[ SHOWGSD-L ] Summations--long <potential controversy>
- From: "Kathaleen Strong" <inflight@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'freelist'" <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 27 Jun 2005 09:47:23 -0700
Well, upon some reflection over the weekend about some of the more recent
posts. I have decided to write one myself. Truthfully, the past week has
been a blur, as the previous weekend's shows took quite a toll. WOW what a
lot of work. You know, I hate to say this at this time, but none of us
really know what it's like until you walk in someone else's shoes for a
while. So, to all the show giving club's workers that I've attended as an
exhibitor. Thanks for your work!!!
Now, that was my nice thought for this hour of the day. Let's move onto
some other things I've thought when reading some of the more recent posts.
Maturity Posts: Well. I agree with both sides of the fence on this issue.
I guess I have to say this about that. when I judge dogs, (in or out of the
ring, picking puppies, etc.), I look at the overall picture. An older dog
that's mediocre at best is not likely to get any better - conversely, a very
promising young dog could fall apart and become a mediocre dog in it's own
right. It's like a weight scale. you have to use your skills gained as a
breeder and hopefully your innate talent and choose which dog you feel,
based upon the standard, that is the best representative of the breed.
regardless of age. Now, IMO, I feel I've had been pretty lucky to have had
some very nice young dogs exhibited to me --- but I had to find them -
because I don't go to shows knowing who's going to be there, what their
pedigree is, and whether or not they are linebred on pedigrees I personally
like.
Unfortunately for the current dog show world. this type of clean slate
thinking does not seem to be the NORM anymore! I mean REALLY!!! When you
hear of long-time respected judges saying things like. "well I liked both of
these dogs, and you know, I tried to buy the dog that beat you.. and imagine
this. he's linebred on my bloodlines" .. WELL WHAT IS THAT??? When I hear
other judges say, "Well, you know. <blank big name judge> put up this dog,
and then I got to judge it and I did the same thing" and then I see the
animal and go. man our breed is in some sad shape if this is being touted as
a future ultimate winner. It just blows my mind.
What further blows my mind is. how can a judge who is going to be judging a
national event. stand there and say "who was right?" after publicly exposing
their quite in-depth knowledge of a single dog's show career. a dog they
very well may be judging at a National event? I mean. let's be realistic
here. somehow I doubt that one or more of the judges at these events will be
going there with a clean slate mentality. If that's the case. why are we
even bothering to exhibit at preordained shows? Why are we spending
thousands of dollars to exhibit our dogs to the judges? The crowd??? Maybe
in the old days but now for the most part, based upon some of the comments
and cheering I have seen and heard watching very incorrect, unsound,
unathletic ---- UNSTANDARD dogs. running around the ring. POS's seems to be
the norm to get the crowd insane.
I know this sounds like I'm soured on dog shows. and maybe I am. but I know
there are good dogs out there, and I know there are good judges too. but
when I hear and see the stuff I've heard and seen over these past 10 days. I
just begin to think that the Disney type movie that my successful dog
showing days were. where no one knew who I was, didn't know my dogs and they
won BIG in spite of it.those days are gone. I worked hard, studied hard,
researched hard and had some hard luck. but I also had some good luck and
sense to know a good one from a bad one. and policed myself to only show
what I considered met MY HIGH standards as a good animal. not just any
animal that could win. if that were the case. I'd have 50 champions behind
my belt. That doesn't seem to be the majority of the mentality of dog
exhibitors today. it's more like. "well if we throw enough money at this
dog. it can become a big winner and hell .if we really want to tweak the
system. let's make it the top producer.afterall. enough good bitches bred to
a dog and enough money spent. will surely get our goal met" or "well. we're
A&B big breeder. we can show anything.. and who would DARE dump us." or
"hell. so and so doesn't "know" we're coming to show under them. but that
don't matter. we'll just make a huge show over doubling our dogs and they'll
"figure" it out". or "We can take a 3 legged, one eyed goat to this judge.
and they'll put us up every time cause they don't know a fiddlers fig if
it's a good one as long as so and so is on the end of the lead, it won't
matter" and more and more scenarios.
So. This book is getting longer and more sour, but I'm not quite done yet.
To you judges who take on the "RESPONSIBILTY" of stepping into the ring. To
you exhibitors who take on the RESPONSIBILTY of showing dogs.. To you
Handlers. who profess a great love of the breed yet show animals that you
wouldn't pay someone to pick up their ca-ca if you weren't being paid the
bucks. and to you breeders. Who take on the RESPONSIBILITY of breeding
"quality" dogs.. Please BE RESPONSIBLE to the BREED and POLICE YOURSELVES a
whole lot better than you currently are. It's recockulous to me that I have
enough ammo to even write this post, backed up by RECENT experience after
experience.
And to you National Judges. GET OFF THE LIST - GET OFF GSDCA COMMITTEES - Do
this breed a favor. GO UNDERGROUND. and show the position you were honored
with the ***proper respect***. Go to the national with a clear and clean
slate in your mind. If you've got the qualifications to actually be judging
a national, you should be able to take these next few months off of all of
this wangling and finagling. and spend the time with your own dogs, and get
recentered onto what is a correct GERMAN SHEPHERD dog by remembering the
great ones... and reading the standard a few times.look at your own great
dogs you bred. if you do all of this. maybe then you'll be respecting the
great honor the membership gave you. After all. if you profess to love the
breed as you do. is this too small a thing to ask???
Respectfully submitted,
Kathaleen
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