Fun matches and sanctioned A and B matches serve a number of useful purposes. Matches provide valuable ring experience for both exhibitor and the puppy or young dog. It seems the older I get, the more I understand and appreciate the value of being able to go to a match with a puppy or dog new to the ring. Seriously, we get to go through all of the motions of a point show without the pressure and expense.
As the old adage goes, hindsight is 20/20; it’s easier to see and analyze situations when we’re looking back on them. I guess we can say that for the first time in history, our vision of 2020 is actually, well, 20/20. So, what did we learn? We saw the bad, the good and the ugly. We saw failure and success. Our sport depends on learning all we can from 2020 and moving forward to ensure a solid future for many years to come. Most important, it depends on us as individuals to make a genuine effort to get back to talking about dogs instead of politics. It’s time to move on for the sake of the sport.
During the past year there have been several new TV programs aired, among them the Masked Singer and The Masked Dancer. These shows are silly, lighthearted, mind numbing hours to help us pass the troubled times we are involved in presently.
The Akita is designated a national monument in Japan. The breed originated in the snowy mountainous region of Japan, dating back as far as 500 B.C. It was used for large game hunting and guarding property. Originally, ownership of Akitas was restricted to royalty, and the breed was seldom allowed out of the country. The first Akita in the United States came as a gift to Helen Keller.
Mutts in Junior Showmanship? That’s what the AKC 18-month pilot program is allowing come this summer. And a lot of people are not happy. “We’re supposed to be ambassadors for promoting purebred dogs,” says one exhibitor. “Showing in AKC should be a goal not a given,” says another, and “Preserving purebred dogs is what separates the AKC from 4-H and other registries.” Many question why no survey of JS exhibitors or judges was ever distributed. Some even see it as a money-grab by the AKC, basically soaking mutt owners for what entry fees they can get before the hapless exhibitors, likely at a disadvantage, give up and go home.
Like the proverbial bad penny that keeps coming back, tax season is upon us. And, while there is a wealth of information out there about tax deductions for small business owners in general, when you operate a purebred dog breeding business out of your home, it can be far more challenging to see just how some of the tax laws realistically apply to you.
“I tell my veterinary students that, unless another infectious disease comes along that we don’t yet know about, such as covid-19 did in humans, Bartonella will cause them more problems in their careers than anything else.”
Anyone who has had a Judeo-Christian upbringing has no doubt read Genesis and knows the story of the Creation. But what the Old Testament chroniclers didn’t mention was this: That in the beginning, after creating the heavens and the earth along with all the creatures that inhabit it, after resting for awhile from his arduous work, God’s creative juices again began to flow. And, so after He created a number of other things, when he reached for a fist full of good sense for His next project, He’d run out of it. But, no matter. Rather than wait until more could be made, God simply created bird hunters instead.
All dog judging poses risks. Especially judging field events, as I learned on numerous occasions during the 15 or so years that I judged all three types of hunt tests although even in such sedate and highly controlled worlds as the show ring or at performance events there are perils. Judges are always at the mercy of the elements at field events or outdoor shows and it is almost always too hot, too cold, too rainy, too windy or too snowy for comfort. It is frequently necessary to deal with irate handlers or owners in the field or at performance events who are incensed because you failed to give their dog a qualifying score even though the dog’s performance was light years away from the minimally accepted standards for that event or in the show ring, because their dog wasn’t the winner. It is always necessary, particularly at field events, to make the test run smoothly and fairly for all dogs which means being something of a diplomat because of the need to try to keep everyone, including your staff, happy and as comfortable as possible. If your staff is unhappy, they can sabotage the most beautifully designed test or test site and the success or failure of a test design is always ultimately the judge’s responsibility.
Last month we demonstrated the power of three little words judges use to describe themselves, how exhibitors perceive them, and the impact they have on their judging. Now the tables get turned. We asked two newer breeder-judges and a judges’ education chair to share their specific descriptions of good judges and the judging community in general. These questions were asked and answered prior to the April edition of The Canine Chronicle being published.
Did those responses coincide or collide? This look into the minds of members of the judges’ community and those who breed, teach, judge and exhibit, presents a unique and remarkable insight to our dog show world in 2021.
