Showing Dogs in the Summertime; James Herriot; New Specialty Recognized
The Lackawanna Kennel Club is looking for match show judges for breed, obedience, and rally competition. The All Breed Match is on September 25th and the contact is Peg Setzer at 570-842-9895. This is a friendly club and would be a good event at which to gain some needed experience in the world of judging. Judging is education. Judging gives you a chance to help others–especially newcomers with their dogs–and the process itself teaches you about dogs. The other judges who make up the judging panel become invaluable allies and mentors. And, probably the best teachers–the professors–are the ring stewards. Dottie Davis and Doreen Slaybaugh are among the best and we are indeed fortunate in being able to watch them manage a ring. I can’t begin to count the number of people over the years who have entered a match show just to learn under Dixon and Connie Cuff when they were fortunate to have them as judges. The late great Ann Rogers Clark wrote about how much she learned from an eminent English Setter judge, Virginia Tuck, about grooming that breed when she was judging. By the way, the English Setter is the symbolic logo dog of the Lackawanna Kennel Club and the new logo was just designed by an AKC artist.
Of course before you go to a dog show you bathe and brush your dog to make him look his best and you should think about what to wear. Always wear comfortable and safe shoes. And, of course, pockets are a must for holding bait and toys! As an exhibitor whose footwear betrayed me I once slipped on wet grass when showing a Springer in a ring judged by Ellsworth Howell (Howell Books). I ended up on my back in an adjoining ring filled with Poodles. I will never forget the under-view of parading Poodles! What you wear should be chosen to respect your dog, the judge and the others on the judging panel. At a match show, washable tailored slacks are apparel to build on but a skirt is best if it is of an appropriate length. This is still considered a polite sport with good manners and a match show is the dress rehearsal. I remember the eminent judge, Bill Kendrick, loved the color blue and low-cut blouses so the handlers tried to influence him by wearing blue (low-cut is much harder to pull off and not very comfortable!). There are always fashion mistakes in the world of dogs so be prepared to learn and not become part of the next “worse dressed match show list”.
NEW SPECIALTY RECOGNIZED. Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation have currently been recognized by the AVMA. Although at present there are only 27 members– given the growing demand for pet rehabilitation– membership is expected to reach over 400 in the next two years and will be divided into two areas–equine and canine. It seems just yesterday that veterinarians made house calls on horseback accompanied by a companion dog. Who could have dreamed that this threesome might be considered a future logo!
JAMES HERRIOT. Probably the most famous stories of this early era were written by the Scottish veterinarian, James Herriot. Herriot was invited to visit the U.S. by Dr. Fred Gunther who began his practice in Danville (Leighow Veterinary Hospital); a colleague of Dr. Herriot’s, Brian Sinclair, was later interviewed by Dr. George Leighow, who captured some of these early, early days on tape for WCNR. Readers may re-live these early days of veterinary medicine–before all the specialties–in the books by Herriot,, beginning with All Creatures Great and Small, and in the PBS TV series of the same name.
Jun 07, 2010 | | Uncategorized