in general terms, though, but I should have emphasized that
that’s what I meant.
Thanks,
Bo Bengtson
Ojai, Calif.
July Editor’s Column Resonates
Great article, Allan. It took me seven years to put my first
points on a dog, and guess what? I would not trade those
seven years for what I see in the show ring today (described
so well by you). I doubt there are many folks currently showing dogs that would trade seven years of education (which
is what I consider those years to be) for their “champions”
finished in a couple of weekends.
— Kathryn Carr
Well said and so true. Unfortunately, some of this has been
going on for a long time now. I always thought dog shows
were as much for the social aspect of spending time with
those who enjoy breeding the best quality they can, not just
being focused on winning and leaving.
— Jeffrey Pepper
Amen, and a corollary is the attitude that if I spend enough
money on a dog I can make it a big-winning special regardless
of its mediocrity. Some of us with less money actually need
to have a good dog!
— Lois-Ann Snyder
It took me 20 years to realize how much I didn’t know about
my own breed, and it will be a lifelong experience I happily
accept. The lack of patience and investment of effort and the
demand for immediate gratification plagues not just the show
dog world, but our entire society. The slow, long path enriches
far beyond trophies and ribbons.
— Ernie Slone
Yes, wonderful and so correctly stated! I sometimes cringe at
what I see in the ring and wonder what standard those owners
and breeders are studying! Probably no standard at all — sad.
I love it when I do see a good dog, correct to the standard,
one that can function as it should, being shown! As a recent
article I read stated, if you do not like the standard and do
not want to breed to it, get into another breed! Allan, thanks
for all your words of wisdom!
— Rita Figg
Excellent article. When I started in the show ring back in
the ‘70s, if I had one champion out of a litter I was thrilled.
Two and I was over the moon. When I got into Tibbies in the
mid-80s, I was quite surprised to learn that most breeders
considered an entire litter to be show quality. It seems it was
all about how many champions one could breed. That was
the most important goal.
— Susan Mullins
Outstanding. Thank you for writing about this. I have always
said bring your best, not just finishable dogs. I sometimes
cringe at what I see, and I am by no means an expert. The
most I have finished out of a litter is two pups because I only
bring the best. I actually love outstanding forever pet homes.
Several dogs I bred that could have obtained their championships are lying on someone’s couch.
— Gail Krall
A Win-Win-Win Idea
Dear Dogs in Review,
I have an idea that will make a
lot of people happy. That idea
is to create a non-regular conformation class for altered
dogs. This class would be
similar to the Veteran classes
that now exist. By classifying this class as “non-regular,” the dogs that are entered would not compete
with those dogs seeking
championship points.
There must b e thousands of dog owners out
there who can’t show
their dogs in conformation classes because
they have been spayed
or neutered. If a class
was created for altered
dogs, they could then
enter dog shows, thus
creating 1) happy dog
owners, 2) a happy American Kennel Club that would get its portion of the entry fees and 3)
happy kennel clubs that would see more entries.
And it would be so easy for the AKC to do this. They have
already stuck their toes in the water because there is currently a rule that allows altered veteran dogs and bitches to
be entered in independent specialties. All they have to do is
expand this rule to benefit dogs of any age and eliminate the
restriction that only specialties would benefit. Let any altered
purebred dog enter any conformation event.
Patricia Ulloa
Covina, Calif. DIR
SEPTEMBER 2016
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