Before I tell you of our Finland experiences at two of the largest all-breed one-day dog shows in the world—7,500 each day—I must let you know how I mourned the news of the passing of two great and good friends, Eileen Pimlott and Elaine Rigden. Eileen was a newer acquaintance of mine than was Lainey.
Eileen I knew with her husband, George, for little more than 20 years. Jerry, Lainey and I went back at least 35 if not more years. Both were unique, outspoken individuals who let anyone know were they stood on any issue at any time! That's one of the things I loved about them both—they let it all hang out. I never could get Eileen to write for DOG NEWS with any sort of frequency, but her areas of expertise were multi-layered. Gene always said Eileen should have been a Board Member at AKC. She served on any number of not-for-profits, particularly in the animal welfare areas. Her opinions were sought by many and her knowledge was shared not for her own gain but in an effort to educate—unlike many others in her geographical area who were in it more for what they could get out of rather than contributing to an organization. I'm not too sure how good an AKC Board Member Eileen would have been, however, since neither compromise nor negotiating were her strong points. It was either Eileen's way or no way, and that was one of the things I most admired and loved about her. She was a devoted mother and grandmother, and I will truly miss her. Lainey, on the other hand, was an inveterate writer and storyteller for DOG NEWS. Lord help the person who accidentally skipped the week she was to have been published. The fiercest of competitors, together with husband Jerry, they formed one of the most formidable and toughest handling acts ever to be in the sport. Lainey had a great talent for gab and could charm a snake. Her clients were some of the major supporters the sport has seen, and her knowledge was vast and shareable. If you were her friend you were just that-a friend for life. Although I knew Lainey for a longer time than Gene, I always felt she enjoyed his company more than mine, which was fine with me. Lainey and I were known to disagree mightily on occasion; nonetheless, we had a mutual respect and love that will long surpass her death. I will miss both ladies terribly!
As for Helsinki, we arrived there expecting to be buried in snow, but whatever snow had been on the ground had been rained away. Then it turned icy cold but still no snow in the city proper. Outside the city, however, I am told the countryside was buried. We met our partner in Skyes in Finland, Kirsi Sainio, at the airport. Naturally, our clothes arrived the next day (which happened two weeks earlier in Athens, too) and then went to our hotel, which was adjacent to and abuts the massive show site. This Holiday Inn is large and comfortable, and really, you never have to face the weather due to the way this Fair Centre is built. This is now our third or fourth trip there, and the Helsinki Fair Centre has six fair halls, with a total of 45,000 square meters. In addition, a massive heated outdoor marquee for German Shepherds, Hunting Spitz and others was provided. Of the 7,500 entries, 1,200 were from abroad, most from Sweden, Russia, Estonia and Norway. Three hundred five different breeds were represented. Unfortunately, tail docking is not permitted for dogs born after 2001, I think, whilst cropping is out of the question. While I'm not the greatest proponent of cropping—I think it should be up to the individual—docking is another matter with me. I really have little problem with uncropped Danes, Giants, Bouviers and Boxers, to name a few breeds, but in altogether too many breeds the undocked dog totally loses its balance and symmetry, to my eye anyways. It's funny, though, with the sporting (oops, gundogs) I don't react that negatively. One of the major problems with these newly adopted EURO laws is that not only will dogs from the Eastern European countries be affected by these bans on docking, which in many instances do not apply to them, it totally precludes dogs from our country, South America and the U.K. for the time being from being shown. Of course, the U.K. is on the edge anyways, as cropped dogs from, say, the U.S. can't be shown there anyways. Really now, why cropping and/or docking should be a matter of international concern befuddles me. Wouldn't the fairest thing to do is let each country decide for themselves as to what practice to follow? Is this topic really an international cause célèbre? The winner of BIS each night was a WFT bred in Italy—but owned in Sweden, I am told. Rumor has it coming to the States in April to a handler on the West Coast. He is a most impressive looking exhibit that shows beautifully and is exquisitely marked and put down to seeming perfection. His exaggerated, long head looks most appealing, although I never had my hands on him. He looked short back, too, so that overall his virtues seemed outstanding. Furthermore, from an overall standpoint and of those coming to mind, the Smooth Collies, Giant Schnauzers and Black Russian Terriers truly were impressive. The final line-ups, I fear, were a little “Cruftsy” for me. By that I mean I know I saw a lot better dogs in both the breeds and the groups than eventually made it into the BIS rings. And that IS a major problem of Crufts, for sure. I was a major proponent of pre-group judging, but no longer am after watching it applied in Helsinki. First of all, the pre-judging rings are too small, and there is absolutely no accountability for what the judge may or may not be doing. In those groups, which had 30 or 40 or 50 exhibits, they breezed in and out of those group rings so fast you never saw a thing. It was unfair to spectator and dog alike and left altogether too much autonomy in the hands of the judge for my taste. Of course, if they did not do this, the shows would never have finished within a reasonable time. Take your choice, I guess, but I'd rather see the dogs in action. One last thought. It was a great experience and one well worth repeating. Of course, the FCI group alignments are obtuse at best and could do with a through re-evaluation. I did see a 10-and-a-half-year-old Russian bloodhound-unentered due to a registration glitch, I think they told me-that would make your hair stand on end. The most perfect head I possibly have ever seen—out-Brightoned Brighton standing at his age on perfect feet! A body of death, a rib cage and an attitude unbeatable. He was of correct size—not Bullmastiffy at all in chest or look, with a perfect tail set. And this at over 10 years of age. Worth the trip for me alone, as it should for any person interested in Bloodhounds. Below, he is pictured at 10-and-a-half years of age! Beat that, if you can. •