The Gossip Column: January 26, 2024

Weather is playing a big part in our ability to attend dog shows of late. From coast to coast the balmy BROOKSVILLE, Florida, shows were hardly that, if at all. Just cold and wet with brief hints of what one expects of Florida weather in January. On the left coast, Portland, Oregon, had enough cold and ice to be problematic for those attending the ROSE CITY CLUSTER ...

News from across the pond …

My dear friend and DOG NEWS columnist ANDREW BRACE will be hosting a Zoom webinar, GIVING THE JUDGES WHAT THEY WANT —THE ART OF HANDLING. The mighty Welshman knows a thing or two, as he has been successful on both ends of that lead. In his day, he enjoyed great success with Beagles long before his dive into judging at home and then abroad. The audience so far is a very respectable 300-plus and counting. There are still some tickets available, and if you miss the first run, ANDREW will repeat it. It would be interesting to hear his take on exhibiting, as the styles of handling differ here and there. ...

With the recent and shockingly unexpected passing of MARK COCOZZA, a tribute and celebration of his life will be held Monday, January 24, at the Mortlake Crematorium with a reception at the Roebuck in London. All who knew and loved him are welcome. ...

The next several FCI WORLD DOG SHOWS will be centered in Europe. The upcoming 2024 site will be Zagreb, Croatia, to be held on April 25 to 28, hosted by the CROATIAN KENNEL CLUB. Not the best weather that time of year, but a lovely country to visit. The following year, 2025, it’s back to Helsinki, Finland, where the show will be held on August 8 to 10, plus specialties, hosted by the FINNISH KENNEL CLUB. The Finns always put on a great event in every respect, organized with precision and professionalism, not to mention a large entry, depending on the situation with Russia and if their dogs will be allowed to compete. Hopefully there will be peace in that part of the world. In 2026 the show will be held in Bologna, Italy, in the northern part of the country hosted by the ITALIAN KENNEL CLUB on June 4 to 7. What can you say — Italy, the food, the wine, the history, and Bologna is close to many other beautiful spots like Portofino and the Splendido Hotel, about a three-hour drive. Rounding out the dates for the next four years, in 2027 the World Dog Show will be held in Weis, Austria, on May 27 to 30, hosted by the AUSTRIAN KENNEL CLUB. While CRUFTS will always be my favorite, attending these shows (and, depending on the country, the running of the shows can sometimes not be up to our standards) gives you an opportunity to travel around the world and see your breed and other rarer ones for the first time.