Owner-Handled Optimism: Amateur Exhibitors...
BY DAN SAYERS continued
level of competition available to the sport’s most dedicated owner-handlers of every recognized breed. Accumulating the qualifying num- ber of points necessary to make it to the finals in Orlando doesn’t come without costs. Pride of ownership requires seri- ous dedication, sacrifice and reserves of energy on the part of owner-handlers and their families. The risks can be as great as the rewards. Personal com- mitments are often postponed due to conflicts with the show calendar. Birth- days, anniversaries and weddings can be missed. Vacation time can be spent alone in motel rooms on the outskirts of nowhere. In the pursuit of their dreams, many owner-handlers regularly make the kinds of difficult decisions that can have a negative impact on other areas of their lives. Having an understanding spouse or partner—and children—can help to ease the burden. Like their professionally presented counterparts, owner-handled dogs must be kept in competition-ready con- dition. The regimen required depends largely on the breed, but every dog demands attention. Maintaining opti- mal health and providing physical and mental conditioning for the ring can be as demanding as training for a half marathon. Drop-coated breeds come with their own conditions for success as do breeds that require continual scis- soring. Many breeds require roadwork and a place to safely run free each day. Too much time spent on the road can be damaging to muscles and harmful to the spirit. It’s important for owner- handlers to be mindful of balancing the demands of competition with the ability to take the road less traveled on occasion. A NOHS Best in Show rosette is not earned simply through dedication and hard work. It comes with the satis- faction of knowing the owner-handled dog has been rewarded together with its very own person. The enthusiastic embrace with which the AKC National Owner-Han- dled Series has been embraced by the fancy emphasizes the important role owner-handlers play in helping to pre- serve a sport that is, in turn, preserv- ing purebred dogs. Since many owner- handlers are also dog breeders, their recognition cannot be overstated at a time when the purebred dog’s value in society is being challenged. Today’s owner-handled dogs represent the eternal bond that has been shared by our two species for millennia. This bond cannot be broken, which should give every owner-handler a reason to feel optimistic.
Walter Goodman owner-handled his homebred Skye Terrier Ch. Glamoor Good News to Best in Show at Westminster in 1969. Photo courtesy The Dog Show, 125 Years of Westminster.
the signature line on the entry form. No additional fee is required. All eli- gible dogs must be handled by eligible owner-handlers throughout Breed, Group and Best in Show competition. The NOHS competition occurs imme- diately following Best of Breed judging. According to AKC regulations, “All dogs in the BOB competition (including WD & WB) will stay in the ring after the judge makes their placements in BOB competition. The ring steward will ask all professional handlers, household members and current assistants to pro- fessional handlers to leave the ring and then the judge will select Best Owner- Handled (BOH).” Each BOH dog is eligible to compete in its respective NOHS Group. Judging of these Groups may take place 30 min- utes before regular Group judging and in a separate ring. For maximum recog- nition, the AKC advises clubs to “sched- ule the NOHS Best in Show just prior to the Best in Show judging for the regu- lar show.” This exposure has inspired many owner-handlers to renew their dedication to both their dog and to the sport. This commitment is recognized
through a scale of points that rewards NOHS Group placements and Best in Show wins. Each BOH Breed win earns 5 pts. (BOB at a National Specialty earns 10 pts.) Groups One through Four receive 30, 20, 15 and 10 points respec- tively and RBIS receives 75 pts. For an all-breed NOHS BIS, 100 pts. are earned. Since points are accumulated at each show, the top NOHS dog receives 135 The contribution owner-handlers make to the sport of dogs is acknowl- edged each year as part of the AKC National Championship, held in Orlan- do, Florida. This year, the NOHS Finals begins on Friday, December 14th with Breed and Group competition, and wraps-up the following evening with the awarding of NOHS Best in Show. Dogs that have finished the year (from October 12, 2017 to October 10, 2018) ranked in the top ten (including ties) for their breed received an invitation to compete. This invitational tourna- ment all but guarantees the highest points for a day’s work. DEDICATION HAS ITS REWARDS
184 • S how S ight M agazine , O ctober 2018
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