[ SHOWGSD-L ] Judging --- Responsibility? (I wrote it... so it's long.. LOL)
- From: "Kathaleen Strong" <inflight2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:41:41 -0700
I have read a few posts regarding "waiting for them to mature" then it sorta
took a wee turn over to the longevity of young big winners then to judges
who put up young dogs without care for the future, then onto hell they put
up dogs with all kinds of problems, including the dragging toes, locked
hocks, you name it. and then a post from another judge saying --- "judges
are not the only one responsible".
Well the buck has to stop somewhere. and I hate to say it. when you sign up
to be a judge, it's on YOUR RINGSTEP! Look at it this way. Breeders are
like the House of Representatives, Exhibitors and handlers are the Senators.
and the judge at the show is the President! Use your damn veto power for
Pete's sake!
Good bloody grief! Why is this such a hard concept and one where people
tout their judging credentials but can't STEP UP to the plate and do the
right thing, because . "well except for this one glaring problem, they were
the best dog." WRONG --- "A dog who can not work is no german shepherd
dog." So if that bugger looks gorgeous but drags his feet on the ground ---
he is not a working dog therefore he does not have the qualifications to
even be considered gorgeous. Call it fault judging if you want. I call it
being responsible to the breed.
Scenario: Dog with lovely body, appears to be fluid, but upon further
investigation --- definite toe dragging. Ah hell. I'll put it up anyway.
Message sent: Okay. dragging toes works for judges, I have one in my back
yard I couldn't sell to a pet home because of the toes. hell I'm gonna show
it --- it's overall better than the rest of the litter except it's almost
got stumps for back feet. It will win though. that's what I'm after!
Scenario: Dog is mediocre at best, but if I don't put up this handler I'm
gonna eat dirt and never get another assignment.
Message sent: Jumpin' bloody jingle bells!. Well if this is what is
winning, I've sold all the best ones in my litter to pet homes.!!!!!! Now
what am I gonna do --- I thought we were supposed to be bettering the breed,
I guess not. I better go breed to some of this mediocre bloodline, and dumb
it down a bit, after all, I want to win!
Scenario: I've just judged a HUGE show, and my winners were a standard
sized but bitchy looking dog, and a huge doggy bitch. but it's okay, I like
them and one of them is related to my own dogs bloodlines. But I'm the
judge so who cares, I'm happy.
Message sent: Okay. bitchy males and doggy bitches are what wins big. I
just can't get it right. I sold all those to pet homes. well I'll repeat the
litter and keep them this time! Wait a minute. what about ol' bessy in the
back run. I was just going to keep her as a brood bitch; after all, she's 27
at the shoulder and makes the males look girly. HELLS BELLS!! I got me a
winner in the backyard!!!
Scenario: Well I've just judged this 4 pt show, and I could only find 1 or
2 I'd take home myself, but I'm not going to say that, because, I don't want
to hurt anyone's feelings; and if I hurt anyone's feelings I won't get any
assignments.
Message sent: Oh wasn't it a lovely day!!! We just watched all our dogs
with dragging toes and mediocre bodies and although we can't believe they
won, We're happy, our friends our happy. Oh Joy!!! I wonder what the judge
thought. ah who cares, they're just a judge. we're the breeders!!! YAY we
won!! I wonder what those Novice people meant when they said before they
left "If this is what show german shepherds look like, I don't want it",
hell what do they know. after all we're the breeders!!!
Enough scenarios. Of course these are written with tongue-in-cheek and meant
to be a little funny. but there is a big message of truth in them. Just
remember this. every time a judge puts up a dog at a major show, including
Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex. ROM Points are added onto the sire
and dam of these "winners". People look at those numbers and some people
might take this information into account when they choose a stud dog.
therefore another generation can be made or lost, the standard bar of
quality can go up or it can continue in it's current trend.
Judges are the ones with the Veto Power for the Breed. If you all walked
into the ring and remembered 3 things:
1) I have no friends in the middle of the ring, and I may have less on
the outside when I'm done, but I'm in here for the Breed and nothing else.
2) I am judging this show like it's my last show, and the summation of
my entire judging and breeding career will be remembered by what I do in
this ring today, and all of history will remember what I do today.
3) I am not responsible for the pedigrees of the dogs that come into
my ring, but I will be the one responsible for the ones that possibly will
be perpetuated in the future.
Judging is fun. Finding a good dog is a thrill. But it has a big
responsibility to it and IMO, judges should be required to write critiques
of value - not this bildgewater you see in the Review about how lovely every
single dog was with the perfection, and who showed which dog and their
teamwork. I mean meat and potatoes critiques that list what the dog has
good about them and what could be changed because. another damn thing that
Breeders have lost is. the ability to objectively look at a dog, including
its faults and heaven forbid. talk about their dogs who have faults!
"FAULTS???????? Who has faults????? If I talk about faults, no one will
want to breed to my winner or his sire and everyone will think my breeding
kennel is no good because I have a dog with a fault!!!!"
Before you get all uptight and write to me that "YOU" don't talk like that
--- I wrote most of this with a satirical tone - trying to bring to light
something that continues to be unbelievable to me, because the immaturity in
the breeders today is at an all time high. I've been here only 20 years, a
small time compared to most of the breeders on this list. and the value of
discussing dogs objectively their faults, their virtues and their ability to
pass on their virtues and less of their faults has been replaced with
something else I don't care to delve into at this moment.
Regards,
Kathaleen
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Kathaleen Strong - Inflight Kennels Reg'd - Breeders of:
1995 US GV, AOE-1996 US GVx, 99 Select Tequila, Jubilee ROM
http://inflight.cnc.net
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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