Before we were married, my wife, Carol, collected etchings of dogs of various breeds. This was even before a greyhound came into our lives. Ironically, she had several etchings and an aquatint that are all related by “pedigree”. When Patti Clark asked me to write about some of the artwork we have collected, I never dreamt how fascinated I would be doing the research. The pandemic has afforded me the time to do the research.
Author Sir Walter Scott owned Scottish Deerhounds and called them “the most perfect creatures of heaven.” The Scottish Deerhound is a breed of antiquity. The breed has had many names: Scotch Greyhounds, Rough Greyhounds, Irish Greyhounds, and Highland Deerhounds, as well as Scottish Deerhounds. It was used to hunt the large Scottish deer, singly or in pairs. It was always highly valued, usually owned only by high-ranking individuals.
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For generations, scientists and philosophers believed dogs couldn’t think beyond their food dish. They believed, and many still do believe, that the ability to think outside the box is a human trait. They were willing to concede that dogs might be concrete thinkers–they know that the leash means they’re going for a walk or, in the case of hunting dogs, boots and a shotgun mean they’re going hunting–because concrete thinking is a “what you see is what you get” school of thought and what we rely on for everyday tasks and assessments. It’s what you can see, hear, feel and experience in the present.
The reason for that inflexible regulation is obvious; an unsound dog is not a worthy specimen. That’s where the tricky business of subjectivity enters the equation. Precisely what constitutes lameness?
When people are asked what makes them nervous about showing their dog, these three replies rise to the top:
The world of conformation is getting smaller by the day. This isn’t a news flash–it’s very easy to see at any show on any given weekend. Why this is happening is debated, and the blame is placed on so many sets of shoulders…
I had the opportunity to get to a local dog show this month; it’s not something I can do very frequently nowadays. It was held at the Sun ‘N Fun Airport in Lakeland, Florida. It has a series of hanger-type buildings with good natural light and lots of space for spectators. Being one of those spectators, Mike made room for me right up front with a super view of the down and back! It was great seeing so many of my dog show peeps and a whole group of new dogs in their strings. When you’re away for a while things sure do change.
This past month I was fortunate enough to attend a great group of all breed shows hosted by Terry-All Kennel Club as well as the The Labrador Retriever Club of the Potomac. This show is the largest single-breed specialty in the world. It runs for nearly a week with over 1,000 Labradors competing for top prizes.
There has been some minor debate on when the first dog show occurred, but it is widely accepted that the first organized and documented dog show was held in England in 1859. It was an added affair to the annual livestock show in Newcastle. That first show was a sporting breed event with only setters and pointers being entered. In retrospect, it was a small beginning to what would become, by the end of the century, a very popular English pastime.
