One of the great problems with this great new communication age in which we live is the matter of credibility. So much jabbering occurs on the Internet, you never seem to know what to believe and what to dismiss. Authorities are born in a minute of their own creation, whilst the really credible people are basically silent and/or observers who fall into the credible category. This is the case because usually their opinions are paid for in some form of publication or commercial communication. Overly frequent voluntary writers can be found with time on their hands, and no one they know is willing to listen to them, so they join lists or develop lines of communication in order to be heard. Whether they should be listened to is another matter altogether.
Specifically, I refer to the writings of Walt Hutchins (I think that's his name) and Bob Kane. I really don't know and have been unable to ascertain their backgrounds in dogs. I do hear Mr. Hutchins has a background in Whippets. But like the lady who wrote on one of their lines asking whether AKC was “like a Costco or Sam's Club and could anyone join it,” she showed a narrowness of mind and uneducated attitude about the dog show scene that is prevalent in too many people on these lines. There is a move afoot by certain anti-PAWS people to disrupt Westminster in one way or another, according to those chat rooms as well. Personally, I know who I'd get to stop that if it ever did come to pass at the Garden. Forget Garden security, I'd hire “Dorie” for the job, and since none of those people would have any idea who “Dorie” is, she could be doubly effective.
Seriously, though, the rather sketchy analysis of AKC operations contained in Mr. Kane's missive of 1/20/06 is interesting in that it outlines in very basic terms the very things this newspaper editorially has been fighting for over 20 years (and, I might add, my personal predilection as well). Kane's attempts at questioning AKC's future and the March elections is anything but definitive and is written negatively to whip up support for his anti-PAWS stand. In contrast, we at DOG NEWS attempt to discuss a multitude of issues that affect our dogs' lives and AKC's relationship to them in a positive, constructive manner. AKC and Directors' elections are made up of much more than the issue of PAWS, which Kane either doesn’t realize or refuses to cede. Connie Vanacore, whose credentials are impeccable, raised this very point in a recent article. Are we to become so shortsighted as to determine the future of an organization or an election on one issue? One would certainly hope not. Kane is entitled to his opinion, but is there anything else about AKC he cares or knows about? I sincerely doubt it, based upon what he writes, that's for sure.
Some further thoughts about Tampa revolve round the new importance attached to the breeder classes by the show competitors themselves. I believe this was the area of greatest increase insofar as entries were concerned, which should bode well for the future. Really, who needs yet another dog show? But by emphasizing the Bred-By classes, which is a major selling point for AKC, they return a uniqueness to the competitive side of the sport which has been both misdirected and lost by most show goers. It lends a credibility to the Invitational, taking it out of the ordinary, everyday dog show competition aura. I did think the live TV aspect needed refining, particularly for the spectators in attendance and most of the adjudicators. Furthermore, and I'm not too sure how this one is countered, since dates are so personally evaluated, there has to be more of an emphasis in a breed judge approval on a person's background in the breed and less of a generic evaluation. Also, didn't you think some of the group judges a mite longin the tooth? I did. Positively, I enjoyed the foreign judges who by and large outshone our American counterparts—or so I thought—while the number of foreign competitors increases annually. This makes for an international dog show in America that should be encouraged tremendously. We have nothing else like this anywhere in the U.S.A.!
It's hard to believe that the “Big W” is soon upon us. New regulations for press passes and photographer's credentials are in effect this year. They've tightened up tremendously the free-for-alls of the past 10 years. If you have not made prior arrangements, consider yourself out in the cold. Forewarned is forearmed, I think certain people are wont to say, so don't complain if we can't help you out at the show itself! •