Page 201 - ShowSight - September 2020

IRISH TERRIERS
CELEBRATE THEIR INDEPENDENCE
SUBMITTED BY NINA WARREN Photographs from the
FChesapeake Irish Terrier Club Show
or those who show dogs in conformation, 2020 may seem like the year that wasn’t. Shows evaporated after the Ides of March and, even now, superintendent’s sites display
one word all too frequently in the search for upcom- ing shows: CANCELLED, CANCELLED, CAN- CELLED. But with some creative solutions offered by the AKC, regional clubs are finding ways to reclaim lost ground and hold shows.
Over spring and summer, the AKC implemented a number of temporary rule changes in response to the pandemic. These included relaxing territorial geo- graphic distance requirements, increasing the number of specialty shows allowable in a day, easing judges restrictions, and waiving deadline fines. Several Irish Terrier Clubs decided to take advantage of these new opportunities and looked at holding multiple specialties in their regions. Since these changes are only short-term for 2020, timely decision-making was required.
When club member Eduardo Fugiwara shared the AKC news with The Irish Terrier Club of New York, its President, Marianne Kehoe, and the Board quickly organized a show committee and went to work plan- ning. Like so many clubs, ITCNY saw their Specialty cancelled. Traditionally, it has been held in early Sep- tember at the Westchester Kennel Club Show, so the chance to replace it with another event this fall was too tempting to resist.
Looking at the available dates, ITCNY was able to lock-in the first weekend in October, which historically
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