THE OWNER HANDLER: CHRIS CHAPMAN
“I THINK THE PRIMARY BENEFIT IS GETTING THE BREED IN FRONT OF MORE JUDGES AND MORE PEOPLE IN GENERAL. THE AUSTRALIAN TERRIER BREED HAS BEEN WANING IN POPULARITY, FOR NO GOOD REASON I CAN THINK OF EXCEPT THAT THE BREED DOESN’T GET ENOUGH EXPOSURE. SOME MIGHT SAY EXPOSURE IS BAD, BUT GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN THE RISKS OF BEING POPULAR AND THE RISK THAT THE BREED DISAPPEARS, I’LL CHOOSE TO MAKE THEM MORE POPULAR.
11. What are your goals as an Owner Handler? Is there a victory that has eluded you? As someone who got into this while still having to maintain a day job to pay the bills, my showing has been limited to two or three shows per year, every year, up until 2023. So yes, I still have a lot of goals. All of my dogs have achieved Champion or Grand Champion status, and I’ve gotten several Group place- ments in both the regular ring and OH ring, but that Best in Show or Reserve Best in Show still eludes me. As a breeder, I’d also put getting a championship from the Bred-By class on my to-do list. 12. Is there a funny story that you can share about your experiences as an Owner Handler? Well, I did almost miss OH Groups this year at one show. This was at a show where OH Groups were immediately following regular Groups. Terriers were the first Group up, so I was stand- ing by from a distance, watching the regular Groups, know- ing that when the Terriers went in, I would need to brush out my boy and head over to the OH Group ring. The Group start seemed delayed, but then into the regular Group ring… here come the Hounds! I looked over at the OH Group ring, and the Terriers were going in. Somehow, I had totally missed them going into the regular Group ring. I scooped up my dog and ran to the ring, getting there just before the first dog was about to do its down-and-back. No time for last minute grooming. I did the walk of shame to the end of the line. Think I got a Group 3 that day. Ha!
8. What are the benefits of competing with your breed(s) as an Owner Handler? I think the primary benefit is getting the breed in front of more judges and more people in general. The Australian Terrier breed has been waning in popularity, for no good reason I can think of except that the breed doesn’t get enough exposure. Some might say exposure is bad, but given the choice between the risks of being popular and the risk that the breed disappears, I’ll choose to make them more popular. 9. How are you encouraging new exhibitors to participate in the sport? As a breeder, I am always happy to have someone come to me looking for a show puppy, and I try to mentor those folks if they are new. In the ring and at shows, I try to be approachable. If I see someone who needs a hand, I try to lend one. If some- one has a question, I want them to ask me, and if I don’t know the answer, I want to help them get the answer so that I can learn too. 10. Are there any suggestions you’d like to pass along about the presen- tation of your breed(s). Wow… Just never stop learning. I don’t care who you are, I think there is something to learn every time you step into the ring. Present your dog as well as you can so that the judge can see what you see, but also, look up at the dogs and exhibitors around you and see what they are doing. You’ll see things you like and may want to adopt in your presentation, and things that you might be doing that you’ll want to stop.
168 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, FEBRUARY 2024
Powered by FlippingBook