Page 74 - ShowSight - September 2020
P. 74

                SCOTT SOMMER
LIVING THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
 tents, masks would be wet and, with 3,500 dogs and prob- ably more people, it may be harder to comply with the rules. Ernesto feels that we need to keep people in contact with dog shows. He believes that virtual dog shows are a tool to keep things going and allow exhibitors to participate. Ernesto was asked to judge two virtual shows. He thought it would be a good thing for the fancy and be fun for him to
participate in as well.
As a handler, Ernesto is surviving, but it is tough. He
has had to tighten up his belt and prepare for the future. He runs a show kennel and, once Montgomery canceled, several dogs went home, which cost him that income stream. For- tunately, he was able to take advantage of the government loan programs that were available for the self-employed. He shared that he has concerns regarding his clients who are debating about what to do with their breeding programs. Many of their dogs are mature and ready to go and have had their careers cut short or postponed. It is time to go back to basics. Winning does not make a great dog. He has seen dogs go to a show and lose their class one day and go Best in Show the next. Dog shows are about breeding a better dog.
Finally, I asked Ernesto about his thoughts on Westmin- ster and would it be the same in 2021? He commented that this is a big question. There already is a problem with the location, but the club works hard and they have resources, which he believes will allow them to develop a safety plan. They may change the date or make it outdoors. He didn’t know, but it was such a tradition, like the Kentucky Derby, and the show must go on!
and he thinks that they should go. Scott does not plan to go back to dog shows until there is a vaccine. Scott feels that if he goes back to professional handling, it will be on a much smaller level in the range of five to six dogs, not 20 to 30. His clients would love for him to go back. Scott, for right now, is simply concentrating on taking care of his kennel.
Scott told me that as a result of the Coronavirus the country has been affected by an extreme reduction of trav- el, which has affected his boarding kennel, The Kennel at Champions. Fortunately, while the boarding side has been slow, people still want their dogs groomed. Consequently, the grooming side of the business has remained the same as pre-coronavirus days. The virus has certainly changed how he operates his daily business. As part of Scott’s Coronavi- rus preparation for the business, dog owners are no longer allowed in the kennel. A staffer goes to the car to get the dog and brings the dog inside. Any visitors to the kennel must wear masks. Scott did comment that this week his kennel has two boarders whose families are traveling to Florida to visit Disney World.
I felt the need to ask Scott one more question and that was what he thought Westminster would be like in 2021? He feels that without an audience, it simply would not be the same. He questioned whether social distancing would be possible in the existing pier structures. He suggested they might eliminate benching the dogs this year. It will be interesting to see what happens.
Resilience, responsibility, unity, and fearlessness are the essence of the dog show community, and these character- istics shine through in the stories of Diego, Bill & Taffe, Bruce & Tara, Ernesto, and Scott. Although 2020 has been a rough year, we can all reflect on the challenges we are currently facing—and the future of dog shows—with a focus on our strengths, resilience, responsibility, unity, and fearlessness.
    Photo Vicki Holloway
Debra Ferguson-Jones is an AKC Delegate and AKC Judge of the Toy and Non-Sporting Groups, as well as many of the Terrier breeds. Her dogs have won over 150 All-Breed Bests in Show and the Poodle Club of America National Specialty, twice. Debra lives in the Greater Seattle area, home of Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing, Starbucks, Expedia and the Seahawks. Outside of the dog world, she is a developer of single-family neighborhoods.
Photo John Ashbey
I visited with Scott Sommer from his home in Spring, Texas. He is con- cerned that dog shows have changed a lot and the corona- virus will change it even more, making it unrecognizable from the sport we have all known. He feels that with so few dog shows this year,
the few remaining shows are going to be huge. He men- tioned the 3,600 dogs entered in the Ohio shows. He does not understand why anyone would want to go to dog shows at this time. His concern is that people will be traveling from all over the country to these shows. Scott believes that a lot of judges have mixed feelings right now about step- ping back into the ring. Many AKC dog show judges are in the high-risk category due to age. Those kinds of numbers make it difficult for people to socially distance. States like Texas simply cannot hold outdoor dog shows in the sum- mer heat. Scott is not sure that he wants to go back into the ring as a dog handler. He cannot picture himself running around a ring wearing a mask. He knows that his friends want to go back to dog shows (and need to make a living)
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