Showsight August 2017

AReading fromthebookof Face Lift Up Thy Keyboard and Type with a Joyful Heart ARticleAndPhotosbydAnsAyeRs Dog fanciers have embraced social media with the kind of fervor usually reserved for an evangelical revival — or the conformation arena. And just like the competition that takes place in the show ring, things can get heated pretty quickly online. Through text messages and Tweets, instant messaging and Instagram, comments both innocent and inane can lead to all-out war between factions sitting at keyboards a world apart. Virtual battle lines can be drawn following a single post, and social media consumers everywhere frequently join the melee with a few choice comments of their own — in 140 characters or less. The result is often a disintegration of civility where opinions matter more than principle. Although some things can be learned by following an explosive thread, the “conversation” inevitably leads to misgivings and distrust among some participants. When it comes to following Tweets and Facebook posts, there’s often not that much for followers to “like.”

three people, one from your past, another in your life today, and the person to whom you’d entrust the future of your breed(s), what would you say to each to show your gratitude? The responses that follow demonstrate how we are all in this together, and only a careless comment at a keyboard can tear us apart. Richard Reynolds - Tenafly, New Jersey

Thankfully, all is not lost. For every post that skewers a judge or satirizes an exhibitor, another will acknowledge the hard work of a show chair or the sacrifices made by a dedicated breeder. The Golden Rule is alive and well in the virtual world.

On Snapchat and in chat rooms, it’s not impossible to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Some fanciers have found it’s just as easy to be kind as it is to be critical, and a “thank you” can go a long way toward establishing some much needed good- will. The same is also true when posting pictures. Although a win photo is cer- tainly cause for celebration for every- one involved, nothing that’s posted online could be better PR for the sport of dogs than the perfect puppy picture or ode to an old dog — shared again and again and again. Dog lovers the world over will “like” a photo of a seven-week- old litter in a basket in far greater num- bers than they will a newly-finished champion. The show dog, it must be noted, will have its detracters. The pre- cious pups, on the other hand, will be off limits to chronic complainers and killjoys — or at least they should be! If each of us with a Twitter or

The Past – Thank you, Anna Katherine Nicholas, for always seeing the good in every dog and teaching me to judge not its faults, but its virtues. Your grace in the ring (and grand sense of humor) were an inspiration to me and many other judges entering the game when many breeds (and breed- ers) were rough around the edges. To this day, I try never to disparage any dog, but to recognize its strong points, even if there are but a few. Thanks too to Roger Caras, voice of Westminster, prolific author, TV per- sonality, Bloodhound owner and any handler’s dream client. You taught me to realize that a dog show — even the Garden — is but a small part of our life with dogs and there is a compelling need to understand and become a part

Social media platforms such as Facebook can be used to spread positive messages about the dog fancy.

Facebook account chose to celebrate the dog sport instead of pontificate about its woes when we sat down to our keyboard or opened the app on our phone, we might realize just how much admiration we still have for it — and for each other. A positive post may not remove the negative comments, but it will go a long way to remind us all why we chose to breed and show dogs in the first place. With this hopefulness in mind, I reached out to a few Facebook friends with a simple question: If you could thank

of our dogs’ lives. You introduced me to dogs in art and inspired my fascination with putting hounds and terriers to work at their historic vocations. You opened so many doors to this dog game of ours. The Present – It seems as though I never get around to thanking Stephen Hubbell for the wealth of knowledge about dogs he has passed along and the enduring inspiration of his art, a bounty of which hangs on my walls. I’ve taken photos of dogs for his commissioned paintings and the finished product

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