We have just returned from one of the most eye opening, satisfying and positive experiences insofar as foreign judging is concerned. Judging for the Federación Canófila Mexicana was, simply put, terrific. As important to my mind, at any rate, was to see the hows and whys of the operation of this club itself. First of all, the show is run on kennel club-owned grounds in Mexico City. The grounds are landscaped with marvelous dog statuary situated throughout the two acres. There is a permanent grandstand bleacher set-up in which to watch the proceedings. Behind this grandstand are the offices themselves, which include a display of Mexican dog art and memoribilia. A library and the registration offices themselves make up the rest of the complex. There is another building which houses veterinary areas as well as testing and tattoo and microchipping facilities. The grounds for the show are level and grassy, with large, lovely rings. Easily a show for 1,000 dogs, if not more, but due to parking restrictions, the organization holds entries down. For the larger shows they either hold them on grounds they own outside of the city or go to larger arenas in Mexico City. This will be done for the FCI World Show in May 2007. Here, a huge air conditioned building will be used, which is as modern and convenient as any place in the world. I would strongly suggest a visit to this city for the World Show come 2007! Of course, the man behind and in front of the scene is Dr. Jose Payro, who is well known in the States as a frequent judge. He runs the operation with a sense of dignity and strength of hand that just has to be admired. It shows what can be accomplished without the expense and tiresome and sometime petty input of delegate bodies, general committee members and the like. There are times when benevolent singular leaders can be more successful than the combined thinking of hundreds of individuals more interested in power plays than in modernizing, expanding and maintaining an organization. Lucky is Mexico to have a Jose Payro as its leader!
As for the dogs, Lorraine Boutwell, Ron Menaker, Gene and I switched assignments for the four days. First of all, let me say, why anyone in the world wants to judge four or more shows in a week is beyond me, particularly on a weekly basis, as is done in the States. Doing it every once in a while may be okay, but as a regular diet, count me out, that's for sure. On the other hand, we were treated so graciously that any tedium for the work at hand was either blunted or severely minimized. The quality of many of the dogs was really high. Certain breeds shockingly so. The Saint Bernards, Great Pyrenees and Alaskan Malamutes were way, way above average. The Labs as good, if not better, than you'll find anywhere. While generally there were individual stars in many breeds, too. The senior group Bests went to four different dogs. The first night, I put up a Chinese Crested bred by Bayshore. The second night, Lorraine awarded a GSP bitch from Mexico the Best. Gene gave an Irish Setter dog from the States the nod, while Ron awarded Best to a Saint Bernard bred in Mexico. Interestingly, few dogs in the final line-ups each night were the same, since the four of us both judged dogs differently, and in some cases, entries increased as the days progressed, and we frequently had different dogs to judge.
Would I go back again? In a New York minute, I would. And, I repeat, I plan on going to the World Show in 2007 in Mexico City. You'll be sorry if you don't go there too.
Well, one of the latest contretemps in the dog world today seems to be the fact that Andrew Hunte is exhibiting a dog at AKC shows! Really, is he to be disallowed from showing a dog, too? I mean, it's not as though he is becoming a Delegate, the way other members of competing registries have done. Do these people really want to stop food companies, too, from feeding Andrew Hunte-owned or registered dogs as well! Is Mr. Hunte planning on judging next? I don't know, but the precedent is set, since officers and owners of competing registries now judge AKC shows. I don't hear anyone screaming about that, although to my mind, that’s more of a transgression than anything Mr. Hunte is doing at dog shows today. •