[ SHOWGSD-L ] this is great, and I guess it's true, too
- From: Peggy <pmick@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: ShowGSD-L <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 17 Nov 2004 19:39:12 -0500
Besson In Show
Tue Nov 16 2004
Free Press pet columnist
Marc Gallant/Winnipeg Free Press
Besson handles Beanie the basset hound at 2004 Northwinds Dog Show.
is cured of his dog snobbery and takes home a ribbon, too
Animal Crackers
Allan Besson
AS I sat gazing at my Best In Show ribbon, I just couldn't believe it
was true.
First of all, I couldn't fathom ever winning such an award. But even
more incredible was the thought that I would even take part in an
All-Breed Championship Dog Show.
It's just not me.
OK! OK! I admit it. I was a reverse snob.
I laughed outrageously at the neurotic characters in the movie Best In
Show, vowing that I would never be caught in the ring prancing a
purebred dog in front of a judge.
I was of the opinion that the only dog worthy of the world's attention
is my best friend, a Rottweiler-Great Dane-German Shepherd mutt, I
call Hank.
When we passed a purebred on our daily outings at Maple Grove Off-
Leash Park I was the one sticking my nose in the air. There is Joseph the
Great Dane, Hook and Hanna, a pair of Bulldogs, and even River the
Doberman pincher. They are all magnificent purebreds, but to me they
didn't come close to my best buddy.
On the other hand, Hank gets along fine with them all, and they get
along with him, too. When they meet, they greet each other in the
accepted doggie way. They wag their tails, jump back and chase each
other around in a circle for a while. Then Hank promptly tells the
purebred to leave his Kong toy alone, again in a very doggie
acceptable way, and everything is fine. In their eyes, they're all the same.
I had the problem. I would walk away with the attitude that my mutt is
totally superior to every other breed in the park.
That all began to change a couple of weeks ago when I received an e-
mail that made my nose angle tilt a little towards the ground. It was an
invitation to come out and actually lead a purebred in last Friday's
Media Best In Show event at the Northwinds Dog Show at the Winnipeg
Convention Centre. They wanted to know if I had the "right stuff" to
work the show ring. The insinuation was that I could learn a little
something about what goes into raising, training, grooming and
preparing these pedigrees to be shown in the ring. I believe they
were talking about readying me, not the dog, which, by the way,
would be provided for the event.
What could I do? I had to answer the challenge. But this time, I
couldn't depend on Hank to pull me through.
As I walked into the show room at the convention centre Friday morning
the palms of my hands were sweaty and my mouth was as dry as cotton.
My competitive edge was sharp, but I still had to meet my partner.
What would it be? A fancy poodle? A noble bloodhound? Maybe a cute
little cocker spaniel?
The thing that meant the most to me was that I be paired with a dog I
could relate to.
Suddenly, there he was.
His name was Beanie (his registered name is American Canadian Champion
Blackjack Poetic Justice) and he was a beautiful basset hound. A real
working man's dog, and I knew right away that the two of us would hit
it off.
"Beanie was the number one basset hound in Canada for three years, and
ranked in the top four for five years," said Beanie's owner and
breeder, Glenoria Molnar of Blackjack Kennels, "and what that means is
he has
beaten more dogs than any other basset hound in the country in the
years he has been ranked. Not just basset hounds but all other dogs
overall."
With that, Beanie looked up at me with his Hush Puppy eyes, and his
gaze said to me, "Relax dummy. Just keep in step with me and we'll get
through this thing in one piece."
Feeling reassured, I reached into the pocket of my best dress slacks
and gave him a chunk of the fresh roast beef that Molnar had given me for
rewards. Then she dropped a bomb on me -- This wasn't just a dog show,
it was a beauty pageant.
It all came out innocently enough when I asked the question, "If a
basset hunts with its nose to the ground, why is it important that its
head be held high in the ring?" Stupid Me!
Molnar broke it to me gently.
"Normally the basset does walk with his nose to the ground, since it
was bred to hunt by scent," she explained. "But this is a beauty contest.
They (the judges) want flash. They want presence.
"While the dog should still be able to do what the breed was bred to
do, sometimes that doesn't work when you are in the ring. Some judges
prefer to see flash, not purpose, so you need the head up, show a lot of
attitude and they need to be able to present themselves well.
"The beauty queen that looks the nicest walking down that runway is
going to have the best chance of winning."
I was going to have to rely on Beanie even more than I thought.
Suddenly, they called us to the ring, and my palms began to get
sweaty, and my mouth turned to cotton again, so I called back to Molnar,
"Give
me some tips. Please?"
Her reply? "Keep the dog happy. Keep its head up. Don't run over the
dog in front of you. Have fun," and added jokingly, "Bribe the judge."
I immediately reached into my roast beef-stained pocket and pulled
out a five dollar bill.
To be honest, the competition, which included several other Winnipeg
journalists, went incredibly fast. Beanie performed fabulously and he
was as cool as a cucumber. Halfway through I realized her advice, to
relax and just keep in step with the dog, was what worked the best.
Everyone in the show seemed to do quite well in fact, except for poor
Chris Bobowsky of Global in front of me with the Australian sheep dog.
Obviously his treats weren't as good as my roast beef, because his dog
kept turning around to sniff my pocket.
Now is the time for me to come clean. We all had excellent dogs, and
Beanie and I did win Best In Show. But then again, so did everyone
else.
The judge Colin Brownlee, in his wisdom, saw fit to call it a tie all
around.
Probably the best thing, if you think about it. The dogs didn't care.
But there is nothing worse than sending away a group of disgruntled
journalists with bruised egos. This way, everyone got a ribbon and
went home happy.
As for me, I know that from now on, I'll have a different attitude
when Hank and I meet up with those purebreds at Maple Grove Park.
Thanks Beanie for curing me of my reverse snobbery.
Your ideas for future Animal Crackers Columns are always welcome. E-
mail me at: Petto@xxxxxxx
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