Showsight May 2017

A SURVEY ON THE AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD

REGI BRYANT I live in Galt, California. My kennel name is Catori Aussies. I have 3 kids: 2 boys who are 10 and 7 and a baby girl who is 10 months. The boys keep me busy with sports and school activities and I am the President of the Parent Club at their school. I love spending time with my friends and family and going camping! JUDY HARRINGTON I live in Monson, Massachusetts, in the western part of the state. My kennel is Propwash Australian Shepherds. I do a bit of everything; gardening, travel, design, enjoy good books, movies, auto racing, horse racing and golf as spectator sports. JEFF MARGESON I live in Taylorstown, Virigina. I am the President of the United States Australian Shepherd Association. I am in the Banking/Finance industry and my husband is the Hospital Manager for a large Veterinary practice. Outside of dogs, we love spending time around our historic mountain cabin home and all the associated outdoor activities—hiking, biking, kayaking, etc. FLO MCDANIEL I live with my husband of 35 years in Lebanon, Illinois (23 miles outside of St. Louis, Missouri). My kennel is McMatt Aussies. I work part time in a Manufacturing Company with the Cost Accountant. SUSAN MOOREHEAD I live in North Carolina. Outside of dogs, I am a caretaker for a family member.

JOYCE SIDDALL I live in Colorado, just south of Denver. My kennel is Cata- lina Australian Shepherds. I work for a law firm in an IT posi- tion. I am also an AKC and an ASCA judge and travel quite a bit, which I love! JULI WISEMAN I reside in North Carolina. I love a good book and enjoy cooking. I love to teach and especially enjoy mentoring those new to Aussies. 1. What is your opinion of the current quality of pure- bred dogs in general and your breed in particular? RB: I feel that so many newbies in our breed lack mentor- ship and with a little success become instant experts which has been detrimental to our breed. In addition, our breed should be able to work stock all day and most of what is seen today would not be able to do that as they’re not functional. I feel we need to be more critical of the dogs that are placed in show homes. JH: In my opinion the current quality of purebred dogs is mediocre. There are very good examples of all breeds that can be found but I think they are fewer than in the past history of dogs shows. I feel the same way about the Australian Shepherd as well. There are very good ones to be found, for sure, but often there are many compro- mises to be made when selecting placements in classes. Many breeds today are faced with the fact that there are more compromises to be made than in the past when making showing and breeding decisions. That is just my opinion. JM: This is a tough question, and I believe the answer will vary greatly based on an individual’s tenure in the breed. As in any breed, there is an evolution over time as popular-stud-syndrome and show ring trends shape many directions. Between breeders today, there are certainly variances in style of dogs, but for the most part I believe fit within the parameters of our breed standard. The most visible concern to me relates to the proportions of our breed. With our standard clearly stating “slightly longer than tall”, we are seeing more dogs lower stationed and longer in body than in previous years.

S how S ight M agazine , M ay 2017 • 251

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