Editorial: October 28, 2022

When the sport of purebred dogs began in the United States, wealthy owners of sporting breeds had their kennel managers present the dogs in the ring. As the sport grew and those original kennel managers starting having success in the ring, other owners unable to show their own dogs enlisted their services. These kennel managers came mostly from the British Isles and Ireland, where the sport was already popular. Leaving their managerial jobs, they ventured out on their own to become what we know as professional dog handlers, establishing thriving businesses. As the profession grew, the American Kennel Club started to license these handlers. So exclusive was the membership that it was difficult to obtain a license to handle other people’s dogs. The rules were strict: A handler could only have one dog entered with his name in each class, and no unentered dogs at the show, unless crated in a designated area, which was true for all exhibitors. The most coveted of all was the all-breed handlers license. Then there was the limited handler, who was licensed for only those breeds the kennel club thought that handler to be worthy of. If you got a new client in a new breed, you could trade one breed for which you were licensed for the new one. You never entered the ring as a professional handler in a breed you were not licensed to handle. Then, as the profession grew, an even more exclusive club was created called the Professional Handlers Association (PHA), with names like Brumby, Trainor, Young, Forsyth. Every top handler was a member, and being associated with that organization was another status symbol. Some disagreements ensued, and a new handlers organization called The Handlers Guild was created by several Midwest handlers, namely George Ward, Larry Downey, Dick Cooper and Stan Flowers. All these early professional handlers guided and advised their clients on breeding, selling and purchasing breeding stock. They didn't breed their own dogs, but could whelp, grade and sell puppies for their clients. Then, sadly, after several unfortunate events, the American Kennel Club disbanded the licensing of professional handlers, and with a blink of an eye all of a sudden everyone was listing themselves as handlers in the catalog. So some damage repair was done in order to justify the listings, and it was now the person responsible for the dogs at the dog show who was listed. Handlers from the two organizations objected (rightly so), and the subtle change to appease the members of handling organizations was that their names were listed in the catalogs in bold-face type. Today many breeders have become professional handlers, and have clients who own dogs bred by the handler. In addition to the PHA and THG, there is also the Registered Handlers Program (RHP) operated by the American Kennel Club, which tries to bridge the old and the new. Just an observation on how the role of the professional handler has changed.