. I left out a fourth breed that was successful in doing this too—the Scottish Terrier. She, of course, was Ch. Blueberry's Attitude Dancing, owned and bred by Kathi Brown and Susan Getgood and shown by Bergit Kabel. Sorry about that one!
I am also sorry to have to write that it's just the same old story when it comes to AKC and the approval method for judges. There has been no philosophical change whatsoever insofar as the Board itself is concerned. All they have done is to shift the approval method to the Staff without
changing anything whatsoever. What a cop out! True, there is the deletion of the number of breeds for the higher-than-expected rating, but the old standard of correctly filling out the application without any consideration of a person's ability to judge remains in force. If I 
were Dennis Sprung, I would get off that committee immediately. Really, if the Board doesn't have the guts or refuses to see the need to change what is going on, why should the President give this kind of committee his perceived approval by chairing it? Dennis has done and continues to make too many positive contributions in almost every area of AKC to be saddled with a judge's approval
situation when the Board refuses to take any action whatsoever. Given his druthers and without my knowing this as a fact, I am willing to bet he would change the existing system to something that makes sense were he given the permission of the Board to do so. And if you think this is pie in the sky, why doesn't the Board offer him the opportunity to do just that!
What truly is the point of dog shows these days? We seem to forget that originally dog shows were held to compare breeding stock so that breeders 
could help their breed to advance. Bloodlines were seen at showing and there was talk of adding virtues to design breeding programs. The show ring should still be a breeder's place to find bitches that will produce and dogs that will sire puppies. Have today's exhibitors, in their desire to be “top this” or “break that record,” forgotten this goal? For too many people, this is exactly the case. In some cases, the desire to break records or be at the top is so great that bitches are not bred at all. They 
hope to pile up the points rather than make an even better dog! The time to reevaluate our priorities in this matter is long past. It would be nice to at least hear this discussed at some point or other. One would have hoped this would have been on the agenda at the upcoming Parent Club Conference, but that's just not in the cards. Those running this conference seem to be more interested in making political points with certain constituents than calling to the fore the problems of the day. Really, shouldn't this kind of conference look at whether or not the American Championship is too easy attain rather than suggest ways to get majors for losers! To say nothing of having a discussion about exactly where dog shows are headed in the future. •
