Page 70 - ShowSight - September 2020

LIVING THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Bruce commented that there would be no dog shows in California this year and that Palm Springs had just canceled their show for January 2021. When I asked Bruce what he thought Westminster was going to be like next year, he commented that he didn’t know if there would be a Westminster in 2021. He believes that if someone is going to a dog show in this environment they are going because they truly love the sport of dogs and simply want to be at a dog show.
Bruce treasures spending evenings at home with his family. He feels that despite the sadness of the situation it’s been a nice break from dog shows. Bruce feels that if every- body abides by the rules, we can all get through this.
Life has slowed down for Ernesto. He has stopped trav- eling and is reconnecting to the country life. This spring, he saw trees and flowers on his property he had never seen before because he was always gone at shows. He has truly enjoyed this summer as an opportunity to stop and smell the roses. Ernesto is trying to stay as safe as possible. He lives with people who are in a high-risk category for age or physical conditions. He feels that in the current environ- ment you could potentially risk your life. Ernesto clearly remembers the first lockdown in New York City. In those early days, there was such confusion and simply not enough information to make educated decisions and understand the risk factors.
Ernesto shares that he attended the dog shows in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, which had over 2,000 entries. When Ernesto entered the shows, his intent was that if he got to the show and did not feel safe, he would simply leave. One advantage Ernesto had was that he lived about an hour away, which allowed him to avoid sleeping in a hotel. Once he arrived, he felt comfortable and it ended up being a good experience for everyone. He felt that the measures taken by the clubs were good. Once your temperature was checked, you received a bracelet identifying it was okay for you to go into a building. You were advised to show your dog and go back to your set-up. The public was not allowed at the show. The show went well and the majority of people obeyed the rules. Ernesto admitted that it was a challenge to change the habits of a lifetime to conform to the new behavior of social distancing. At one point, he went toward the show building, then remembered he forgot his mask and had to run back to get it. Ernesto did say that he did not like run- ning around the ring in a mask. He laughingly commented that it was very difficult to hold bait with a mask on. The rings were marked, so that made it easier to socially dis- tance while in the ring. The judge would go over your dog, run you around the ring, put you in order of wins and, as you exited the ring, you picked up your ribbons. All in all, minimal contact and everyone did a great job of social dis- tancing. It appeared that the rules were effective and every- one worked within the rules. Everyone had a mask, but for those people showing multiple dogs, their masks were get- ting wet. Ernesto was not sure a wet mask was doing its job. No one, to his knowledge, has reported getting sick. He acknowledged that it is a problem congregating people from all different areas, and is confident that, in time, we will find out if people are getting sick at the shows. The gossip mill will let us know if someone falls ill.
Ernesto does believe dog shows will come back. For lots of people, dog shows are their lives. As a group, we must be successful at putting on dog shows. We are not essential. If we don’t help ourselves, no one—except for the dog show people—will care if dog shows are canceled. Winter will be trying. Handlers are concerned about attending the big indoor shows that come in winter and they also worry if the hotels will be safe.
He wanted to exercise caution and see how the shows worked in Canfield, as they would be two times the size of the shows he had attended in Bloomsburg. Ernesto rea- soned that it would more than likely be hot and humid, and he imagined that everyone would be congregating under
ERNESTO LARA
Photo Jeffrey Hanlin
In late July, I was lucky enough to talk with Ernesto Lara from his home in the Pennsylva- nia countryside. I asked Ernesto what he was doing that fateful weekend in March when they closed down all the dog shows? He was
in Pennsylvania at a two-day dog show, which was half an hour away from his home. Ernesto was worried about being exposed to the Coronavirus at the show, but felt that if he had been exposed, he already had it. With an entry of 3,000 dogs and probably twice that many people, the opportunity to be exposed was there. Fortunately, he did not get it.
“All in all, minimal contact and everyone did a great job of social distancing.
It appeared that the rules
were effective and everyone
worked within the r”ules.
Ernesto decided not to go to the Canfield, Ohio, shows.
68 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2020