This and That

Because of the vagaries of scheduling, I was “off” from the beginning of December until mid-March. As much as I could use the break, I began getting itchy toward the end of my “vacation.”

And so, “getting back to it” started again this year with my assignment at the Greater Kerrville Kennel Club (very nice show run by super people). Once more I hated the travel and being away from home, but as soon as I get in the ring with the dogs, I am happy and in my element. 

There was some excellent quality shown, and friends on the judging panel, and that combination always makes an assignment more enjoyable.

But not everything was perfect. As part of my assignment, I judged an “Open Show” that featured some interesting new breeds, all of which exhibited good temperaments and a mixture of experienced and new exhibitors.

One of the breeds shown to me was the Central Asian Shepherd Dog – with two entries of males in good condition and shown well. These were both very nice dogs. Of course, I had read the standard – FCI – which described the ears as: 

Medium sized, triangular shape, thick, low set and hanging. Lower part of ear base is level with, or slightly below the eyes. Traditional ear-cropping, in the fashion illustrated on the cover, is still practiced in country of origin and in countries where it is not prohibited by law. 

Well, the traditional ear-cropping on this breed is not as I know it on Dobermans and Boxers. This “ear-cropping” is basically complete ear removal! Yes, I understand the reason that was done in the past – or in the country of origin – but I truly do not believe this is how we want to present our purebred dogs to the general public.

I fully understand that in this country it is the parent club of each breed that owns the standard, but since this breed is not yet fully recognized by AKC, “we” can “suggest” changes to the standard. This is an interesting breed, but we can — and should — be one of those countries where ear removal is prohibited. I would like to see this breed presented without ears being removed. It may just be my opinion, but so be it — that’s what I do. 

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I don’t often take the time or enjoy watching another judge, but I recently made a special trip to watch a “breed expert” adjudicate at a specialty for one of my favorite Sporting breeds. Speaking afterward, we talked about how important “proportions” were in her decisions Shouldn’t that be the case in practically every breed? For me, silhouette, balance and proportions (including good length of rib cage as opposed to short lung space) should have significant impact on a judging decision. For this breed, the standard says, “Overall appearance, balance, gait, and purpose to be given more emphasis than any of his component parts.” 

Each of these words may have a slightly different meaning to each of us, and those differences should play a part in a judge’s decision. To me, overall appearance encompasses silhouette as well as that feeling I get when I first see that dog. Balance is extremely important to me – and should be for everyone for every dog. I love a beautiful, correct head on a dog, but no one feature should overpower another. Within correct balance is proper depth and length of chest and rib, as well as front and rear angulation and musculature – both standing and in motion. For me, gait means more than whether a dog moves closely in the front or rear. Proper gait encompasses footfall, timing and cadence as well as the correct (not exaggerated) reach and drive. So, this is just one sentence in a standard that could – and should – have great influence over a judge’s decisions.  

At this same specialty – for a breed that normally has large entries – I was very disappointed in the number of dogs entered in Bred by Exhibitor. ONE entry in a class that we should be most proud of. Why is that? Something to consider.  

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I am so tired of all the online know-it-alls who are breed experts — on their computers! As with any other endeavor, we have a mixture of good and bad in our judging society. But some of the comments made on the muscle-flexing internet are just plain cruel, and are one person’s opinion — usually the one who lost. Most of the time, these negative comments are made by people who were not even at the show! If comments like these were made at the show, AKC could bring charges against the person. Perhaps it is time to take action against internet muscles. Consider some of these comments: 

Regarding judge XXX. She judged YYY today in AZ. She clearly did not know the breed standard. She picked a class female with a known pro handler who is swaybacked, short legged, long backed and has the appearance of a male as her Best of Opp over some very nice CH females. She clearly looked at the other end of that lead in making her pick. How did she even pass the exam to get qualified in this breed? 

Maybe the use of English by this complainer is all we need to know. Is it the handler who is swaybacked, short-legged, and long backed (or the dog)? This person probably went to the same English class as the one who had complaints about specialties: 

 … goes both ways Breeder Judges pick their Friends... Its so Funny Staff people cant see it... Its the Same BS at Nationals and Specialties.. Specialties the people that put on the show and hire the judges There family members show and guess what they win and the dogs they breed win too. 

 Want to guess how many times this person has won anything at a specialty?  

 Yes, it is quite possible that both of these people were subjected to poor judges. There is also a chance that they don’t know any more than do the judges. Want to bet how many times either of these two had anything positive to say about a judge or even about someone else’s dog?

I simply don’t understand. Going to a dog show is not inexpensive, so if you are truly this unhappy and convinced that everything is politics, why do you keep going? Is it because it gives you something to complain about on the internet? 

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Think simple civility has not been destroyed? Do people that we see every day in every walk of life represent you? Passengers punching and stabbing flight attendants. Children killed in road-rage shootings. It seems like every week we see another school or community shooting. Have we become so accustomed to violence that we shrug it off? Common decency, respect and civility have been replaced by thugs who believe if you repeat the Big Lie loud enough and often enough, people will believe it.  

Thankfully, nothing like this is threatening our dog world … yet! Stupidity can give rise to anger. Anger gives life to hate. And we’re off! We don’t need this in our dog-show community. This “family” is my respite away from the anger, hatred and plain stupidity of the world. At least, it used to be.  

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Finally, to the person who told the AKC rep that a Bloodhound growled at me in the ring while I was judging and I didn’t do anything: Are you freaking kidding? I wouldn’t take that from a Chihuahua, much less from a dog as strong as a Bloodhound.

If any dog growled at me, I would have excused that dog for menacing – preferably from the other side of the ring. It is my responsibility to protect the next judge by either excusing or disqualifying a dog when appropriate. Even more importantly, NO BREED should want this type of behavior allowed in the ring, and one way to get poor temperaments out of the litter box is to get it out of the ring. So, try engaging brain before opening mouth. 

What do you think?