hose of us that have been in the breed for many years, remember when the long and low dog with the funny
looking turned out feet waited at the end of the working group line up, only to be typically ignored by the judging community. Mind you, the Cardigan was first registered with the AKC in 1936 and patiently awaited our turn to shine. With the advent of the group realignment and the creation of the herding group in 1983, many Cardigan aficionados thought they stood a better chance of recognition amongst all of the flash and flare that the other herd- ing breeds exhibited. Unfortunately, that was not the case. Yes, there were exceptions and every once in a while a great Cardigan made its way to the group line up. One cannot place all the blame on the judges though. Our favorite breed has gone though some evolutionary changes over the years. Sadly, in years past it was not unusual for judges to view the final line up of Cardigans and shake their head in disbelief at the poor quality that was regularly being exhib- ited. Yes, there were exceptions, but the dedicated breeders met the chal- lenge head-on and worked very hard to make improvements to their breed- ing programs. They strived for consis- tency in the conformation of the breed and made some tough decisions about which pup from the litter made the final cut to continue in the show ring. Fast forward to the 21st Century and suddenly the Cardigan has become a force to be reckoned with. The Car- digan makes its way to the Westmin- ster Kennel Club show and suddenly it obtains a group four. OK, well now at least someone recognizes us and then along comes a much appreci- ated group two placement and we are gaining some much-loved momentum. Finally, we hit pay dirt when a gorgeous 268 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , A UGUST 2018
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