Page 218 - ShowSight - July 2019

SURVEY
SAYS
I would in fact reduce the number of dog shows in the hopes that fewer will mean bigger entries and so the majors will hopefully be there once again. It’s my feeling there are just way too many dog shows. —Anonymous
Our breed (Manchester Terrier—toy and standard) is an endan- gered breed. It takes four dogs for a three point major. To get this recently at the Asheville, North Carolina show, we had people travel from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, Geor- gia, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina—we have to work very hard to coordinate to get majors and travel great distances to do so. Our points are hard earned and proudly worn— even though to look at us in the ring, it would look “easy”. Since we are an Endangered Breed, and any publicity about our breed is appreciated. If people don’t know about us, they can’t look for our dogs. You can help us here.A few years back at Lexington, we had our National Specialty. The best very Manchesters in the country were there. Two out of the four days none of our dogs even made the cut for group placement. None. What does that say about the judg- ing? Additionally, in the AKC money-grab program aka “Grand Champion”, dogs that used to be breeding after Champion are now breeding later as they are showing for GC. Later breeding means less breeding which is very dangerous in our breed. Do you know there are more tigers in the world than there are Manchesters? I would hate to have to go to a zoo in the future to see these little dogs but sadly, that is the way we are headed without some help. Thanks for the opportunity to speak. —Cheryl Roach
This is a problem for the whole fancy. Entries have dropped for all of us and in every breed. The points system is a reflection of this fact, not the other way round. The question should be, in my honest opinion, how do we increase participation in the sport? Now that’s very tough to answer. The cost of maintaining our dogs has risen; the cost of hotels, gas, human and canine food, have all gone up. Add in veterinary care when needed and you can understand the severity of the problem. Families who have to choose between college for their children or showing dogs, for example, may have to give up the sport for obvious reasons. I wish I could say that I could wave a magic wand and resolve this but I simply cannot.
HOW WOULD YOU RE-WRITE THE POINTS SYSTEM TO BE FAIR,
BUT ALSO PROTECT THE TITLE OF CHAMPION AS SOMETHING HARD- EARNED AND PROUDLY WORN?
One thing I do know, is that the problem isn’t the points system itself. Rather, it’s all the economic and social factors that affect said system. —Maxine J Gurin
There is nothing wrong with the current system, except where numbers are dropping faster that the yearly point schedule. The problem as I see it is a judging issue. Since the dogs are to be judg- es against a written standard, a quality dog is still a quality dog, whether it beats one dog or a hundred! IF the exhibit is not a quality animal, under the written standard, then it is up to the judges to sift that animal from competition. When we see pet quality dogs finish, the whole sport suffers, as does the breed! —Anonymous
My breed, Norfolk, is a low entry breed. Very difficult nation- wide to find competition. There are too many shows diluting entries. —Anonymous
Do not allow the male dogs to get the female dogs points as best of winners when don’t have enough of their own in the ring. Note: I had a female that went winners and the male got best of winners because the judge felt sorry for the male. It went like that for several shows. He was sole as a pet from the breeder and was not supposed to be shown. —Anonymous
First quality over quantity, nowadays it seems one breeder can enter the whole liter and pray the same dog or bitch wins, on a very long weekend. Instead of one other dog or bitch, would make at least three-four same sex.
Judges need to read standards and look at the overall dog being presented to them on that day. Movement and structure have been lost over the years. Not every dog was meant to be a champion, some of the best bitches I have had, are simply the best producer I have had. —Anonymous
Both of my Bouviers titles were hard earned with a lot of time, money, sweat and tears. We were always up against longtime breed- ers that have been breeding and showing for decades. There was nothing easy about it. —Anonymous
First there are no cheap champions. The cost of showing is not cheap: buying a van, grooming equipment etc. Raising or buying
I wish I could say that I could wave a magic wand and resolve this but I simply cannot.
212 • ShowSight Magazine, July 2019