THE BUBBLE OUTSIDE
LOOKING BACKWARD TO MOVE FORWARD
BY STEPHANIE HUNT-CROWLEY
I have been thinking a lot the last month—sometimes we have to look back before we can look forward. This reminded me of Winston Churchill’s famous WWII saying: “The farther back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” I started reminiscing and looking at the way things have evolved over the last many decades. What lessons can we learn from the people in past decades as to what worked for the best, and what could have been done better? BREEDERS & BLOODLINES In the past, breeders would travel to buy and breeders would sell. Today, breeders or exhibitors travel to show their dogs, and few breeders have anything they can sell since they are caught between laws and peer pressure; condemnation if they breed “too often.” I was thinking of two great dog shows: Crufts and Westminster. The major difference between then and now is that only in this cen- tury has there been a number of foreign dogs being exhibited. But in the last century, there were foreign visitors who attended both shows to meet breeders and buy dogs or puppies. This was a good thing for all breeds, as bloodlines could be shared with breeders around the world. I know that in my own breed there were “regulars” who visited Crufts every year from Europe and the Americas who would be able to take something home with them. Today that would not be possible in probably most breeds, as few breeders would have anything available. I really enjoyed meeting the overseas visitors and getting to know them, learning about their dogs and dog shows in their country.
WHAT LESSONS CAN WE LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE IN PAST DECADES AS TO WHAT WORKED FOR THE BEST, AND WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER?
172 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, APRIL 2023
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