We received the sad news that Michael Shoreman passed away yesterday, March 25th, surrounded by family. Mr. Shoreman was a American Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel club Judge of All Breeds. Before embarking on his judging career in 1987, Mr. Shoreman successfully bred Border Terriers and Weimaraners under the Roschel prefix. The Roschel dogs have […]
How wonderful to have two ne plus ultra events in AKC conformation – The AKC National Championship and Westminster. Both inspire hopes and dreams in nearly every person to ever set foot in a show ring, and both showcase the best of the best of the best by the time the judges have winnowed things down to Best In Show competition.
This article is a tribute to Owner/Handlers everywhere! The following article was written about an Owner/Handler’s experiences at his very first Westminster show. His story struck a chord with both Mike, the judge of his breed, and myself. I remember winning RWD with my Saluki, back in the old days, under the formidable Mr. James Edward Clark and watching Mike, with our BBE Afghan bitch also being awarded Reserve (when the entry of over 100 Afghan Hounds was typical) under Mr. Arthur Zane.
-The American Pet Products Association (APPA) Releases Annual Industry-Wide Spending Figures- Bob Vetere, President and CEO of the American Pet Products Association (APPA), announced today new annual industry-wide spending figures, exceeding last year’s spending by more than $3 billion. The announcement came during Global Pet Expo, the largest annual pet products trade show presented by APPA […]
Every year I revisit the current NOHS state of affairs, and ask the fancy for their com- plaints, opinions and suggestions. I like to think AKC has listened, because they have implemented several of the suggestions over the years following their publication. Every year some concerns remain the same, but the focus tends to change. This year is no different, except that it seems more than ever, NOHS has an identity crisis.
A young dog imported from South Korea into Western Canada last fall brought along a dangerous hitchhiker: the Asia-1 strain of canine distemper virus (CDV), which had never before been reported in North America. Scientists at Cornell’s Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) identified the virus in samples from the dog, which they suspect was part of a […]
- German Shorthaired Pointer Continues its Ascent Up the List New York, NY – The Labrador Retriever once again breaks records! The American Kennel Club (AKC®) announced at a press conference today at the AKC Museum of the Dog that the loveable Lab remains the number one most popular breed in the United States. Additionally, […]
When I was leaving the Kentucky Expo building on Sunday, I was a bit disappointed. Several of the setups had been broken down and the exhibitors were long gone and on their way home. There was a lot of dry kibble, garbage, sawdust, hair, etc. left on the floor. Is this the image we want to leave behind to those who might not be so enthusiastic about purebred dogs? This kind of disrespect leaves a poor impression of exhibitors and gives our sport a bad name. Someone has to clean up that mess. It is sad to think that it may be necessary to walk the building upon exit time in order to police such behavior. We should all have enough pride to take a moment to clean up our grooming/crating setups before we leave. We may have to bring the Pig Pen award back, guys! (My apologies for the soap box my friends!)
As a judge, I see it all the time. It’s the final day of a cluster. Exhibitors walk into the ring, self-defeated before they start. I can see negative thinking, “loss” thinking in people’s eyes. They are on a losing streak.
“Our sport is dying.” These words have been said and printed so many times. August 19, 2018 is the date I went to my first dog show. I had seen plenty on TV; we have adopted the relatively new tradition of watching the Philadelphia Kennel Club show on Thanksgiving Day and we, of course, have watched Westminster.
