Meet Me in São Paulo
I always try to go to the World Dog Shows. It is extra-exciting if I am judging. I was lucky to judge the WDS in Amsterdam in 2018 and Shanghai in 2019.
Since the United States is not an FCI country, the WDS uses very few American judges. In Amsterdam it was only Michael Faulkner and myself. In Shanghai there were about five or six American judges.
The 2022 World Dog Show was held on Saturday and Sunday, December 10 and 11, in São Paulo, preceded by the Brazilian Kennel Club’s Centenary Show on Thursday and Friday, December 8 and 9. Perhaps because Brazil is in the Americas, there were at least seven or eight judges from the U.S. After I received the invitation from the World Dog Show, I kept thinking and thinking what my assignment might be. Since 130 judges had been hired, I presumed I would have a small assignment for both the Centenary Show and the WDS. I thought they would have only about 2,500 dogs, and not the entry of around 4,300 that they ultimately got.
In June, while I was at the 2022 Westminster show, someone sent me a link to the list of judges and their assignments. I was so very surprised to see I was judging adult Frenchies at the Centenary Show and all the adult classes for Dobermans at the World Dog Show. I thought being in South America, it might have been a very famous breeder-judge for Dobermans.
Many of the best Dobermans in the States have a lot of Brazilian and Argentinian breeding. From the day I learned of my assignment, I constantly thought what a challenging assignment it would be.
The show committee worked greatly on all the travel arrangements. I told them I wanted to fly United out of Newark. Before booking the ticket, they asked if the proposed times would work for me. We have to remember on these long international flights there is only one flight per day. The flight to São Paulo was scheduled for around 10:30 p.m. I like these very late-night flights because you can sleep the whole night. I got to the airport around 6 p.m. and went to the new United Club to have some drinks. I planned on going downstairs to one of the nice restaurants for dinner, but the food being offered in the club looked so good I decided to dine right there at the bar. The new United Club at Newark is the best I have ever been to. It even has a coffee bar where they can make you the same fancy coffee drinks as Starbucks offers.
Around 9:30 p.m. we started the boarding process. Karen Wilson was seated very close to me, but had upgraded to Business Premium class, and I was only in Economy Plus.
After having enjoyed several drinks and a large meal, I quickly fell asleep long before we left the gate. The flight was around 10 hours, and happily I was able to sleep for at least about eight and a half hours.
We were scheduled to arrive at about 10:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. We were a little late but went through immigration and customs very quickly. There was a driver to meet me and Kim LeBlank to get us to the hotel. Even though Karen was on my flight, another driver met her and her traveling companion. It was a little over an hour to our hotel. We arrived at the very beautiful Intercontinental at about 12:45 p.m. and were able to check in very quickly.
They had scheduled a lunch at about 1 p.m., so I quickly just put my luggage in the room. There were several vans to take us to a magnificent restaurant nearby. My favorite drink is the caipirinha, the national drink of Brazil. It is made with cachaça, crushed lime and sugar. For some they are never as good in the U.S., because of our sugar. As soon as I was seated, I quickly told the waiter I would appreciate a caipirinha. I have to admit even the second one tasted as good as the first. The meal was fabulous, and the company was even better. I was seated with Evalyn Gregory and David Haddock. We were with great friends we had not seen since Covid closed down the world. It was a very filling lunch with great starters, entrees and several fine desserts. Since the large majority had only arrived that morning after all-night flights from around the world, a short nap was welcome relief.
A lot of the judges were not arriving until Wednesday evening, so a buffet dinner was scheduled right in the hotel. This made for a casual, relaxing evening. It gave good friends a chance to meet and greet who had not seen each other since pre-Covid. Most of the guests retreated to their rooms before midnight.
Thursday morning started very early for the committee and some of the judges. Judges who started at 8 a.m. were instructed to get on the large van departing at 6:30 a.m. Depending on the traffic, it was estimated to be about a 45-minute ride. As in all the world’s largest cities, traffic can be horrendous. Even though I was not scheduled to start early, I opted for the 6:30 van so I could see as much judging as possible. On Thursday Evalyn Gregory did all the Puppy and Junior classes of Frenchies. Then I judged all the Adult classes and BOB.
The ring was a bit small, but making a cut with some of the classes solved the problem. The overall quality was quite good in both sexes. My Best Male and BOB was a super pied. He is a dog of extreme virtues. I later learned I had seen him as a 9-month-old at the U.S. national a few years ago, where he won his class. The FCI standard allows for French Bulldogs to be a bit heavier in weight than the AKC standard. Being that he would be over 28 pounds, he was never campaigned in the States. My second and third behind the pied dog were two outstanding brindles. The third-place dog has won some large specialties in the States and some big wins in Latin America. My best bitch was also a larger pied. Reserve went to a brindle that finished in the States by winning several groups.
At a meeting early Wednesday evening, the committee instructed us to try to be quick with the required critiques for the Centenary show. No critiques were given at the World Dog Show. Each entry had a sheet with their number listed. There was a large form listing most of the different parts of the dogs. For each part we checked a box as Excellent, Very Good, Good or Unsatisfactory. This made the critiques move very quickly. Also there were lines where we could write our impression of the overall dog. At the end of the day I found out that because of the critiques, they had scheduled us for four minutes per dog.
When I finished the males, I was informed that I could not start the bitches for nearly an hour and a half. I soon learned this was the same with many of the other judges. With the forms that we used, we demonstrated that complete critiques can be done very quickly.
There were no groups judged on Thursday, so everyone was able to leave before 7 p.m. Most of us took the vans back to the hotel to freshen up before going to dinner. Between 8 and 9 p.m., vans escorted us to where the dinner was being held that evening. We were dining at a different restaurant each evening. This is no easy feat, finding restaurants that accommodate 200 to 300 guests. Each evening the dinners were in beautiful settings with great cuisine. It did make for very late nights. Leaving the restaurants around midnight or later, and the van ride back to the hotel, made for a short night’s sleep.
Friday I did not judge, so I opted for a van around 8:30 a.m. It was so enjoyable to get to see many, many breeds being judged and groups for the breeds judged Thursday and Friday. I did judge the Adult Group 8 on Friday, which in FCI is the Retrievers and Spaniels.
At the venue we had a lovely large hospitality room with wonderful coffee, snacks and other beverages. I believe it was on Friday that we stopped the judging so everyone could watch the soccer game when Brazil was playing against Morocco, I believe. Because of pre-judging the groups, when the groups came into the main ring, we quickly pulled out six dogs. We quickly examined them again and moved them. At the end of the day, BIS went to a beautiful male Afghan Hound from Chile.
Saturday I did not judge, so I enjoyed the day watching many breeds. The venue had a wonderful restaurant that offered a lavish buffet every day. We always had plenty of time for a relaxing lunch with great friends from every corner of the globe.
Sunday was the day I had looked so forward to for many months. Dobermans have always been extremely strong in South America. It was a great honor for me to judge this breed at the WDS. In 2021, I judged the breed at the AKC National Championship show. My Winners Dog and Bitch, and both reserves, all hailed from Argentina.
The depth of overall quality was very strong in Brazil. Many of the best ones could win big in the U.S. I had some decisions that had my mind racing overtime
Some of the best bitches had the proper bone and substance that some bitches lack in the States. I was extremely pleased with all that got some of the top awards. My Best Male and Best of Breed is so correct in all areas. As a young dog he was my Winners Dog at the AKC show in 2021. With a year’s maturity he is now a super dog, and he has already proven himself as a wonderful sire.
Fabio Amorim had the honor of judging Best in Show. As president of the Brazilian Kennel Club, he also headed a very large army of committee people who worked on organizing this show for years. His wonderful charm made everyone feel so welcome the whole time we were his guests. Fabio had some wonderful dogs in his final. Best went to a stunning Shih Tzu that was the favorite of everyone. This dog can win big time everywhere in the world today.
Dinky Santos judged Best Junior and had a great line-up. It is always full of wonderful great young dogs that will be the future stars of the sport.
There was a great gala closing dinner on Sunday night. It had to be the most beautiful gala dinner I have ever witnessed. The drinks, food and entertainment outdid anything we have ever attended. It was a perfect ending to a long, perfect week. We have to thank the great committee, the breeders, exhibitors, handlers and all the judges for making a perfect show.