If ever the competitive side of the sport of showing dogs owes a vote of thanks to anyone it is to Lou Auslander and his daughter, Dorie. My god, the job they have done in returning THE INTERNATIONAL KENNEL CLUB OF CHICAGO to its old role as one of the pre-eminent shows on the dog show calendar is outstanding. Unfortunately, Dorie was ill this year and her presence was sorely missed.Sue Olsen, who works with Dorie, did a magnificent job (as usual) in helping to get the job done. What had been a weekend on the vergeof extinction completed a 180-degree turn and deserves to be recognized as an event in a class truly extraordinary. The entries are now in the high 2,500 area, and spectators mob the place. The concessionaires are all over McCormack Place, whilst, indeed, the performance events take place without interfering with conformation in the slightest. The newly established owner-handler classes seemed to be popularly accepted, and Groups and Best were over in a reasonably good time, for sure. I must say, too, that the hardworking James brothers—Tim and Terry, of Onofrio fame—should not be overlooked in this equation, as well. Interestingly, Connie Vanacore, I think it was, mentioned how, at Westminster, the center aisle, long noted as the spot for political mechanizations goings-on, seemed not to have occurred this year. Perhaps the absence of some of the old timers is the reason for that, but at Chicago, I'd take it even a step further. Consider the number of Delegates in attendance there, what with the CHF dinner as well, and not one candidate running for the Board even showed up! Either times have changed or someone knows something about which I am unaware.
In mentioning the revival of ICK, it is difficult to think this could have happenedwere this not a proprietary show. Many shows have had their ups and downs, and usually once the downside hits, they rarely recover—except, one must note, in the case of the proprietary shows. Perhaps it would be wise, as I have written before, for the Delegates to reconsider the feasibility of reintroducing these shows where a club desires this form of ownership. I was, quite candidly, not overly impressed with the quality of many of the Groups—the two that stood out were the Toy andSporting Groups, for sure, with the other groups usually having one or two exhibits from which to choose. The BIS winners—a different one each night—were, at Blackhawk, the Old English shown by Colton Johnson, while on Saturday evening, the Airedale shown by Jenny Wornall was the victor. Nice to see these two young handlers do such a nice job with their exhibits, and how proud their parents must have been. Sunday, Robin Novack guided the English Springer to Best, while on Monday, David Fitzpatrick's new Yakee Peke was the winner. Some dogs I had not seen before or not up close, for sure, that impressed me were, of course, the OES, the Toy Poodle, the new Yakee Peke, Luc's Brussels Griffon, a Harrier dog and a new Frenchie. Almost forgot, but there was a Dobe pup I wouldn't mind owning as well. And, oh yes, a Kuvasz special that looked terrific, to me anyway.
As for the election, I really don't know whom I would support, were I able to vote. I must say that David Meisels sounds impressive on paper. I have not read orheard anything that would have me change the make-up of the existing Board. I have never been a Ken Marden fan, but his input in field and performance can't be denied, and no one else running seems to have any desire or inclination to even get involved in that area. Otherwise, I can only say that with regard to the Board, it seems to be running well, so if it's not broken, why change it?
Hopefully by now, everyone must realize how foolish it was to institute time limits on Directors' terms. This was politically the thing to do years ago, but the restrictions never made sense to me at the time. First of all, the delegates were putting term limits on the Board but not themselves, which was discriminating at best. Secondly, term limits thwart long-term planning, for sure, which is a major consideration in running AKC.
We are off to Crufts, and this issue does have a special Crufts section. Furthermore, DOG NEWS will be sponsoring the International Lounge at Crufts, where all the visitors come to rest and talk. Past issues as well as “D” will be on sale and distributed at Crufts, along with this issue, and some members of “The Young Kennel Club” will be manning our booth there. This is a first for us, and we are looking forward to a mutually beneficial and long-lasting relationship there. •