SHOWSIGHT FROM THE EXECUTIVE EDITOR EMERITUS Joseph Neil McGinnis III
IT SEEMS LIKE ONLY YESTERDAY THAT I TURNED 65. Oh wait—it WAS only yesterday that I turned 65 . Well, I don’t know how you spent—or plan to spend—that landmark day, but I spent it, and the four before, at shows with the people I enjoy and the dogs I love. In fact, In the past six weeks I found myself happily immersed in the world that we celebrate here on a monthly basis. Or more exactly, daily. Our pride & joy, the issue that you hold in your hands each month, is available online around the clock so we’re always talking to, and grateful to hear from, fanciers around the world. And on a daily basis our team is working to put together the next edition and doing our best to top the last. ShowSight Magazine has a very tough Standard against which to be judged, one that we crafted ourselves out of our deep devotion to the sport and the dogs it protects. And of course producing a top quality product is always our goal; as breeders we tried, as exhibitors we aimed for the top, and as proud members of the dog press that is what we shoot for every single month. Or every single day—although we pro- duce this magazine in record time, don’t ever think it’s easy. This is a labor of love with a lot of labor involved.
But so is our entire sport, and that’s why our content each month is geared to drive us onward and upward in our quest to promote purebred dogs. Take for example this month: We have Linda Ayers Turner Knorr keeping an eye on developments at AKC, Daniel Cartier sharing photos of happy readers at dog shows around the coun- try, Dan Sayers giving a glimpse of canine influcence in civic art and architecture, Jackie Fogel reminding us that the Standard is (or should be) our Bible; BJ Andrews telling of the impact a canine can make on a household, Mike & Cathy Dugan sharing the secrets to success in the ring (and beyond), our international correspondent Karl Donvil takes us to Crufts, and I take us to four very different venues and very different events. We also have an illustrious panel of judges teaching us about the Toy Group, and many other offerings we know you’ll enjoy. Again this month ShowSight provides news and views you won’t find anywhere else. A hot topic this month, and not just among judges, is the new judging approval system which kicked into ef- fect 1/1. Although many changes were adopted, many remained the same, one being the educational opportu- nities available to prospective judges. They are in the form of Institutes, Seminars and Workshops. All are ex- tremely valuable to the people who will give out ribbons, the canines we hope to receive them, and the breeding programs they’ll affect. I had the pleasure of attending a Toy breeds series in Raleigh on the Tarheel Circuit and found it to range from illluminating to entertaining. I did not feel that one sec- ond of my time was wasted, which is a tribute to the pre- senters and to the promoters. I have to send a huge congratulations and thanks to the North Carolina Trian- gle Area Judges Education Group, and especially Celeste Gonzalez for a truly well-run and successful undertaking. As editor/publisher of dog magazines for 35 years, I’ve gotten to watch this facet of the fancy all through its in- fancy and development into the powerhouse tool we use today. But one of the things I’ve heard quite often, not just this time but for many years, is that on occasion parent
clubs are less than cooperative with sponsoring groups. Providing materials and manpower by which to instruct the people to whom we’re entrusting our dogs’ reputa- tions and our breeds’ future seems to me a primary re- sponsibility of a Club. My hat is off to those whose hard work and dedication I was lucky enough to witness. We’re going to be addressing this subject more in the months to come. In the month that just passed I enjoyed a whirlwind of doggie activity and at each eventI experienced some- thing uplifting and gratifying.. My first stop after the Gar- den was a Garden of another type: Garden City Kansas KC. Hosted in the middle of the Plains, GCKKC is testi- mony to the dedication of its members; the club is small and the city for which its named is but twenty-seven thousand people—and the closest major city is Wichita, over two-hundred miles away—yet each year their three- day cluster is a success. Numbers aren’t huge although I was surprised to see thirty-one Boxers and twenty-eight Rhodesian Ridgebacks, but judges agreed that the entry reflected quality if not quantity. Educational opportuni- ties for exhibitors and spectators were availble as well, including a discussion of Canine Terminology moderated by a panel of the event’s judges. Show Chair Odebt Massey, also a noted artist in addition to being a success- ful long-term breeder is justly proud of her club and her team which includes her husband Bill, a noted musician and excellent steward. The show was relaxing and enoy- able and gave ample opportunity to really study the dogs. There was also a kindliness and light-hearted air that permeated the entire weekend. I’d go back. In fact, I plan to. You should, too. I mentioned that everyone I met during this trip was not only upbeat and friendly, but there was one en- counter that sticks out in my memory. Tossing my lug- gage into a car at 4:45am I was still, I admit, half asleep. As the car neared the end of the hotel’s drive, in the rearview mirror a figure appeared, running and waving his arms. Well, one of his arms, anyways. In the other was my carry-on with my Ipad, laptop, and two cell phones which I’d inadvertently left near the lobby >p38
14 • S how S ight M agazine , A pril 2018
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