WESTMINSTER, GREATER CLARK COUNTY & ORLANDO: WHAT GREAT EXPERIENCES!
The 146th Annual Westminster Ken- nel Club week was set to start on Saturday, January 22, 2022 with the Masters Agility Preliminaries and Championship. How- ever, on December 29, 2021, word was handed down that this year’s event will again be postponed to a later date due to the latest COVID-19 surge. The future date and site have yet to be determined, but you can be sure that the people involved at the Westminster Kennel Club will be sure that it fits with the tradi- tion and pageantry befitting the event. The Westminster Kennel Club goes above and beyond to make sure every- one—exhibitor, spectator, and judge—is treated with class and hospitality that is second to none. If you are a lover of the sport of dogs and have never attended Westminster, you need to add it to your bucket list. The entire experience of West- minster, as well as the bright lights of New York with the Empire State Building lit up in the Westminster colors, is a trip from which memories are made. THE CLARK COUNTY CLUSTER I was fortunate enough to judge dur- ing the December Holiday Season at two clusters held at what I would consider exceptional sites. First, I was on the judging panel for the Greater Clark County Kennel Club’s shows held in Vancouver, Washington. Karen Burgess and her outstanding club members hold back-to-back weekends at the fantastic Clark County Fairgrounds Complex in Ridgefield, Washington. The first weekend is devoted exclusively to Per- formance Events, while the second hosts their annual Conformation Cluster. What a superb entry they had for the Performance and Companion weekend. Entries in Obedience and Rally alone totaled 797, with an additional 174 in Farm Dog Certification, 1,077 in Scent Work, and over 110 in Temperament Testing. They also had Trick Dog, CGC, Urban CGC, Agility, two 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy events, four Open Shows, and two Sanctioned "B" Matches. What an amazing performance weekend it was; one that could only be done thanks to all the hard-working volunteers and, again, an exceptional facility. I arrived on Thursday at the wonderful Heathman Lodge in Vancouver. As soon as you entered the lobby you were part of the magic of Christmas, as the rustic lodge
was decorated “to the nines” for the Holi- days. The wonderful rooms and excellent restaurant alone were worth the trip. The three-day Conformation shows, with entries of about 1,500 per day, were also fantastic and in theme with the sea- son. The rings were very large, which made the judging very enjoyable as the exhibitors and dogs had plenty of room to show to their best advantage. The shows this year were held under the governor's mandate, so all exhibi- tors had to have proof of vaccination or a 72-hour negative COVID test to enter the building. Everyone was required to wear a mask, and my understanding is that the full mask mandate is still in effect for the entire state, and if caught non-comply- ing in a public area you could be fined up to $1,000. The December Shows of the Greater Clark County KC are among my favor- ites as they are filled with fun activities. They have the annual ugly Christmas sweater contest and you never know what else might pop up, like a surprise birth- day party or some other special activity. The exhibitors in the Northwest take the weekend's festivities to a new level, with so many wonderful costumes and holiday attire being worn by hundreds of exhibi- tors during the shows. We had elves, pixies, and everything in between. It was refresh- ing and full of great sportsmanship as well. Karen and her team outdid themselves, as this was their first-weekend, post-COVID restrictions, and they went the extra mile. THE ORLANDO CLUSTER I made it home from Oregon on Sunday night and left early Monday morn- ing, heading to Orlando for my assign- ments at the Orlando Cluster: The Space Coast Kennel Club of Palm Bay on Tues- day, Brevard Kennel Club on Wednesday, Central Florida Kennel Club on Thursday, and the added pleasure of the Old Eng- lish Sheepdog Club of America’s Southern Regional Specialty. Linda Rowell was the Cluster Chair and did her usual superb job in making sure all of the “I’s” were dotted and “T’s” crossed. Linda, along with the other Show Chairs Glenda Stephenson and Leslie Kovacs, had a full plate with entries between 4,000 and 4,700 dogs each day. The amount of work, planning, and attention to detail are very demanding when putting together shows of this magnitude. The volunteer efforts of
these people are truly not given the atten- tion and appreciation they truly deserve. The Orange County Convention Cen- ter is a one-of-a-kind facility, massive and with room for everything. The facility is the epitome of a show site; wonderfully large rings, exceptional lighting, plenty of grooming space, wide aisles, numerous seminar rooms, and just about everything you could ask for in a site. The depth of quality in almost every breed was superb. I had full days of judg- ing all three days, and the very large class of specials in most breeds made for a very enjoyable opportunity to sort through some exceptional exhibits. The Groups were extremely deep in quality and it was great to see a diverse group of dogs placed in them each day. The highlight of the week for me was the OESCA Specialty. Since OES was my original breed, I still carry a great passion for the breed and have a huge respect for the breeders, owners, and exhibitors of this wonderful breed. I had a great entry of over 50 OES, and the quality was exceptional from top to bottom. There were so many wonderful dogs, presented properly and groomed especially the way an OES should be. I saw very few exces- sively groomed and sculpted dogs, and was thrilled with my Best of Breed winner as well as my other winners and those receiv- ing Awards of Merit. What a fantastic lineup of Specials. My only regret was not having more AOMs to give out. My thanks to Tammy Benson, Show Chair, as well as committee members Elizabeth Fujikawa, Karen Burdash, Jim Caplan, Gigi Goes- ling, Aubrey Schuer, and Cheryl Tavares for the privilege to officiate. The year 2021 was exciting for Carol and me. We were able to finish a couple of dogs, attend and judge several shows, and we finally had the opportunity to see old friends. For me, the highlight of the year came on October 16 when I had the honor to walk my daughter, Julie (a former junior handler), down the aisle to marry Mr. Candler Hobbs. It was a special day, full of great memories for both Carol and me. (Life is slowly returning to, I guess, what is now to be considered “normal.”) It is my sincerest hope that in 2022 we will see our country get back on the right track, with everyone in the Sport of Purebred Dogs enjoying great health and success.
130 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2022
Powered by FlippingBook