says WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE MORE OF AT DOG SHOWS?
QUESTION FOR ALL SHOWSIGHT READERS What would you like to see more of at dog shows?
Thank you to everyone who offered opinions on this month’s topic. The following is a selection of the responses. Want to voice your opinion to the fancy? Follow ShowSight’s Facebook page for the monthly question prompt!
Smiling, friendly faces! —Anonymous
paign a good dog so they give up and go to another registry. —Anonymous
Places to sit and rest, especially while waiting for groups to begin. —Anonymous
First is some sort of communication between exhibitor and judge after the ribbons have been handed out. When I started out I had no idea what was not right with my dogs, they just didn’t place well. And other exhibitors aren’t always a good option. Of course this would take the judges really knowing our breed...so there goes that! —Anonymous More attention paid and recognition given to owner han- dlers. Without us, there is no sport! We are the backbone of it, but are too often treated as a hangnail. Clubs: offer NOHS. I’m not the only one who uses this as a tiebreaker between shows. When NOHS is offered, make sure the ribbons and trophies are equal to or better than the open groups. The handlers generally find trophies annoying and I’ve seen some toss them under their rigs to get them out of the way. And look at the AQHA. When they started losing entries and interest, they not only created an Amateur divi- sion, but made sure the awards were better. Now they’re just about the largest horse organization around. Lastly, but not least important, judges look at the dog on the lead, not who’s holding it. A lot of you do, and I thank you for it. But there are still too many who just point at whatever handler they recognize. Take a long hard look at the NOHS BIS lineup. I’ve overheard and been told by several judges that it is often better than the regular one, as long as you’re look- ing at the dog. —Holly Horton More polite and constructive behaviour on the part of both judges and exhibitors. Frankly, some of the experienc- es I have either had or witnessed on the part of both have been truly execrable and uncalled for. We must all remem- ber that this is a sport—an integral part of which should be good sportsmanship. This is in short supply nowadays on the part of many on both sides. It’s really rather sad. —Maxine J. Gurin Awareness of how the animal rights extremists are gradu- ally erasing purebred dogs and fanciers off the face of the earth. —Anonymous
Inclusion of Miscellaneous and FSS breeds into Non- Regular events such as Best Bred By, Best Puppy, Best Vet- eran etc. The world did not stop spinning when Misc and FSS were allowed to compete in the 4-6 Beginner Puppy and it would not be difficult to include those breeds in other non-regular events. NOHS would be very nice also and allow judges and the public to become familiar with these breeds. It would also increase those entries significantly. Many with Miscel- laneous Breeds get their Certificate and Merit then have zero incentive to spend time or money with anything AKC Conformation related. Allow altered veterans to fully compete. Why in the world should owners of veterans be punished for altering their veterans, especially considering the health advantages of such? —Anonymous Opportunities for exhibitors and owners to get together socially, especially after the show. It is hard to get to know other people with other breeds or even handlers. No one is a person, just someone with a dog. A few years ago a fundraiser for Take the Lead was held after a show, with a dunking tank. Just standing around with handlers allowed me to see them as real people. Something as simple as low cost food/drinks to draw people together might help. —Galen Ewer I would like to see more clubs offering health screening. Eyes, heart, DNA are all easy to do. If at discounted prices people would be more apt to do it. —Anonymous
Fair Judges. —Anonymous
Good sportsmanship. —Anonymous
How about unbiased judging and easier championships. The reason people are leaving the sport in AKC it’s too expensive to attain a championship on a dog. Let alone cam-
188 • S how S ight M agazine , S eptember 2018
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