Showing
Dogs
for
Friends
Financing your hobby or a new career path?
By Dan Sayers
Many
experienced
hobby exhibitors
will end up
showing a
friend’s dog as
a favor, show a
dog in exchange
for some gas
money or even
be paid for their
efforts.
its first major. Your new friend has mixed feelings about the
outcome (the pup’s mother walked), but she asks if you’re
coming back the next day. It looks like you’re a handler now!
Going Pro
At American Kennel Club dog shows, exhibits in almost every
class are likely presented by individuals with varying levels
of experience. One dog may be shown by the rank novice
with no idea how to place a lead correctly around his or her
dog’s neck, whereas another could be presented by a true
master who grew up on the judge’s knee. Although every
dog is to be evaluated against its breed standard, the qualifications represented by a class full of exhibitors may well be
the broadest in the world of competitive sport.
Apart from the two extremes mentioned, most exhibits are generally presented by owner-handlers who simply
consider themselves devotees of purebred dogs. Some dogs may be shown
by their breeder/owners who are genuinely interested in the judge’s opinion,
whereas others may be brought into the
ring by “hobby handlers” who pick up
a little gas money showing for friends
and fellow club members. With the advent of AKC’s National Owner-Handled
Series, however, exhibitors who elect
to participate in the program must be
mindful to follow the guidelines exactly so as to not jeopardize their amateur status by receiving payment for
services rendered in the ring.
According to the AKC, more than
80 percent of American show dogs
are taken into the ring by their owner-handlers. In 2012, the organization
unveiled a program that provides these
exhibitors a competitive forum that ex-
Gina Cioli/Lumina Media
72
I
t usually begins innocently enough. You’re showing your
dog when you’re spotted by a member of your local allbreed club. As you exit the ring, the nice lady whose name
you can’t remember approaches you with an exasperated look
on her face. “Would you be able to show one of my dogs for
me today?” she pleads. Apparently she’s entered a couple of
her dogs with little thought as to how she’ll get them back into
the ring together should they both win their class.
Because your dog just picked up its second major and your
day is done, you answer in the affirmative as the lady thrusts a
lead into your hand. “We show in five minutes, ring eight.” So
you ask a friend to hold your dog when you realize you’ve just
been handed a puppy that isn’t entirely lead broken. Thankfully, it’s your lucky day and the judge puts up “your” pup for
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